SCADTA (Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aereos, "Colombian-German Air Transport Society") was the first airline in Latin America, operating from 1919 until World War II.
At their first years, SCATDA worked with Junkers hydro-planes that could land in the middle of the Magdalena River since there were'nt any landing strips at the time.
The company's German ownership motivated the U.S. government to subsidize Pan American World Airways' expansion in Latin America under the Hoover administration. SCADTA was barred from operating flights to the US and the Panama Canal, although it continued to maintain a broad route network in the Andes region. The formation of Panagra in the 1930s further eroded SCADTA's position in the market. In 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, SCADTA was forced to cease operations and its assets were seized by local governments, both at the request of U.S. authorities. The remnants of SCADTA were incorporated into the new Colombian airline, Avianca.