The
history of the Fokker F-28 in Ecuador began in the mid-1980s with the addition
of the dual-registration airframe #11220 F-28 Mk.4000 to the fleet of
Transportes Aéreos Militares Ecuatorianos (TAME). The airline had been founded
in 1962 by the Ecuadorian Air Force with the constitutional mission of
integrating the country's most remote regions, promoting social and economic
development by transporting passengers and cargo where private enterprise did
not consider it profitable to operate. It is worth noting that it operated as a
commercial entity competing in the civil market, but its administrative,
managerial, and operational structure depended directly on the Air Force. The
crews were also composed of Air Force personnel holding civil commercial
licenses, which allowed for an immediate transition from airline service to
military logistical transport and evacuation missions in the event of a
national emergency.
This
first F-28 was incorporated into Transport Wing No. 11 (Ala de Transporte Nro.
11), under the Air Operations and Defense Command and the Air Transport
Command, bearing the civil registration HC-BMD
and, concurrently, the military serial FAE-220,
christened “Ciudad de Loja”. The F28 proved ideal for operating at this city's
airport, which featured a very short runway surrounded by challenging
topography—impossible to operate with the large and heavy Boeing 727s, and
complex for the HS-748s, whose performance was often insufficient due to the
prevailing hot and high conditions at the airfield. Once again highlighting its
short-field capabilities, rough-field tolerance, structural strength, speeds,
and overall performance, the Fokker stood out in that hostile environment. From
January 1985 to March 1999, this F28 was fundamental for this destination,
where it operated solitary amid the absence of other operators in the area. A
journey from Quito by land meant a winding and rugged trip of more than fifteen
hours, which was reduced to about 50 minutes thanks to TAME's option with its
Fellowship.
Another
prominent route was Quito – Tulcán – Cali, operated since the signing of the
"Border Integration Agreement" between Ecuador and Colombia in 1992.
This international route, regularly operated by the F-28, became a key driver
for binational trade and passenger flow across the northern border. Tulcán,
located at more than 2,900 meters above sea level, presented low air density
conditions that severely penalized the takeoff run of most commercial aircraft;
however, the F-28-4000, thanks to its optimized thrust-to-weight ratio and
extended wingspan, was capable of taking off from this terminal with full
passenger loads toward Colombian territory.
Oil
exploration in Ecuador's Amazon region demanded the continuous transfer of
engineers, geologists, heavy tools, and technical personnel to rustic and humid
asphalt runways in the heart of the jungle. TAME operated daily flights with
the Fokker F-28 to El Coca, Lago Agrio, and Macas, where the aircraft
successfully withstood continuous operations on these deteriorated asphalt
runways.
During
the armed escalation of the Cenepa border conflict, which pitted the military
forces of Ecuador and Peru against each other in the eastern region of the
Cordillera del Cóndor in early 1995, the Ecuadorian Air Force executed a
massive logistical mobilization. Under the direct control of the Joint Command
of the Armed Forces, Transport Wing No. 11 mobilized a total of 2,930,006
pounds of military cargo, including ammunition, disassembled artillery pieces,
aeronautical spare parts, and essential field supplies. In this critical
effort, TAME's Fokker F-28s played a fundamental strategic role in the
mobilization of military human resources. While heavy cargo aircraft like the
C-130 Hercules or the Lockheed L-100-30 handled the transport of supplies to
forward bases and unpaved strips, the F-28s took over a rapid airlift to
transfer infantry troops, special battalions, and reserve combat pilots from
the main bases in the north and center of the country to the logistical
airfields in the south of the Republic. Furthermore, the F28s supported complex
logistical schemes for the supply of aviation fuels (Class IIIA), mobilizing
maintenance specialists and aeronautical engineers essential to sustain the
operational readiness of the Mirage F1 and Kfir C2 supersonic squadrons at
Taura Air Base and other tactical deployment points.
In
March 1999, this solitary F-28 was reinforced with a second aircraft, airframe
#11112, coming from Scandinavian Airlines. It was registered as HC-BZU / FAE-112 and christened "Morona Santiago".
The
fleet's operability was shaken in January 2003 when, as a result of a runway
excursion at Quito Airport, the veteran HC-BMD
“Ciudad de Loja” was declared a hull loss (total loss). Consequently, TAME had
to urgently acquire a third Fokker F-28 airframe to avoid disrupting air
connectivity with Loja and the Amazon region.
In
December 2003, they incorporated what would be the third and final Fokker unit,
serial #11228, registered as HC-CEH
/ FAE-228 and christened “Ciudad de Loja”, surely as a form of tribute to its
predecessor and its important mission accomplished over all those years in that
region of the country.
By
the year 2006, TAME began a profound fleet modernization, incorporating Embraer
and ATR aircraft and phasing out the long-lived Fokker fleet. The aircraft were
left awaiting their fate at the old Quito airport, where they remained until
its definitive closure in 2013, before finally being scrapped.
All F-28 fleet in one picture,
HC-CEH (cn.11228) &
HC-BZU (cn.11112)
TAME F-28 fleet
*
msn 11220 Mk.4000 HC-BMD/ FAE-220 dd
20Dec1985.
*
msn 11112 Mk.4000 HC-BZU/ FAE-112 dd
30Mar1999.
*
msn 11228 Mk.4000 HC-CEH/ FAE-228 dd
26Feb2004.
