Aerolinhas Brasileiras or simply ABSA Cargo Airline, began operations on June 2, 1995 operating its first route from Campinas to Manaus. The flight was operated with its first aircraft, the Douglas DC-8-71F model.
In 1997 the company began to expand its operations outside Brazil, with destinations in Bogotá, Caracas, Mexico City and Miami. Things seemed to flow well for the newest Brazilian airline at least until the early 2000s.
In the year 2000 the company stopped its operations when returning its only Douglas DC-8 aircraft, but at the beginning of the following year it resumed the routes with another DC-8, but this time the chosen version was the 61F.
In 2001, the company received its first Boeing 767-300F, becoming the first to operate the model in a cargo version in Brazil. This aircraft came from LAN Chile, having received registration PR-ABB. The new 767 was introduced on the Campinas – Manaus – Miami route. Later this year, the DC-8 was returned to the lessor, leaving only the 767 in operation.
ABSA's ties with LAN were strengthened after the arrival of the Chilean company's aircraft. With the increase in demand, the strengthening of the partnership between the Brazilian company and the Chilean company, LAN became a shareholder in ABSA, becoming part of a group of cargo companies formed by the companies LAN Cargo, MasAir and Florida West.
In addition to LAN, ABSA also became a partner of Lufthansa, which allowed the company to expand its network and its global capacity. In 2005 the company expanded its fleet with the arrival of the second Boeing 767, this time new from the factory, with this it was able to fly to Europe and the first destination was Frankfurt.
In 2009, LAN started installing winglets on its entire fleet of Boeing 767s, aiming to reduce fuel consumption and ABSA was not left behind, gradually the Brazilian fleet also received the new winglets. The following year, with part of LAN's paintwork and the ABSA name, the third Boeing 767 arrived for the company with winglets already installed.
In 2012 the company was absorbed by TAM Cargo shortly after the creation of the LATAM group. With that, another Boeing 767 arrived, but already in the colors of TAM Cargo. In 2014, another 767 aircraft arrived in the colors of TAM Cargo, which seemed to be the imminent end of the ABSA brand.
Something that definitely happened in 2016, with the unification of the group's brand, the company started to adopt the colors of LATAM Cargo. Before that, the company still received another Boeing 767, but with the ABSA brand on the fuselage. This plane had no painting, just the name on its metallic fuselage, to reduce weight and consequently reduce consumption.
In total, the company operated six units of the Boeing 767 and two DC-8 aircraft. Check out what they were below:
-
Douglas DC-8-71F // PP-ABS
-
Douglas DC-8-61F // PP-ABA
-
Boeing 767-300ERF // PR-ABB
It is currently the only aircraft to bear the colors of ABSA, it was the company's first aircraft, having operated in LAN as CC-CZX.
-
Boeing 767-300ERF // PR-ABD
Aircraft currently painted in LATAM Cargo colors.
-
Boeing 767-300ERF // PR-ACG
Aircraft currently painted in the colors of LATAM Cargo with registration N532LA.
-
Boeing 767-300ERF // PR-ACQ
The aircraft currently flies on STAR AIR under registration OY-SRW, it also flew on LATAM Cargo as N530LA.
-
Boeing 767-300ERF // PR-ADY
Aircraft currently painted in the colors of LATAM Cargo with prefix N536LA, it was the first aircraft to receive the colors of TAM Cargo.
-
Boeing 767-300ERF // PR-ACO
It is currently the only aircraft that does not have the LATAM Cargo livery, it currently has the TAM Cargo livery.
The Boeing 767 registration PR-ABB was the only aircraft that remained with the colors of ABSA Cargo, on April 26th the Well done Well done returned from Abu Dhabi from heavier maintenance and was even speculated by many that it would receive LATAM Cargo paint, upon landing in Brazil it was confirmed that the ABSA colors were maintained and where it es is recorded so that in the near future it will be unfortunately just a memory.
