Air America is an American action/adventure television series starring Lorenzo Lamas, and premiering on October 4, 1998. The series is not based on the 1990 film Air America.
Former war hero and diplomat Frank Arnett is working for the organization OSI (Organization for Strategical Intervention), which battles drug trafficing in Central- and South America. Currently, Frank leads a mission called 'Operation Jaguar', which includes getting Hector Ramirez - courier between the drug cartel and the corrupt government Buenaventura - brought to America along with his cartel ledgers that can bring the bad guys down. Hector's only demand is that his girlfriend Isabella must be taken to America as well. Frank requests that his son, Navy pilot Rio Arnett, be brought in to help with the mission. OSI director Willard Jenner okays Rio's involvment but Henry Stanley, another important OSI figure, is vehemently oppsosed to the idea. Rio goes to Buenaventura and discovers that on the mission he'll also be working with his old pal Wiley Ferrell. Wiley briefly shows Rio around, including the Parador Hotel, the only hotel around which is run by the beautiful Allison Stratton.
Jenner is hospitalized with a mysterious virus infection and is growingly suspicious towards Stanley. Meanwhile, Rio is back in Buenaventura and gets aquainted with Allison Stratton, the new manager of the Parador Hotel. Allison detests Wiley and disagrees with the way he and Rio conduct their flights. She wants them to improve the look of the airport and give the tourists a better first impression so they'll want to stay at her hotel. Rio refuses to believe his father is dead and one night he is approached by a mysterious woman. She gives him Frank's pin and claims Frank gave this to a woman in trouble who needs Rio's help. Later, when Rio talks about the mystery woman, Pablo the mechanic tells him this must be 'la curandera', a strange woman who suddenly appears when people are in need of help. Her real name is Alma. The corrupt Stanley arrives in Buenaventura and meets up with his associate, State Department official Edward Furman. They go after Isabella, who is in possession of Hec
Somewhere in Costa Perdida, an old gold treasure is buried. At least that is what Vietnam vet Al Craven - an old war buddy of Rio's father Frank - claims. Rio is suspicious towards Craven and with good reason it turns out.
Costa Perdida is struck by a virus epidemic. The government is doing nothing to stop the disease. On the contrary, they are doing all they can to cover up the epidemic. The only ones battling the deadly killer-virus are Rio, Wiley and sexy epidemic-expert Dr. Harley Shaw. Suddenly, Rio starts getting the symptoms of the disease...
In a park, a teenager named Henry witnesses a diplomat being assassinated. This puts Henry's own life in jeopardy: the government is dead-set on avoiding a political crisis and want to pass off the diplomat's death as a suicide. Rio and Wiley are brought in to bring Henry to safety but he gets kidnapped. Rio does all he can to rescue the boy.
Beautiful scientist Dr. Katrina Young is assigned by a pharmasuitical company to search for healing plants in the primeval forrest. But Katrina can even chalk down her initial results, the research camp is blown up in an explosion. The company calls Katrina back home and she turns to Rio and Wiley for help. They quickly get their hands full and just barely manage to save Katrina from a murder attempt.
Annie is on the run from her ex-husband Rick, a violent, alcoholic marine. She seeks protection from Rio, and the two start an affair. But with dramatic consequences.
Lucie Ortega, a beautiful nightclub singer at the Club Saludos, contacts Rio for help. She needs to leave Buenaventura immediately to be with her sick mother in the Andes but cannot leave unless her boss at the club pays her the 75 million Pesos he owes her. Rio - not knowing that Lucie has been sent to him by the always unreliable Furman - naturally agrees to help an attractive damsell in distress, and goes to the Club Saludos and gets the money from Lucie's boss, Mesarigos. Shortly afterwards, Mesarigos is found murdered, and Lucie and the money have vanished. Rio, who was Mesarigos' last visitor, gets charged with murder.
Rio and Wiley are ordered by Furman to protect the life of Ramon Estrada, a filthy gangster in Buenaventura, who has made enemies in the mob. Furman wants to protect him because Estrada has proven himself to be a useful snitch. An assassin is coming to Costa Perdida to end his life. Wiley sets up secret video cameras in all the rooms at the Parador Hotel to try and figure out which of the new guests is the killer. But Estrada has many enemies, and finding the real assissin turns out to be difficult.
Renowned and ambitious reporter Molly Murphy hires Rio to fly her to Concho so she can interview the famous land owner Emilio Correno. What looks like a purely routine flight, quickly becomes dangerous when Rio discovers that the gas tank has been tampered with. The helicopter threatens to crash...
