New airlines and offers to add new frequencies would add by at least seven air routes to the current offer of air transportation from Costa Rica to Rio, Santiago and Havana.
Civil Aviation has announced the opening of these air routes for mid-August and the eventual operation between San Jose-San Salvador by the Salvadoran company VECA.
It is expected that by the end of the year routes will be opened going from San Jose to Miami, Managua and Panama City, by the Costa Rican airline Air Costa Rica (Tica Air International), which is completing the certification process with the Civil Aviation.
The low-cost airline Transportes Aereos Guatemaltecos plans to offer a daily flight from Ilopango airport in Guatemala City.
The airline Transportes Aéreos Guatemaltecos will start operations on March 20, offering a daily flight from Ilopango airport east of San Salvador, to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala. The flight between the two cities will take approximately 30 minutes.
From 23rd to 25th of February representatives from airlines, airports and the tourism industry will be reviewing air services in the region.
More than 400 aviation professionals, representatives from 70 airlines, 25 authorities for tourism and airports will meet from 23rd to 25th February in El Salvador in the seventh edition of Routes Americas, an event aimed at developing new routes and expanding connectivity .
The abandonment of several routes by Avianca leaves, apparently, niches that could be used by new players.
An article in Elfinancierocr.com reports that "If all goes as planned, 2014 could see the start of operations by three new Central American airlines: Air Ticos, Ticas Airlines and Vuelos Económicos Centroamericanos (VECA). The new companies want to attend to the international passenger routes amid an industry dominated by giants such as Avianca, Copa Airlines, Delta and 20 other international airlines."
El Salvador's Vuelos Económicos Centroamericanos and Costa Rica's Ticos Air and Ticas Airlines are in various stages of preparation and registration to offer flights in the region.
Vuelos Económicos Centroamericanos (CASI) reported that it has leased two Airbus aircraft and will invest nearly $100 million in order to start operations in March 2014. The company is interested in creating a market in the low-cost segment and not competing with airlines such as Avianca and Copa, said Edgar Hasbun, CEO of the company.
The airline VECA has began a recruitment process and expects to perform its maiden flight next February.
We have been watching this recruitment drive with interest "because there are technical personnel we have to certify pilots, those responsible for instruction, flight attendants, maintenance staff, management, and quality staff," said Roger Menendez, executive director of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) .
Vuelos Económicos Centroamericanos S.A.'s project will have the financial support of Alba Petróleos.
This was confirmed by the principal advisor to Alba Petróleos, José Luis Merino. "Alba has received the group of businessmen behind the possible airline, who have requested financial support to study the current context of aviation and decide on their entry," said Merino.
Vuelos Económicos Centroamericanos S.A. has started negotiations with the Civil Aviation Authority to operate in the region under the Salvadoran flag.
This was announced by Roger Menendez, executive director of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who explained that in compliance with the first requirement, the company was recently incorporated and its executive board presented to the AAC.