On May 26, Colombia’s aeronautical agency will open a new public hearing for airlines to present their requests for operators, new routes, and frequencies, among other requirements. Among the interested parties, Avianca will again request an increase in its flights to Argentina.
According to the documentation submitted to Aerocivil, Avianca will repeat the same request it made in 2021; but instead of requesting space at Ezeiza, it now aims to operate at Buenos Aires city’s Aeroparque.
See also: Aerolíneas Argentinas to fly between Buenos Aires (Aeroparque) and Bogotá
In addition, the airline is requesting a connection from Medellín and/or Cali to Buenos Aires and/or Córdoba.
The links will be operated with up to seven weekly frequencies, with its Airbus A319/A320 and A320neo with the right to 3rd and 4th freedom of the air.
The Colombian airline is operating two daily flights between Buenos Aires and Bogota with Boeing 787-8s with capacity for 250 passengers, returning to the number of seats it offered before the pandemic.
During the first four months of 2022, the airline carried 57,110 passengers between the two countries with 90% occupancy on A319 and A320 aircraft, configured for 120 and 150 seats respectively, according to ANAC Argentina’s statistics department.
Edicto Avianca modificación permiso de operación como TARSame request, second attempt
In 2021, the company had requested to increase from 14 to 21 weekly flights between Bogota (BOG) and Buenos Aires (EZE), in addition to adding a link between Medellin/Rionegro (MDE) and Buenos Aires and between the Colombian capital and Cordoba (COR).
But in that public hearing VIVA was presented to operate in the same connections requested by Avianca.
The aeronautical body decided to grant approval to the Colombian low-cost airline, with the purpose of adding new operators between Argentina and Colombia. The company will start operations in Argentina on June 15, connecting Buenos Aires with Bogota and Medellin.
Bilateral Agreements
According to the latest update in 2018 of the bilateral agreement, each country can schedule up to 35 weekly frequencies: 21 weekly flights between Bogota and Buenos Aires and the remaining 14 between any point in Colombia and Argentina other than their capitals.
Currently, Avianca has 14 weekly flights in force between the two capitals, VIVA has another 7 weekly frequencies and Wingo has 7 additional weekly frequencies (granted in 2018 and renewed in 2022).
