Alas de Socorro del Ecuador (ADSE) was founded in November of 1986 thanks to the vision of those who desired to found a national entity to take over the work of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), which had been working in Ecuador since 1948 under the name of “Alas de Socorro”.
Ecuador was the second country that MAF entered to serve after their founding in 1945. Pilot Nate Saint and his family were the first MAF missionaries and they established a base in Shell. After Nate’s death, many Christians were moved to come to Ecuador and go to other parts of the world.
Years later it became evident that it would be necessary to nationalize the operations in Ecuador. For that reason, in May of 1985 the first meetings were held to constitute the Christian corporation, Alas de Socorro del Ecuador.
Both Ecuadorians and foreigners participated in the constitution of ADSE, some of whom had gone to the presence of the Lord without having seen the dream that God put in their hearts come true: A national entity assuming the responsibility from MAF to serve Ecuador and carry the message of God.
For many years, an effort was made to nationalize the operation, for various reasons it never happened, until almost 24 years had passed and God worked in many ways, so that finally the plan that was dreamed of by this small group of believers in 1985 became a reality.
ADSE obtained its first two-year Operations Permit in December of 2008, and a transition of operations was begun from MAF to ADSE. In June of 2009 ADSE assumed the complete administration of the operations.
Thanks to God, ADSE and MAF have continued to work together, working out agreements that have been beneficial to ADSE and their users. Today, ADSE is self-sustaining.
Because of government requirements, Alas de Socorro del Ecuador was obligated to certify under RDAC 135 “Air Taxi Operator”. The certification was obtained in August of 2016. In order to obtain this permit it was necessary to create a company in accordance with the laws and norms of Ecuador. For that reason, in June of 2015 Alas de Socorro founded SERVICIOS AERONAUTICOS MAF ECUAFOR SAMAFE CIA LTDA. Today we operate as an Air Taxi company but we maintain the same spirit of service and highest commitment to safety that has characterized Alas de Socorro since 1948.