Colombia’s Aviation Regulator Fines American Airlines Over Unpaid Travel Agency Commissions

Sale location, not flight origin, sets commission duty in Colombia

Colombia’s civil aviation regulator (Aeronáutica Civil) has fined American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) COP $65.3 million for failing to pay commissions owed to travel agencies on international tickets sold in the country, resolving a dispute over whether commission obligations apply when flights originate outside Colombia.

The sanction was issued through Resolution 02124 of July 3, 2026 by the Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil (Aerocivil), which determined that American Airlines had breached Resolution 3596 of 2006, the regulation establishing minimum commissions payable to travel agencies that commercialize air transport services in Colombia.

The case centered on the interpretation of when the commission obligation applies. American Airlines argued that commissions should not be payable for tickets involving flights departing from destinations outside Colombia, including the United States and Canada.

Aerocivil rejected that interpretation, finding that the determining factor under Colombian regulation is where the ticket sale takes place, rather than the flight’s point of origin or destination.

“The rule introduces no distinction whatsoever based on route origin or destination,” – Aerocivil, Resolution 02124.

The regulator added that the commission framework does not exclude tickets based on whether the itinerary begins in another country, meaning international routes remain subject to the rule when commercialized through Colombian travel agencies.

The proceedings originated from a 2023 complaint filed by the Asociación Colombiana de Agencias de Viajes y Turismo (Anato), the Colombian association representing travel agencies and tourism companies.

The complaint requested Aerocivil’s intervention after Best Travel, a Colombian travel agency, issued a ticket on March 31, 2023 and later invoiced American Airlines for a COP $27,095 commission payment on June 18 of that year. The airline declined to pay, citing the itinerary’s origin outside Colombia.

Aerocivil’s Grupo de Investigaciones y Sanciones a las Infracciones (GISI) opened a formal investigation on March 24, 2024. During the process, American Airlines requested that the case be closed, arguing that its due process rights had been affected because no preliminary inquiry had been conducted before the sanctioning procedure began.

The regulator dismissed those arguments and proceeded with the penalty. American Airlines may still submit a recurso de reposición (motion for reconsideration) challenging the decision.

The resolution provides further guidance on how Colombia applies its travel agency commission rules to international airlines selling tickets through Colombian distribution channels, an issue relevant to carriers operating in the country’s aviation market.

American Airlines, part of American Airlines Group, operates international routes connecting Colombia with the United States and other destinations through its global network.

Headline image: American Airlines aircraft with the Aeronautica Civil logo. (Photos sourced from Canva)