[9] Before the merger with TACA in 2010, it was wholly owned by Synergy Group, a South American holding company established by Germán Efromovich and specializing in air transport.

Colombians Ernesto Cortissoz Alvarez-Correa (the first President of the airline), Rafael María Palacio, Cristóbal Restrepo, Jacobo Correa and Aristides Noguera and Germans Werner Kämmerer, Stuart Hosie and Albert Tietjen founded the Colombo-German Company, called Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aéreos or SCADTA.

The company accomplished its first flight on September 5, 1920, between Barranquilla and the nearby town of Puerto Colombia using a Junkers F.13, transporting 57 pieces of mail.

This and another aircraft of the same type were completely mechanically constructed monoplanes, the engines of which had to be modified to efficiently operate in the climate of the country.

Due to the topographic characteristics of the country and the lack of airports at the time, floats were adapted for two of the Junkers aircraft to make water landings in the rivers near different towns.

In 1924, the aircraft that both Ernesto Cortissoz and Helmuth von Krohn were flying crashed into an area currently known as Bocas de Ceniza in Barranquilla, killing them.

On June 14, 1940, in the city of Barranquilla, SCADTA, under ownership by United States businessmen, merged with regional Colombian airline SACO, forming the new Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia S.A. or Avianca.

Five Colombians participated in this: Rafael María Palacio, Jacobo A. Correa, Cristobal Restrepo, and Aristides Noguera, as well as German citizens Albert Teitjen, Werner Kämerer, and Stuart Hosie, while the post of first President of Avianca was filled by Martín del Corral.

[citation needed] In 1956, the company transported the Colombian delegation to the Melbourne Olympics on a 61-hour trip, stopping only to refuel.

[17] During the 1960s, the company built the Avianca Building in Bogotá, designed by the architect Germán Samper, which was inaugurated in 1969 on the south side of Santander Park.

On December 10, 1998, Avianca officially opened its new hub in Bogotá, offering around 6,000 possible connections per week, and an increased number of frequencies, schedules, and destinations, taking advantage of the privileged geographical location of the country's capital, for the benefit of Colombian and international travelers between South America, Europe, and North America.

After the September 11 attacks, Avianca, SAM, and their major rival ACES joined efforts to create the Alianza Summa, which began merged operations on May 20, 2002, to offer a more efficient service with concerns to quality, quantity, security and competition in a new struggling marketplace.

In November 2003, the Alianza Summa was disbanded, ACES was liquidated altogether and SAM was acquired to be a regional carrier under Avianca's brand.

On December 10, 2004, Avianca concluded a major reorganization process, undertaken after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, by obtaining confirmation of its reorganization plan, which was financially backed by the Brazilian consortium, Synergy Group and the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, allowing the airline to obtain funds for US$63 million, in the 13 months following withdrawal from bankruptcy.

Likewise, due to the stoppage of ACDAC pilots in 2017, only in October 2018 were all flight itineraries managed by the airline restored.

[24] Avianca implemented numerous cost-reduction plans during and following their bankruptcy including increasing the passenger capacity and redesigning the cabin of their Airbus A320s, simplifying their fleet to only the A320 family and Boeing 787, the latter of which will also feature an economy class cabin redesign, and introducing new, cheaper, and more competitive fares with increased options for flexibility including checked and carry-on bags, seat selection, and priority boarding.

[citation needed] In September 2022, Ecuador's Superintendency for the Control of Market Power became the first government body to approve the merger.

[citation needed] On January 19, 2023, the Ministry of Transport and Aerocivil formally annulled the November 2022 decision to reject the Avianca-Viva Air merger, citing "procedural irregularities" found within the first review process.

A second review is due to take place in "an urgent manner", because the merger proposal was filed under "exception for a company in crisis", referencing Viva Air's financial situation.

[35] On May 13, 2023, after analyzing the "financial and technical implications" of the merger under these conditions, Avianca withdrew its plans for the acquisition of Viva Air, given the strict requirements of Aerocivil and the damage that these would have on the airline's economy.

Avianca's headquarters are on Avenida El Dorado and between Carrera 60 and Gobernación de Cundinamarca, located in the Ciudad Salitre area of Bogotá.

LifeMiles has four elite tiers: As of November 2024[update], Avianca operates the following aircraft: In March 2007 the airline ordered 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliner.