In February of this year, the plans of the Chilean airline SKY to open a subsidiary in Ecuador were revealed, following its expansion plans that had already taken it to Peru since 2019 with considerable success.
However, after no updates on its local certification process and amid escalating political and economic uncertainty in Ecuador compared to opportunities arising in other markets, SKY decided not to enter the Ecuadorian domestic market, as reported by Nicolás Larenas on his blog.
The ultra low-cost carrier stated that they are «continuously evaluating opportunities to operate in different countries«, adding that «although Ecuador remains a market of interest for us, we have decided not to proceed with the application for permits to operate in this country at this time«.
Interestingly, they later clarified that this decision is due to what they described as «opportunities we have recently identified in other countries in the region, such as Argentina due to the recently announced Open Skies Policy by the government, and Brazil, where we continue to see growth opportunities«.
Argentina and Chile advanced with an agreement that enables eighth and ninth freedom rights, thus opening the possibility for SKY to operate domestic flights within the former country with Chilean aircraft and crews. Currently, its presence is limited to flights connecting Santiago with Mendoza, Buenos Aires, and Bariloche.
As for Brazil, the ultra low-cost carrier has been expanding a significant network over the past year, flying from Santiago de Chile as well as from Lima and Montevideo. Notably, last week SKY highlighted that during the second quarter of 2024, passenger traffic in that country grew 70%. Currently, it flies to Sao Paulo/Guarulhos, Salvador, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Florianópolis, and Rio de Janeiro-GIG.
