Cubana de Aviación is a renowned airline based in Cuba. Established in 1929, it is the national carrier of Cuba and is owned by the Cuban government. The airline operates domestic and international flights, connecting Cuba with various destinations in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean. With its main hub at José Martí International Airport in Havana, Cubana de Aviación plays a vital role in facilitating travel and tourism to and from Cuba. The company has a rich history and continues to provide essential air transportation services to passengers worldwide.
Meaning and history
Cubana de Aviación, founded in 1929 by Alfredo Zayas and funded by the Cuban government, is the national airline of Cuba. Over the years, it played a vital role in connecting Cuba with various destinations worldwide. The airline offered both domestic and international flights, showcasing the country’s rich culture and attracting tourists. However, in recent years, Cubana de Aviación faced numerous challenges, including financial difficulties and an aging fleet. These factors, combined with other operational issues, led to a decline in the airline’s services. Cubana de Aviación has suspended most of its operations. The exact current status and the future of the airline may require further updates beyond that date.
What is Cubana de Aviación?
Cubana de Aviación is the national airline of Cuba. It was established in 1929 and has since played a significant role in connecting Cuba with domestic and international destinations. Despite facing financial challenges over the years, Cubana de Aviación continues to operate flights, offering services to passengers and cargo transportation.
193? – 1945
The earliest Cubana de Aviación logic designed in the 1930s, was made of a solid roundel placed under a stylized wing with elongated feathers on top. On the circular medallion, there was a contour of Cuba engraved and accompanied by the full name of the company, written in capitals of a sans-serif typeface around the perimeter of the roundel.
1945 – 1948
The redesign of 1945 has introduced a simple version of the logo for the air carrier. It was a solid blue banner in the shape of a horizontally oriented rectangle with a two-level inscription, written in the title case of a sharp and modern serif typeface. The main thing about the slightly slanted capitals of the wordmark was the small pointed triangular elements placed at the ends of the bars of the characters.
1948 – 1955
In 1948 the logo was combined with two previous versions. So the roundel with the wing and the horizontal banner were merged into one badge. With some modifications, of course. The color palette was switched to blue and white, the lettering was shortened, and the style of the typeface became narrower, with the same sharp triangles, evoking a sense of motion, remaining.
1955 – 1958
The original version of the Cubana de Aviación visual identity was brought back by the designers in 1955. Of course, it was refined and its color palette turned red and white now. The contours of Cuba on a solid roundel were replaced by the schematic drawing of a globe, and the “Cubana” wordmark was added to the top part of the wing, which was redrawn in a more geometric style.
1958 – 196?
The version of the Cubana de Aviación logo, introduced in 1958, featured both the emblem and the lettering, drawn in a dark green color against a plain white background. The emblem repeated the one from the previous version, but with modified contours — the globe got extended and the wing was replaced by a sharp triangular arrowhead pointing to the left. As for the inscription, it was written in the same recognizable serif font with pointed details.
196?
In the 1960s the enlarged wordmark was removed from the composition, and the emblem with the globe and the arrowhead took a leading position in the badge. Although some significant refinements were made to its first of all, the triangular element, overlapped by the stylized globe, changed its direction and was now pointing to the right; secondly, the color palette of the badge was switched to black and white; and thirdly, the lettering on the emblem now featured the full name of the air carrier and was written in two levels.
196? – 197?
A completely different version of the Cubana de Aviación company was introduced by the designers at the end of the 1960s. It was now the blue-on-white composition, formed by a laconic geometric emblem depicting a stylized plane tail, made of four segments, and a mixed case “Cubana” wordmark, written in a slanted geometric sans-serif typeface of a medium weight. The image was accompanied by a tagline in small serif capitals.
197? – 1994
Another version of the Cubana de Aviacion logo was created in the 1980s and stayed in use till the middle of the 1990s, which makes it one of the most long-lasting badges in the company’s history. But not only that — it was also the most minimalistic one. The logo featured just one element — a contoured mixed case wordmark, which was written in the same style as on the previous version, and using the same blue and white color palette.
1994 – Today
The redesign of 1994 brought back the logo concept from the 1960s, with the geometric emblem and the additional lettering. However, the color palette was switched to a lighter shade of blue, red, and white, and the style of the lettering turned somewhat more confident and modern, with simple yet bold shapes and contours.