2021 was a year of consolidation and recovery of the airline industry in Colombia. During the course of the year, the business and tourism market benefited from the boom in the arrival of new destinations and air operators.
Passenger Movement
In 2021, a total of 30,531,412 passengers were mobilized in Colombia, of which 22,534,330 corresponded to domestic travelers. This represents a recovery of 83% in relation to domestic passengers mobilized in 2019.
In the international market, 7,999,082 passengers were mobilized, which means a recovery of 56% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
«This balance shows that air transport has been gradually consolidating as a factor of economic reactivation in the country. This demonstrates the coordinated work being carried out by the National Government, through the Ministry of Transportation and the Civil Aeronautics» said Angela María Orozco, Minister of Transportation.
«It is important to highlight that the month with the best performance was December when 4,020,754 users were mobilized and the recovery achieved 106% in relation to the same of 2019 when a total of 3,799,666 travelers were mobilized» added Orozco.
The main recovery at airports in Colombia in 2021 were Bogota (BOG), Medellin – Rionegro (MDE), and Cali (CLO).
Cargo movement
In cargo transportation, 2021 was a successful year, in total 835,564 tons were mobilized by air, which means an increase of 105% compared to 2019, in which it reached the mobilization of 795,351.
«In this sense, we can say that the reactivation has exceeded expectations; of the total cargo, 159,652 tons were transported domestically and 675,912 internationally, which ratifies that we continue to be leaders in the matter at the regional level,» said Jair Orlando Fajardo, Director General of Civil Aeronautics.
«During this reactivation process, the month with the best performance was December, which achieved a recovery of 123% with 79,046 tons transported, in relation to the same month of 2019 in which 64,410 tons were registered» added Fajardo.
2021 a year of greater air connectivity
In the cabotage market the Civil Aeronautics approved 97 new routes to connect to more points in the national territories. Among those destinations are: San Andrés, Barranquilla, Armenia, Pasto, Apartadó, Arauca, Bucaramanga, Medellín, Puerto Inírida, Riohacha, San José del Guaviare, Tumaco, San Marta, Villavicencio, Yopal, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Guapi, Montería, Cali, Pereira, Leticia, Quibdó, Manizales, Neiva and Bogotá.
On international routes, 90 destinations were approved to the United States. Those are Curacao, Chile, Brazil, Aruba, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Panama, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.
During the International Civil Aviation Organization’s International Conference for the Negotiation of Air Agreements, Colombia modernized its bilateral agreements with important markets. Such as the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Chile, Curacao, and Spain. Thus expanding its offer to and from Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and Africa.
One of the most outstanding results was the strengthening of air commercial activities with the United Arab Emirates. It opens the possibility of a passenger service connection to the Middle East via Miami. While starting with daily flights and allowing the arrival of operators such as Emirates and Etihad Airways.
See also: Colombian Government opens the possibility of a route with the United Arab Emirates
