TBT: When LACSA flew the colors of Costa Rica across the Americas

LACSA, or Lineas Aéreas Costarricenses S.A., once flew the colors of Costa Rica throughout North, Central and South America.

Founded in 1945 with financing from the Costa Rican government, Pan American World Airways and private investments, LACSA soon became the national airline. It operated international flights from its hub in San José to destinations across the Americas.

• Watch: An old LACSA television commercial in Costa Rica

In 1998, LACSA became a member airline of TACA (Transportes Aéreos del Continente Americano). In 2009, TACA announced its merger with the Colombian airline Avianca, which all but eliminated the LACSA name and brand.

This photo, taken in March 1993, shows a LACSA Boeing 737-296. The plane, registered as LN-BRL, was first delivered to Quebecair in 1980 and enjoyed a brief stint with LACSA between 1992 and 1993, according to Air Fleets.

Photo attribution: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.