In El Salvador, the Autonomous Executive Port Commission announced that in 2022 it will determine the management model for the Pacific Airport and in 2023 it will begin construction.
Currently, the Feasibility Study is being developed by the International Consortium PEYCON - ALBEN 4000.
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.
In El Salvador, authorities decided that commercial flights at the Oscar Romero International Airport will be suspended for the next three weeks due to the health alert the country is facing.
The decision was announced by the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA), and details that this is part of the compliance with the state of emergency and Executive Decree No. 12, due to the covid-19 pandemic.
El Salvador's business sector proposes that the administration of Oscar Romero International Airport should no longer be the responsibility of CEPA, and that a new state-owned company should take over.
In a document prepared during the 2019 National Meeting of Private Enterprise (Enade), the National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP) proposes that the administration of the San Romero international airport be separated from the Executive Autonomous Port Commission (CEPA), before starting the concession process or operation under the modality of public-private partnership.
In El Salvador, the contract for the financing, design, construction and operation of the San Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez International Airport Cargo Terminal is tendered under the Public-Private Partnership format.
The project contemplates two phases of development: Phase 1 consists of financing, design, expansion, construction, equipment, improvement of maintenance and operation of the existing Cargo Terminal.
Aeroman opened in El Salvador its sixth hangar, which has an area of two thousand square meters and capacity to maintain 14 narrow cabin aircraft simultaneously.
The new hangar, which began construction in March 2018 and whose investment in infrastructure amounted to $20 million, is located on land adjacent to the Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport.
Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador signed the Regulations for the Facilitation of Air and Airport Operations, which will allow some of the flights operating between the three countries to be considered domestic flights.
The Honduran Minister of Investment, Luis Mata, explained that "... this makes it interesting for local and regional airlines to be able to use their planes on regional flights now considered as domestic or local flights with preferential rates."
Charges, taxes, high fuel prices and other costs at airport terminals can represent close to 30% of the value of air tickets in countries in the region.
Airlines that operate in the Latin American region face an uncompetitive market, since in 2018 these companies are projected to earn $2.95 per passenger, a figure much lower than the $15.67 estimated in North America or $7.58 in Europe, according to representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The region has 20 international airports, of which 11 are located in Panama and Costa Rica, and the remaining nine are located in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
According to the report "Transportation in Central America: importance in the regional economy", prepared by the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration, Panama is the country in the region that has the broadest airport infrastructure, since it has seven international airports, followed by Costa Rica and Honduras with four air terminals each, El Salvador and Guatemala with two each, and finally Nicaragua with an international terminal.
The Panamanian airline has presented a financial offer in cash and stock to acquire the second largest airline in the region after Latam Airlines.
The New York Times reported that the offer made by Copa Airlines consists of "... a merger that would value Avianca at more than $2 billion, or a 150 percent premium to its share price last week. [November 29]".
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 government could sign a cooperation agreement with the aerospace company for the project to expand the international terminal in San Salvador.
This is not the first time that representatives from the aviation sector have approached the government to propose the development of the Monseñor Romero airport , which is already operating above its capacity and limiting the development and growth of companies in the same sector and the country as an air hub for the airline Avianca.
From August 28th to September 2nd, 500 airport executives will be gathering together in Panama City in the world assembly of the International Airports Council.
During the convention the main challenges of the sector will be assessed from the perspective of the constants regulations they face. Also to be discussed is the global trend towards privatization of the airport terminals.
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 .