TAM – Transporte Aéreo Militar (Military Air Transport) was an airline based in La Paz, Bolivia. It was owned by the Bolivian Air Force, and was established to offer flights to rural communities where commercial airlines could not operate profitably. It also operated in competition with commercial airlines on many of Bolivia's trunk domestic routes. In September 2019, the airline suspended all operations.

History

TAM began operations on June 15, 1945, with the acquisition of new Douglas C-47s. In 1955, the squadron of the Bolivian Air Transport decided for TAM to begin commercial operations. "El Grupo Aéreo "71" (the Air group "71") known by the civil populace as Transporte Aéreo Militar (TAM), is an essential part of the structure of the Bolivian Air Force and the fundamental element for the development and integration of the populations in the distant parts of the national territory." —TAM website, Historical summary/review. The original name (from 1944) was "El Escuadrón de Transporte Aéreo" (ETA). In 1953 the name was changed to Transporte Aéreo Militar. This heritage is reflected in the words "Grupo Aéreo 71" appearing as part of the TAM logo. The airline has stopped their flights since July 2018. On March 27, 2019, the airline gained authorization to begin flying again, but during that period failed to obtain an operating authorization from the ATT; this failure lead to them ceasing all operations again in September, 2019.

Destinations

Transporte Aéreo Militar serviced the following destinations: 🇧🇴 Bolivia

Fleet

The TAM fleet consists of the following aircraft as of February 2014:

Accidents and incidents