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 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.
In Central American countries, nearly 8 million people are looking for travel packages online, and of this consumer segment, about 5% explore options for travel to destinations in North America.
CentralAmericaData's interactive information system monitors in real time the changes in consumer habits in all markets of the region, with fundamental information to understand the current commercial environment in which companies of all industries must operate.
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.
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.
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.
In order to prevent the spread of covid-19, all international flights have been suspended since March 22.
Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo reported through his social networks that "... As of Sunday, March 22nd at 11:59 pm (04H00 GMT on Monday), arrivals and departures of all international flights to our country will be suspended for a period of 30 days."
In Nicaragua, authorities reported a decision to suspend collection of the additional fee of $0.05 for each kilogram exported or imported by air.
The extra charge came into effect last April 25, but from the beginning the private sector spoke out against it, because it was argued that the tariff that the Nicaraguan government would apply, would put some local companies on the border of closure and cause a decrease of about $50 million annually.
The airline completed the sale of its shareholding in the Central American companies Sansa and La Costeña, which operate domestic flights in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, respectively.
The completion took place on May 31, 2019 and is an improvement of the share purchase agreement signed on April 22 between the parties, reported Avianca in a statement.
The company sold its stake in the Central American airlines Sansa in Costa Rica and La Costeña in Nicaragua, both dedicated to the operation of domestic flights.
Avianca clarified that Avianca's international routes served from Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica and Augusto Sandino International Airport in Managua, Nicaragua, will continue to operate normally.
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.
Arguing that the South American country is not safe, American Airlines decided to temporarily suspend flights to Caracas and Maracaibo.
"... The safety of our employees and customers is always our top priority and American will not operate to countries not considered safe," the airline explained in a statement.