In order to have access to the vaccine against Covid-19, the number of people traveling abroad by air has increased in Guatemala in the last months, being the United States the main destination to which Guatemalans travel.
Data from the Guatemalan Institute of Migration (IGM) show that in the fifth month of the year there was an increase in the number of people who decided to travel abroad, most of them in search of access to the vaccine against the coronavirus.
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.
Starting next April 15, the low cost airline will begin operating flights between La Aurora International Airport and the US city of New York.
In January 2020 Jet Blue announced that it had planned to start operating that route as of June 1 of that year, however, due to the health crisis the plans had to be delayed.
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 constant restrictions in different countries regarding the limitation of entry of tourists, as well as mobility within the cities, and the high uncertainty that passengers still have, the airline decided to suspend some routes in Central America.
The airline will temporarily suspend some international routes, which will be resumed according to the evolution of the pandemic, in some cases during the first quarter of the year, in other cases during the second semester, informed the Colombian airline on March 1.
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 order to reduce travel costs, the Guatemalan Airline Association asked Ministry of Health authorities to no longer require passengers to take a negative covid-19 test to enter the country.
According to the Ministry of Health document called "National Guidelines for the Prevention of COVID-19 for International Travel to and from Guatemala" prepared on September 15, 2020, all travelers arriving in the country must present a negative test for covid-19.
When the pandemic began, interest among Central Americans in travel agency and other tourism-related services dropped significantly, and although it rebounded in mid-May, in recent weeks it has again reported a downward trend.
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 different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
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.
After six months of closing the borders to commercial flights, air transport has been reactivated from September 18 with the arrival of four aircraft from the United States.
At the beginning of September, the Presidential Commission for Emergency Attention Covid-19 (COPRECOVID) had anticipated that the reactivation of operations at La Aurora and Mundo Maya International Airports would be carried out under the health protocols endorsed by health authorities and recommendations from International Civil Aviation.
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.
The installation of anti-bacterial gel stations, cameras and arches for temperature control are some of the works that are pending at La Aurora Airport, so that it can operate commercial flights when the borders open.
Due to the propagation of covid-19, the Guatemalan government prohibited the arrival and departure of commercial flights in the country.
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.