Líneas Aéreas del Estado (LADE, ) is an airline based in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina. It is owned by the government of Argentina and operated by the Argentine Air Force. It provides domestic scheduled services, mainly in Patagonia.
History
The airline was established as an arm of the Argentine Air Force in September 1940 to service unprofitable routes to remote areas. It was initially known as Líneas Aéreas Suroeste and consolidated under the present title in 1945 with another air force branch, Líneas Aéreas Noreste.[1] By April 1960, DC-3s, DC-4s and Vikings made up LADE's fleet.
At March 1970, LADE had 150 employees and its fleet consisted of 14 DC-3s, two DC-4s, three DC-6s and six de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters. The carrier started regular flights between Comodoro Rivadavia and the Falkland Islands in 1972. The Comodoro Rivadavia–Port Stanley run was initially operated with F27 equipment. The limited length of the runway at Port Stanley Airport resulted in weight regulations to the aircraft operating the route, which restricted the number of carried passengers to a maximum of 22 per flight, along with a reduced volume of mail and freight. The service was discontinued in 1982, following the