Sky Airline Peru has submitted an application to the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics in Peru (DGAC) to operate the Lima (LIM) – Orlando (MCO) route on a seven-weekly basis. In August 2020, the airline had already applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for authorization to operate to Miami (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
So far, the application for Orlando has not been submitted to the U.S. authority.
In 2018 Orlando (MCO) was one of the most popular destinations between Peru and the United States. According to data obtained by Aviacionline through the DOT, 100,983 passengers flew between Lima (MIA) and Orlando. Prior to the pandemic, this route was operated by the former Avianca Peru with daily flights on Airbus A319 and LATAM Peru with daily flights on Airbus A320ceo and Boeing 767-300ER. LATAM now only operates three flights per week with Airbus A319s.
This change might be beneficial for the airline. The Lima (LIM) – Fort Lauderdale (FLL) route has competition against low-cost carriers such as Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways, and from the Peruvian capital to Miami (MIA) the fight is even fiercer where it would have to face traditional airlines such as American Airlines which operates four daily flights on the route and LATAM Peru with two daily flights.
At the moment, Orlando (MCO) seems to be the best option for Sky Airline Peru’s launch in the United States. With Avianca Peru out of the market and LATAM Peru with a reduced operation, the airline could take better advantage of this route without so much competition, which also has considerably more of a vacation character.
Sky has a fleet of Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft, plus additional orders to expand its international operations from Chile and Peru.
