Former Viva Executives, Investors Launch New Colombian Seaplane Airline: Alma Air

Rupert Stebbings is the new Chief Commercial Officer for Alma Air

Last week, investors and executives associated with the former low cost carrier Viva that ended up acquired by Avianca, made public plans to launch a seaplane airline serving Colombia’s Caribbean coast, beginning operations in Q4 of this year. The airline has financial backing from Irelandia Aviation, the aviation venture capital firm led by airline pioneer Declan Ryan.

The leadership team of the new airline, called Alma Air features Commercial Director Rupert Stebbings, who was a board director of Viva, and also a long term executive with the BVC, Colombia’s stock exchange. Accompanying Stebbings are former Viva executives Francisco “Pacho” Lalinde as special advisor and Jhon Luna as director of operations.

Alma Air plans to transport at least 1,200 passengers per month to destinations on the Caribbean Coast such as Barú, Playa Blanca, the Rosario Islands, Mompox, Palomino, Puerto Colombia, Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas and Valledupar, as well as to other remote places in Colombia’s interior. By using seaplanes that can land on both runways and water, Alma Air will be able to reach every destination in Colombia, including remote airstrips and almost all major rivers.

Francisco Lalinde is special advisor to the new airline.

“We have a clear vision and that is to contribute to a unique, personalized and exciting way of tourism in Colombia, which will connect people to the most beautiful remote areas of the country and the region. Too often, tourists can’t get to destinations they’ve seen on the internet or even time constraints don’t allow for that extra adventure. We want to challenge that and encourage tourists to fly to that destination they dream of and that will remain in their memory for a lifetime,” said Stebbings.

“Beyond the new travel experiences that we want to bring to Colombia, there is another extremely important service that our planes offer. The same remoteness that often makes travel difficult can also be an obstacle when it comes to people’s health and well-being; For this reason, we want to support the Ministry of Health in medical evacuation issues where and when necessary. Arrival by rivers and lakes could be the only solution in some parts of Colombia when it comes to taking patients to the nearest hospital or clinic, and for that, seaplanes play a fundamental role,” Stebbings added.