Pluna

Pluna or P_rimera L_ínea U_ruguaya de N_avegación A_érea, is Uruguay's national and international airline company.

It was begun on November 20, 1936, by the brothers Jorge Marquez Vaesa and Alberto Marquez Vaesa, who flew two De Havilland 5 passenger Dragonflies, from Montevideo to Salto and Paysandu. The two planes were batptized Churrinche and San Alberto, the latter to honor the brother's father.

Pluna in their first fiscal year flew 2,600 passengers, a huge success for that era. It also flew 20,000 pieces of mail, and 70,000 newspapers.

The 1940s saw Pluna's expansion into the international field, and Porto Alegre, Brazil, became Pluna's first international destination. Later, an extension to Sao Paulo was added from Porto Alegre. Also added to Pluna's network were Santa Cruz in Bolivia, as well as the Argentinian destinations of Buenos Aires, Rosario and Cordoba.

Pluna's growth slowed considerably for the next 3 decades, but it entered the jet age soon after jets were introduced to the world, and added JFK International Airport in New York, and Miami, Florida as part of the Pluna route system, while using DC-10 and Boeing 737 aircraft.

In the 1980s, Pluna started flying to Madrid, Asuncion, Rio De Janeiro and Santiago, but services to JFK and Miami were suspended. The city of Punta Del Este in Uruguay's south, flourished as a tourist destination, and Pluna also benefited from that. In addition, an office was opened in Asia, specifically in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The 1990's saw financial trouble loom for Pluna, and Varig bought over a mayor part of the airline, and now many people know the company as Pluna-Varig. Nevertheless, Pluna still continues being active with over 200 weekly flights from Montevideo's international airport, using Boeing 737 and Boeing 767 equipment.