Avianca Says It Plans To Launch 23 New International Routes

Avianca yesterday announced that it is adding 23 more international routes to the six domestic and international routes it added earlier this year, though the company has not committed to a date, or published schedules. The company seeks to regain competitiveness as it matriculates through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the US federal courts.

Among the routes that Avianca has announced are 13 new direct routes from Cali to: New York, Cancun, Mexico City, San José and Quito; from Medellín to: Aruba, Mexico City, Orlando, San José, Quito and Guayaquil; from Bucaramanga to Miami, and from Bogotá, Avianca will launch a direct flight to Toronto, Canada.

The planned new routes are in addition to Avianca’s recently launched routes: Medellín-Cancún, Medellín-Punta Cana, Miami-San José, San Salvador-Ontario, Cali-Orlando and Pereira-Santa Marta.

The airline says that most expansion will take place in cities other than Bogotá due to the congestion and operational limitations at Colombia’s largest airport. Avianca says that in Bogotá, air traffic control activated ground delay procedures 92 times between June & July, causing significant delays. Nevertheless, Avianca remains committed to its Bogotá operational hub.

“Despite this challenging situation, Avianca has the firm intention of maintaining its competitive position in Bogotá and of working together with authorities and operators to ensure that customers have a quality service,” said the company in a statement.

Avianca is also adding direct flights from Quito, Ecuador to New York, Miami, Cali and Medellín; as well as from Guayaquil to New York, Miami and Medellín. From San José, Costa Rica, Avianca will fly to Managua, Nicarragua, Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City, Cali and Medellín. From Guatemala City, Avianca is adding flights to Washington, DC, New York, and Miami.

Avianca says that it will have resumed 91% of its direct routes in El Salvador by the end of the year . In addition to the El Salvador-Ontario, California route announced in July, it will now also feature a nonstop flight to Orlando, Florida.

“Launching these 23 new routes shows that we want to continue growing in a sustainable way and that we have the firm intention of continuing to be the airline with the most robust route network in our region. We know that our clients want more destinations and more frequencies. We will continue to adapt our offer to give our clients what they really value: competitive prices, tailored products, the best network and service reliability,” says Manuel Ambriz, Chief Commercial Officer of Avianca.