LACSA (Líneas Aéreas Costarricenses S.A.) was the flag carrier of Costa Rica and one of the oldest and most storied airlines in Latin America. Founded in 1945, it operated scheduled passenger and cargo services throughout Central America, the Caribbean, and to major North American cities for decades. LACSA became a founding member of the TACA group, a regional airline alliance that eventually consolidated Central American carriers under a unified brand. Over the years, LACSA's operations were progressively integrated into TACA International Airlines, effectively ending its independent identity. By the early 2000s, LACSA had been largely absorbed into TACA, and the brand was phased out. TACA itself later merged with Avianca in 2013 to form Avianca Holdings, which today serves the routes once operated by LACSA.