TAG Airlines launched a direct flight between Tegucigalpa and San Salvador, initially this route will be operated three times a week.
According to executives of the Guatemalan airline, the opening of this new route, which will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, is part of the growth plan that the company is currently executing.
Francisco Pahul, TAG's commercial director, told Elmundo.sv that "...
In El Salvador, the Government decided to eliminate the $3.5 fee charged to each passenger entering the country through El Salvador San Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport.
Although the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Salvadoran Association of Airline Representatives (ASLA) opposed this charge, the fee went into effect on March 19, 2021.
In the first quarter of the year, interest in air travel increased in all Central American markets, a rise that was most evident in Honduras and Guatemala.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
As of March 28th, the Colombian airline will begin to reactivate flight routes connecting Central American countries with North American and South American nations.
Due to the constant restrictions in different countries regarding the limitation of entry of tourists, as well as mobility within the cities, and the high uncertainty that passengers still have, the airline decided to suspend some routes in Central America.
The airline will temporarily suspend some international routes, which will be resumed according to the evolution of the pandemic, in some cases during the first quarter of the year, in other cases during the second semester, informed the Colombian airline on March 1.
Due to the alert that health authorities have issued for the appearance of a new SARS-CoV-2 strain and in line with the decision made by El Salvador, the governments of Panama and Guatemala will also ban the entry of people from the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Due to the new variant of Covid-19, the National Operation Center decided to temporarily suspend as of 11:59 p.m.
When the pandemic began, interest among Central Americans in travel agency and other tourism-related services dropped significantly, and although it rebounded in mid-May, in recent weeks it has again reported a downward trend.
Through a system that monitors in real time changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries, developed by CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
In the context of the economic reopening, it was announced that as of October 15, Costa Rican air terminals will begin to receive flights carrying citizens from Central America and Panama.
Due to the covid-19 outbreak, air transport between Costa Rica and the other countries in the region has been interrupted since March. Seven months later, authorities removed the restriction and airlines will be able to begin operating these flights.
After the Constitutional Court halted the government's decision to request a negative PCR test to covid-19 from travelers arriving in the country, the Executive assures that they will demand this requirement from the airlines.
Arguing that the right to enter the territory is restricted, on September 15 the Supreme Court of Justice suspended the decision of the Executive Autonomous Port Commission (CEPA) to demand proof of covid-19 from Salvadorans and foreigners with definitive residence in the country, who want to enter El Salvador when the international airport resumes operations for commercial flights as of September 19.
After authorities submitted the biosecurity protocols, the Oscar Romero International Airport is scheduled to resume operations on September 4.
The plan of the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA) is that as of Friday September 4, the skies of El Salvador will be open for connecting flights and as of September 19 for commercial passenger flights.
The constant resurgence of covid-19, the closure of international markets and the loss of consumer confidence, postpone the beginning of the recovery of the air industry, a process that is predicted to be long in the context of the new business reality.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in this context of business and economic crisis in a large number of countries at the global level, there is no evidence of strong growth in global demand for cargo and its progress continues to be an extraordinary challenge for airlines.
As part of the reopening of borders and the revival of commercial flights, the European Union did not include any country in the region in its initial list of markets authorized to resume commercial flights.
Because of the covid-19 outbreak, commercial flights continue to be suspended in all Central American countries; however, it is expected that in the coming weeks restrictions will be lifted and airports in the region will begin to normalize their operations.
Restructuring of airlines, preference for direct flights, modifications in the routes operated and the use of smaller aircraft are some of the changes expected in the regional air market in the context of the new business normality.
Air traffic has virtually disappeared in the last three months, as governments in Central America have decided to close borders and suspend commercial flights to and from the region's airports as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
As of June 16, El Salvador will begin the gradual opening of logistics services at the Cargo Terminal at the Oscar Romero Airport, and the re-establishment of commercial flights is scheduled to begin on August 6.
As part of the return to the new normal, after eliminating the restrictions imposed by the covid-19 outbreak, the Autonomous Port Executive Commission (CEPA) informed that the Cargo Terminal of the "San Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez" International Airport will begin with the gradual reopening of its export and import logistics services under strict biosecurity protocols.
The Colombian-born airline, which operates in all Central American countries, voluntarily filed for bankruptcy in the United States following the company's economic losses due to the spread of covid-19 globally.
This process was necessary due to the unpredictable impact of the covid-19 pandemic, which has caused a 90% decrease in global passenger traffic and is expected to reduce industry revenues worldwide by US$314 billion, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the company reported.