Avianca Sees Slight 0.1% Passenger Dip in 2017 Amid Pilot Strike in Colombia

Nearly 30 million people flew the friendly skies in 2017 on aircraft operated by Avianca Holdings companies, the company recently announced.

While the total — 29,459,435 passengers — was down by 0.1% from the 2016 figure, the Bogotá-based airline managed to remain steady despite an extended pilot strike this fall that led to the cancellation of thousands of flights.

The disruption affected domestic flights more than international travel, and this was reflected in a 4.2% decrease in passengers in the company’s local markets, which in addition to Colombia include flights within Peru and Ecuador in the calculation. These three markets made up more than half of Avianca’s yearly total at 16,881,340.

Passengers in international markets, on the contrary, were up by 6.1% over 2016, reaching 12,578,095 flyers in 2017.

The annual occupancy rate for Avianca and its affiliates, measured by “available seat kilometers” (ASK) came in at 83.1%, which was up 2.7% from 2016. In terms of “revenue passenger kilometers” (RPK), the carrier realized even better results with growth of 5.3% in 2017 compared to the prior year.

Photo credit: Avianca