The Colombian airline requested Aerocivil to implement two routes from Cúcuta (CUC): Medellín / José María Córdova (MDE) and Miami (MIA).
Avianca has been one of the hardest hit airlines in Colombia, losing market share amid a reorganization process under Chapter 11 in the United States. Now the airline is looking for new opportunities as the domestic market and the United States are giving a boost in demand.
The Colombian east does not currently have much international offer, Bucaramanga (BGA), located 198 km from Cúcuta, has 4 weekly flights with Spirit Airlines to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Copa Airlines to Panama (PTY) with two weekly flights.
Driven by vaccine tourism in the United States and the proximity to the border with Venezuela, Avianca expands its offer in the region. It should be remembered that Venezuela has a veto by the United States for commercial operations between the two countries. Therefore, flights to Miami will make it easier for Venezuelan citizens to travel to the northern country.
Once Aerocivil authorizes the routes, Miami will have a connection to five Colombian cities by Avianca. Currently the company has flights to that city from Barranquilla (BAQ), Cali (CLO), Medellín (MDE) and Bogotá (BOG).
On the other hand, Cúcuta will once again be connected to Medellín by Avianca, after more than a year of suspension. But the return will not be easy, Viva Air Colombia, LATAM Colombia and Easyfly, the last one from the Olaya Herrera airport, have monopolized this route.
Before the pandemic, Avianca dominated in Cúcuta with 70% of the offer (in ASK), but with new players, it has now dropped to 49% for July. LATAM managed to go from 10% to 24%, Viva Air gained five points by having 16% of the offer, and the brand new Gran Colombia Airlines reached 5%. On the other hand, Easyfly ends with three points less and 6% of the offer.
