JetSMART will land in Ecuador, its eighth international market, starting from March 2024, with flights connecting Lima to Quito and Guayaquil.
The inaugural operation between Lima and Quito is scheduled for March 6, 2024. The ultra low-cost carrier will operate three weekly flights on this route, on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, departing from Jorge Chávez airport at 13:40 to land in the Ecuadorian capital at 15:48. The return flight will be at 16:40, arriving in Lima at 18:50.
The inaugural flight between Lima and Guayaquil will be on April 2. The route will have a frequency of three weekly flights, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, departing from the Peruvian capital at 13:40 to arrive in Guayaquil at 15:40, from where it will take off at 16:56, landing at Jorge Chávez airport at 18:50.
As a promotional offer, JetSMART launched tickets starting at USD 20 per leg. However, with the high airport fees and additional taxes charged by the concessionaires and governments of each country, the passenger ends up paying a total of between USD 160 and USD 200 for a round trip, which signifies a new call for attention to the authorities.
Nevertheless, the fares are significantly lower than those offered by LATAM, the only competitor on these routes with 10 weekly flights between Lima and Guayaquil, and 14 between Lima and Quito. On their website, for similar dates, round-trip fares start from USD 414 in the first case, and USD 481 in the second.
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“From day one, we fearlessly took on the challenge of creating a new paradigm that combined our model where you only pay for what you use, point-to-point travel, ultra-low fares, with an exceptional route network – the widest of any low-cost airline in South America – to bring air travel to millions of people in the region who have not yet flown,» said Estuardo Ortiz, CEO of JetSMART.
«Our journey has been marked by boldness, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of rapid expansion and flexibility as a business mindset. We are the fastest-growing airline in the region and will surpass 25 million passengers by the end of 2023. Reaching Ecuador is a very important milestone, offering the SMART model, to continue recovering connectivity and giving our communities the opportunity to connect with their families, conduct their businesses, and enjoy leisure travel. I appreciate the support of the government of Ecuador and we will continue to invest in the country,” he concluded.
For his part, Niels Olsen, Minister of Tourism of Ecuador, said that «this is an example of the good news that tourism continues to bring to the country, which as of November 2023 has recovered 95% of its international connectivity compared to March 2020», adding that the sector has become the third-largest generator of non-oil and non-mining revenues in the country.
JetSMART highlighted that between 2022 and September 2023, they have grown by 56% regionally, having already surpassed pre-pandemic traffic by 136%. Their South American network now encompasses 74 routes (52 domestic in Argentina, Chile, and Peru), and 22 international.