An old man - allegedly a Dutchman - arrives in Buenaventura. In reality, though, he is the Russian Nicolai Vyshenko, a former politician under Stalin and a notorious killer. Recently, Vyshenko has turned to another field of activity: along with his son, he now leads a camp on the island, in which young children a trained to become killers. Rio and Wiley set out to put and end to this.
Rio and Wiley are alarmed when Russian arms-dealer Victor shows up in Buenaventura to meet with a drug boss. Their concerns are certainly justified: a Russian naval base report one of their submarines as missing. Rio and Wiley must risk their lives in order to stop Victor's dangerous dealings.
When a satellite accidentally crashes into the jungle, Jenner asks Rio to accompany the recovery team on their retrieval mission. One of the expedition members is Dr. Marie Deschaux, the sexy French scientist who designed the satellite. Marie has ulterior motives for wanting to get to the satellite so quickly: she has secretly used plutonium in the satellite, so she is intent on killing everyone who finds out. Rio reluctantly has to help her find it before the plutonium kills thousands of innocent people.
For several hundred years there's been a near mythical story in Buenaventura - about a large treasure of gold that can be found in the so-called ""lost city"". Eva Bergeron, a beautiful German archeologist, has an old map and hires Rio to help her look for the treasure. However, Carlos Rey De Lupos, the Minister of Antiquities, wants the map for himself and kidnaps Eva. Rio prepares to rescue Eva but finds out that she hasn't been completely honest: she's no archeologist...
A woman hires Rio and Wiley to rescue her daughter Carmen, who has been kidnapped by her father, a Buenaventuran drug kingpin.
Shortly before the local election is to take place in Buenaventura is to take place, the political situation is tense. The governement - led by the brutal General Carlato - desperstely tries to hold on to the power, so a group of revolutionaries take over the Parador Hotel; the hostages including Alison and her visiting (and rather unsympathetic) father. Rio faces a difficult task as he tries to solve the conflict peacefully.
Multi-millionaire William Dayton (a friend of Alison's father) arrives in Buenaventura to discuss taking over Rio's route. Rio, however, is more concerned about why local villagers are disappearing at an alarming rate. When his good friend Alma, the local medicine woman, disappears too, a concerned Rio enlists Wiley's help. They uncover a conspiracy to kidnap villagers to take their organs and sell them on the black market.
The beautiful Elisa McCarran convinces Rio to help search for her missing husband. Elisa's doctor husband was on a rescue mission when his plane went down, and he has now officially been declared dead. The search proves perilous, and the forthcoming solar eclipe is just one of the reasons for this.
The American Ambassador in Buenaventura is blackmailed by corrupt industrial Mark McCormick. McCormick demands that his son, Peter, be given this political post. Peter himself, however, has no interest in a political career. All he wants is to be happy with his fiancée Jennifer. Jennifer is an old flame of Rio's, and when the two of them meet, the old passion is re-ignited.
After many years absence, physician Marco Ramos returns to Costa Perdida to care for his heart-sick mother. However, Marco's brother Reynaldo cannot forgive Marco for having abandoned him and their mother all those years ago, and wants to kill him in revenge. Rio and Wiley must try to prevent a bloodbath.
A left-wing extremist group rob a money transport and get away with printing plates for $100 bills. Rio and Wiley are ordered to seek out the robbers in their hiding place in the jungle. However, both Rio and Wiley end up captured, and learn they will face an execution squadron tomorrow...
Wiley suddenly faces a problem he has never encountered before: the experienced pilot is suddenly afraid of flying! A puzzled Rio brings Wiley to see Dr. Veronica Brady, a sexy psychiatrist. Veronica discovers that Wiley is under the influence of the dangerous drug Phanx Am. But how has Wiley gotten this drug in his body?
Otani, a corrupt member of the OSI, sends out a group of soldiers to track down and kill Rio's father Frank, who is hiding in the jungle. Rio manages to locate his father before the soldiers, and finds Frank badly wounded in a hut. Frank reveals the true for why 'Operation Jaguar' failed, which is the reason he has gone in hiding.
Fantini, the world champion in 'Ultimate Fighting' shows up in Buenaventura wanting to buy the whole island to turn it into a holiday paradise. He uses brutal violence to reach his goal but gets challenged by Rio and Wiley.
Rio is court-marshaled; suspected of having traded stolen arms with the enemy. The testimony of OSI director Willard Jenner could save Rio from the death sentence but Jenner is nowhere to be found. Wiley starts a desperate search to re-find Jenner, while the noose quickly tightens around Rio's neck...
An enormous hurricane threatens Costa Perdida. Rio and Wiley bring the villagers to safety, while they themselves take cover in a safe building. Suddenly, Rio's arch enemy, ex-OSI Officer Henry Stanley shows up. Will Rio finally be able to properly confront the traitor once and for all?
