Aeroperlas (acronym for Aerolíneas Islas de Las Perlas) was a regional airline based in Panama City, Panama. It was the third largest airline in the country, surpassed only by Air Panama and Copa Airlines. From its hub at Marcos A. Gelabert and Enrique Malek International Airports, Aeroperlas operated over 50 daily scheduled flights to 15 domestic destinations, as well as charter and courier flights.[1] It operated services as part of the Grupo TACA regional airlines system.
On February 29, 2012, Aeroperlas ceased operations due to financial problems.
History
Inauguration and expansion years
The airline was founded in June 1970 as Aerolíneas Islas de las Perlas and started operations shortly after. It was a state-owned company from 1976 until 1987 when it was sold to private owners.
During the late 1990s, Aeroperlas was owned by APAIR (80%) and the parent company of American Eagle Airlines, AMR Corporation (20%). According to Dan Garton, AMR took a stake in Aeroperlas to find a way of streamlining American Eagle's fleet and placing their Shorts 360 fleet with another airline.