On Thursday, Avianca introduced a third vintage aircraft, painted with a livery of LACSA. This Costa Rican airline existed between 1945 and 2017 when Avianca decided to end the brand and merge it entirely into its ranks.

A third retro livery

Earlier this month, Avianca revealed an Airbus A320 painted with a retro livery, showing the logo of the former TACA, an airline that existed between 1931 and 2009 and merged with Avianca. This was the second retro livery introduced by the Colombian historical carrier following the commemorative 100th-anniversary livery revealed in 2019.

This week, Avianca proudly introduced its third vintage aircraft. The plane, painted with the livery employed by LACSA in the 1990s, is “a tribute to the companies that are part of our history.” Avianca selected an Airbus A320, registration N821AV, to be painted with the livery of LACSA (which stands for Líneas Aéreas Costarricenses Sociedad Anónima and currently known simply as Avianca Costa Rica).

Viviana Martin, Avianca Costa Rica Manager and Director of Inter-institutional Affairs at the company, said that with this retro LACSA aircraft, the company is celebrating the Costa Rican origins that are part of its operations. She added,

“We are proud to be an important player in Costa Rica's connectivity and to take 'Pura Vida' - a term that expresses the characteristic joy of the Costa Rican people - beyond our borders, promoting tourism to the country.”

The aircraft

The livery of Avianca’s LACSA is a pretty one. In a photo released by Avianca, we can see the tail has a design consistent with the Costa Rican flag, two dark blue stripes, two white stripes, and one red strip. In the back section of the fuselage, above the registration and the last six windows, it can be read “Costa Rica Lacsa.” Finally, in the front, we can find the traditional Avianca logo.

The plane chosen by Avianca holds a US registration, N821AV. This aircraft was delivered by Airbus to Avianca in September 2011 and has the capacity to carry 180 passengers in a two-class configuration, 168 in economy and 12 in business. The leasing company Avolon owns the aircraft.

According to data by FlightRadar24.com, Avianca expects to employ this aircraft in a scheduled service on Sunday. The plane will operate flight AV58 between Bogota El Dorado International Airport (BOG) and Panama City Tocumen International Airport (PTY). It has been inactive since November 12, when it operated flight TA9950 between San Salvador and Guatemala City.

Avianca Retro TACA Livery 2
Photo: Avianca.
Avianca retro livery
Photo: Avianca.

The other two retro liveries

Avianca now has three aircraft painted with retro liveries. The first one was introduced during Avianca’s 100th anniversary in 2019. That jetliner, an Airbus A320 registration N567AV, has a unique 1950 livery and a logo that says “100 Avianca Airlines”.

The second retro livery was also painted on an Airbus A320, registration N567AV. It wears the livery of the Central American company TACA.

The current Avianca results from mergers with many airlines, including TACA, LACSA, and Ecuador’s Aerogal. It would be interesting to see if Avianca introduces an Aerogal livery in the future.

Which one of Avianca’s retro liveries is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.