DAP AIRWAYS

DAP’s history takes us back to the early ‘80s when Domingo Andrés Pivcevic –son of settlers who arrived in Magallanes in 1900- decided to purchase an airplane to cover his needs of transporting goods, due to the scarce land or air connections that existed in Magallanes at the time.With vision, he saw a business opportunity and a way to help the community by connecting the Magallanes Region and its people with the rest of the country. Thus, in 1980 Aerovías DAP is born, becoming “The ai... rline of Patagonia” and to this day, connecting the Magallanes Region with scheduled flights, operating from Monday to Saturday from Punta Arenas to Puerto Williams and Porvenir. In the late ‘80s the company grew, incorporating itself to the touristic boom that these beautiful lands at the end of the world were experiencing, with the creation of travel agency DAP Antártica (1989), tour operator whose mission is to offer an unforgettable adventure and top-level service to its clients.In February of that same year, DAP achieved its first flight to the White Continent, building with time a route that has gained more and more relevancy, with transport and logistic support for a number of scientific missions from all over the world, as well as exclusive tour programs in King George Island, Antarctica. In 1989 DAP Helicópteros is created as well; helicopter division born with the purpose of satisfying the needs of the National Petroleum Company of Chile (ENAP – Magallanes), in regards to incorporating the use of these type of aircraft to its Off-Shore operations, located in the eastern entrance of the Magallanes Strait. With an impeccable operation through the years, in 1996 DAP starts carrying out Off-Shore flights in Argentina for SIPETROL, international subsidiary to ENAP in this country. Eventually, in 2002 it based one of its AS 355 F2 helicopters permanently at the BRM base located near Faro Vírgenes, eastern entrance of the Magallanes Strait. This way, DAP Helicópteros Argentina is born, a legally constituted company with Argentinean staff.Today, DAP Helicópteros holds an impressive record of over 100.000 flight hours and almost 30 years in the most demanding of conditions. In 2004, and thanks to the incorporation of new helicopters, DAP starts to build a network of air medical rescue services across the country, creating AeroRescate S.A., which today has bases in Antofagasta, Región Metropolitana, Punta Arenas and Antarctica. Being from its beginnings a company dedicated to market niches, in 2012 DAP starts carrying out flights for the mining industry in the North of Chile. Operating under the Mineral Airways badge, and with a fleet that expands to count with BAe/Avro R85 and Boeing 737-200Adv units in the present, the company transports mining workers directly from the city of Santiago to their work locations, drastically shortening the travel times. Furthermore, with this fleet of jet planes, the company expands its network of tourist and business charter flights in the whole country, and to different points of the continent. In 2017 Betanzos ship is incorporated into the fleet, a versatile vessel that multiplies DAP’s logistic capabilities at the southern end of the world, to give solution to the complex needs of scientific missions, as well as making the company’s activities in Antarctica more and more self-sustained.With strong roots in Magallanes, and a staff of experienced pilots and highly trained technical personnel, prepared to operate a fleet of airplanes and helicopters carefully chosen to fly in the highest standards of safety and efficiency, DAP continues to build its history, flight after flight.More