As of March 28th, the Colombian airline will begin to reactivate flight routes connecting Central American countries with North American and South American nations.
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.
An announced has been made of a definitive deprogramming of the weekly flight that operated between Buenos Aires and Caracas, citing operational reasons.
Already in August the airline operating under the Argentine flag had announced the suspension of the tickets sales for this flight.Now the company has announced the deprogramming of its weekly flight in definitive form.
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.
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.
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.
In terms of how modern the infrastructure for air transport is, Panama leads the field, followed distantly by Costa Rica.
"None of the airports in Central America comes close to knocking Tocumen off its number one position in the ranking by Skytrax, nor the ranking by the World Economic Forum. The latter measures the quality of infrastructure for air travel in the country , where Panama climbed from 38th place in 2007 to last year reach the prestigious position of sixth place," reported Elsalvador.com.
The airline said that from July 1 they will start operating a direct daily flight between Los Angeles and San Jose, Costa Rica.
This new route will complement the two daily services currently offered by Delta from San Jose to Atlanta and will be operated by a Boeing 757-200 with capacity for 180 passengers, with 24 seats in first class and 156 in economy class.
The airline has announced the purchase of 15 ATR 72-600 aircraft and purchase rights for another 15, with an investment of $700 million.
The new aircraft, which will be built starting in June 2013, will be designed to cover routes inside of Colombia and Central America.
The President AviancaTaca, Fabio Villegas said in an article in Terra.com, "With the addition of the new ATR 72-600 aircraft we are reaffirming our commitment to the connectivity of regions within strategic markets such as Colombia and Central America. The equipment chosen will allow us to increase our capacity in short-range routes and improve coverage. "
From 2013, the Avianca brand name will be the trademark for Avianca and Tampa Cargo SA, Aerolineas Galapagos SA Aerogal, and the airlines which belong to TACA Group.
A statement by Avianca Taca reads:
AVIANCA, single brand for integrated airlines of AviancaTaca Holding SA
The launch of a single unifying brand will be carried out during the first half of 2013.
Thank you Interjet and Aeromexico for making it possible to buy a ticket without feeling like you have been robbed at gunpoint.
As was the case in other Central American countries with the opening of flights operated by companies outside of the isthmus, in Costa Rica, airline ticket prices for flights from San Jose to Mexico City have fallen by 60%.
After three years of announcements about the move, Star alliance has confirmed the formal admission of Copa Airlines and AviancaTaca into the global airline network.
An article in Laprensagrafica.com reports that "The alleged integration of Star Alliance into Copa was first mentioned in 2009, especially since Continental, with whom Copa has codesharing alliances, announced it would join Star Alliance and leave SkyTeam, the other major airline alliance in operation today. Although Copa is no longer part of SkyTeam, it has not yet officially joined Star Alliance. "