Wingo Reports 96% On-Time Rate for Flights During First Year of Semana Santa Operations

Recently launched discount airline Wingo completed its first Semana Santa stretch of high-volume passenger traffic this month and was pleased with the 96% on-time rate of its flights from April 7 to April 17, according to the company’s record keeping.

Catalina Bretón, chief executive of Wingo. (Credit: Wingo)

In all, the carrier, which is controlled by Panama-based Copa Holdings S.A. and operates out of Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport, transported 26,455 passengers during some of Colombia’s busiest travel dates of the year. Over 11 days surrounding Holy Week, Wingo operated 226 flights to destinations in Colombia and vacation hotspots overseas.

The carrier’s most popular destinations during Semana Santa included Cartagena and San Andres in Colombia as well as Mexico City and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

“The airline market in the country has improved in the last decade and this accounts for the growing number of Colombians who now consider air travel their first choice when traveling,” said Catalina Bretón, chief executive of Wingo.

She added that airport infrastructure investment in recent years has strengthened Colombian carriers’ ability to better serve travelers during holidays when many are hoping to maximize their limited time to visit family and enjoy their vacations. “Airlines prefer punctual aircraft in order to strengthen our operations and satisfy our travelers,” said Bretón.

Across all airlines, Colombia’s aviation regulator Aerocivil reported more than 2.2 million fliers passing through the nation’s airports during the Semana Santa high season. According to the agency, the industry as a whole improved its customer satisfaction record greatly over its 2016 performance. Aerocivil received an average of 18 complaints per day in 2017 compared to 45 per day during the Holy Week period last year.

Photo credit: Wingo