A bill proposing to charge $5 for each passenger in transit was presented, whose funds, which would reach $65 million, would be given to airlines as incentives to attract more tourists to the country.
Bill 150, called "Airline Incentive Law", was presented to the National Assembly on August 26. See full initiative.
Beginning October 29 of this year, KLM will operate four flights per week between the Dutch city and Liberia, Guanacaste, with a stopover at Juan Santamaría Airport.
The flights will be made in a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with 30 seats in World Business Class, 45 seats in Economy Comfort and 219 seats in Economy Class, the airline said in a statement.
The airline Aliana announced the cancellation of flight routes from Guatemala to the United States and Tegucigalpa, and from the capital of El Salvador to destinations in North and South America.
Some routes from Bogota, Guatemala and San Salvador will be canceled consisting of fleet changes and focus on routes with higher demand, the airline said in a statement.
Volaris Costa Rica announced that in 2019 it plans to launch five new routes and by 2023 it plans to increase its fleet in the country to 22 aircraft.
Regarding the new routes that the airline will begin to operate this year, representatives of the company did not detail the destinations, as they do not yet have the permissions of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation to make them public.
Investments in air terminals together with the increase in demand for local flights, are the reason for the increase in passenger traffic in Honduras reported in recent years.
According to figures from the country's airport authorities, in the 2000 the flow of travelers in the country's airports totaled 1.1 million, however, in 2018 the figure ranged between 2.2 million and 2.4 million.
In five years the airline market in Central America has transformed from being a market dominated by two major airlines, to one with new entrants, lower prices and greater connectivity.
The arrival of so called "low cost" airlines to the region has resulted in a progressive reduction in the prices of tickets to fly between Central American countries. Between 2011 and 2014 the average cost without taxes for travelling between Costa Rica and El Salvador ranged from between $400 and $500, while in 2015 it costs $391.
The country has strengthened a key factor in the tourism industry, which had suffered a blow when Avianca / Taca stopped operating its regional hub at the Juan Santamaria Airport.
The available seats going to the airport terminal in the main tourist area of Costa Rica, Daniel Oduber International Airport, increased by 57%.
With the entry of two competitors focusing on the business of low-cost fares, the airline market in Central America is preparing for a potential price war.
Panama has become the starting point for tourists looking to travel to the rest of Central America, where new airlines want to capitalize on a market which so far has been driven Copa Airlines and Avianca.
Owners of VivaColombia and the mexican VivaAerobus have announced the opening of a holding company in Panama to start operations in Central and South America.
From a statement issued by Irelandia Aviation and Grupo IAMSA:
Irelandia Aviation and Grupo IAMSA, owners of the Mexican low-cost airline VivaAerobus and of the Colombian airline, VivaColombia, announced their intention to expand the Viva airline brand in Central and South America.
Starting December 3rd United Airlines will have direct flights between Tocumen Airport and Denver airport in the USA.
From a statement issued by the Government of Panama:
The official announcement took place at the Marriott hotel in Panama City, where the CEO of United, Freddy Rodríguez said: "This initiative is very important because with it we are taking on challenges with this new destination, related to having a global reach and providing good service for our customers. "
The airline announced that as of April 7 it will not fly between the cities of San Jose and Caracas.
Avianca announced that from April 7 it will temporarily stop making flights from San Jose to Caracas and vice versa. The decision was taken in order to make adjustments to the capacity of traffic volumes on this route.
Claudia Arenas, Avianca's communications director said, "passengers interested in connecting to and from the capital of Venezuela have the option of arriving or departing from Caracas through the hub of Avianca in Bogota, Colombia."
Flights from San Jose to New York, Los Angeles, Havana, Quito and Guayaquil will now stop in El Salvador or Colombia.
Avianca announced the cancellation of five direct flights from San Jose, as part of a restructuring program that the company is undertaking. Flights to Los Angeles, New York, Havana, Quito and Guayaquil, will leave the country but will now stop in El Salvador or Colombia.
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.
The low-cost airline VivaColombia is looking at opening up routes to Central American countries.
During the inauguration of Routes Americas which was held in El Salvador, the head of tourism in the country, Jose Napoleon Duarte said they have begun talks with the low-cost airline VivaColombia, which has shown interest in opening routes to countries in Central America.