The flights will operate from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), connecting both cities to Cartagena’s Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG). United plans year-round service on each route, beginning with four flights per week during the winter season. The launch is subject to government approval.

Cartagena will be United’s third destination in Colombia, complementing existing service to Bogotá and Medellín. The airline has operated in the country for more than three decades. United recently added a Medellín–Houston route and expanded Bogotá service to the New York metropolitan area.

“Colombia has been an important part of United’s Latin America network for more than 30 years, and our new service to Cartagena reflects our continued investment in the country and commitment to offering customers new and distinct travel experiences.” — Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Global Alliances, United Airlines

United said it offers more flights to Latin America than any other airline in both Texas and the Washington area, with nonstop service to 57 destinations from Houston and 18 from Dulles. The carrier said the new routes will connect Cartagena to more than 70 destinations across the US through its two hubs.

The Cartagena flights will be operated with a Boeing (NYSE: BA) 737. United said the aircraft offers seatback screens with Bluetooth connectivity at every seat and larger overhead bins, and that the airline plans to add free Starlink Wi-Fi for MileagePlus members. Lonely Planet named Cartagena a 2026 Best in Travel destination.

“Colombia has been an important part of United’s Latin America network for more than 30 years, and our new service to Cartagena reflects our continued investment in the country and commitment to offering customers new and distinct travel experiences,” said Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of network planning and global alliances at United Airlines. “As our third destination in Colombia, complementing our service to Bogota and Medellín, Cartagena gives our customers access to a different side of the country while making it easier for travelers across North America to experience one of the Caribbean’s most iconic destinations.”

“The architectural beauty, vibrant culture and thriving culinary scene are just a few reasons why travel experts say Cartagena should be on people’s bucket list this year,” said David Kinzelman, senior vice president and chief customer officer at United Airlines. “By flying direct, we’ll give our customers even more time to see the sights and along the way, they’ll enjoy all the value we pack into each flight — seatback screens, Bluetooth connections, larger overhead bins and a suite of tools to make the journey easier in the United app.”

Tickets are available on United.com and through the United app. The schedule below is subject to change.

If that requirement is not met, the child will not be permitted to board, according to the Bogotá-based carrier.

The policy became official on May 15 for domestic and international flights operated by Avianca.

Tickets purchased before this date for children younger than 15 to fly alone, however, will still be honored, and arrangements won’t have to be accommodate the new rule.

“The airline recommends that all its customers confirm the requirements or authorizations necessary for the departure and entry of minors with the corresponding immigration authority of each country,” said Avianca in a statement. “In addition, we reiterate that the service of unaccompanied minors is not provided on any of our routes.”

The airline added that affected customers or others may reference its online help center for more information.

While this will be the US carrier’s first flight from Medellín to the United States, it already operates a daily flight from Bogotá to both Houston and Newark.

United Airlines has not revealed when the Medellín-to-Houston flight will begin operating, noting only that tickets “will be available later this year.”

The increased connectivity for Medellín comes as part of a global rollout of new flights, with the airline also announcing new routes from Newark to Marrakesh (Morocco) and Tokyo to Narita-Cebu (Philippines).

Along similar lines, and without mentioning specifics, United added that it plans to increase frequencies to Hong Kong, Seoul (South Korea), and Porto (Portugal), while adding four weekly flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai “as the Chinese and U.S. governments recently agreed to increase flights between the two countries.”

“We have consistently been ahead of the curve in finding hidden-gem destinations for our customers to explore and remain committed to providing the most unique slate of travel options for their adventures abroad,” said Patrick Quayle, senior vice president at United. He added that this expansion is part of its push to serve “customers looking for experiences they can’t have with any other carrier.”

(Photo credit: United Airlines)

The inaugural flight took off on October 31, and the airline is now offering this route every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Overall, this represents 6,000 available seats each week between Colombia’s second-largest city and its Caribbean tourism jewel on the coast.

Wingo now operates eight routes from Medellín’s José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro. The airline’s other flights from Medellín fly to Bogotá, Panama City, Cancún, Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, Havana, and Aruba.

“This route represents great news for Medellín, as it means the return of the offer of low-cost flights to national beach destinations, such as Cartagena,” said Jorge Jiménez, commercial and planning vice president of Wingo, in an announcement.

“At Wingo we continue to be committed to Medellín, a city in which we have two of our aircraft based and which represents more than 20% of our operation.”

Proof of vaccination must be presented either on paper or digitally, and must include the individual’s full name, date of vaccination, name of the vaccine administered, and the number of doses administered. Only vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization will be recognized by Colombia under this resolution.

For Colombian citizens, foreign residents of Colombia holding a cédula and/or resident visa, and diplomats and their dependents 18 years and older, vaccinated travelers must present proof they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 for at least 14 days prior to travel. If less than 14 days have elapsed or if the vaccination scheme is not complete, the traveler must present a PCR test with a negative result taken within 72 hours of boarding.

All international travelers are still required to complete the online Check-Mig form between 72 hours and 1 hour prior to arrival in, or departure from, Colombia. Travelers must present a print-out of the form or be ready to show the electronic version on a mobile device to the transporting airline before receiving a boarding pass, and possibly again at Colombian immigration.

Image by hakan german from Pixabay

Currently, there are 23 international connections from 8 different Colombian cities, reaching a total of 710 flights per week and 126,000 available seats.  41% of that volume is directed to and from the United States, 17.3% to Panama, 11.7% to Mexico and 5.5% to Spain.

During 2021, twelve airlines have announced new routes, with Colombia now ranking within the top 20 global commercial aviation markets, and third place in Latin America, surpassed only by Mexico and Brazil, according to aviation data firm OAG..

Mexican operator Volaris has entered the Colombian market with routes from Mexico City and Cancún. Colombian low-cost carrier Viva is in the midst of an aggressive expansion with new routes to several countries, and new cities in existing national destinations.

The Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ricardo Galindo Bueno, indicated that “the arrival in the country of this airline (Volaris), added to the inauguration of two Spirit flights originating in Miami and arriving in Bogotá and Medellín, allows us to acknowledge a very good job if taking into account that in 2019, until now the most important year for Colombian tourism, a total of 17 new international routes were inaugurated.”

Growth in travel between Colombia and Mexico is continuing to increase, with six airlines now flying between the two countries:  Aeroméxico, Avianca, Viva, Wingo, Viva Aerobus and Volaris. These carriers connect Mexico City and Cancún with Bogotá, Medellín and Cali; reaching 83 flights and 14,769 weekly seats, achieving a recovery of 76% of the seats and 67.5% of the weekly frequencies, compared to February 2020.

Fully vaccinated travelers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three (3) days of travel to the United States prior to boarding.  This applies to all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals.  To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travelers – whether U.S. citizens, LPRs, or the small number of excepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to test within one day of departure.  Additional information may be found on CDC’s website.
Passengers will need to show their vaccination status, and airlines will need to:

• Match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination.
• Determine the record was issued by an official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency) in the country where the vaccine was given.
• Review the essential information for determining if the passenger meets CDC’s definition for fully vaccinated such as vaccine product, number of vaccine doses received, date(s) of administration, and site of vaccination (e.g., vaccination clinic, healthcare facility).

Airlines must deny boarding to passengers who do not meet these requirements or those who test positive for COVID-19.

For additional information or if you have specific questions, please contact your airline and visit the CDC’s website.

Actions to Take:

• Monitor the CDC website for the latest guidance regarding testing requirements.
• Check with your air carriers or travel representative prior to departure for the United States.
• Check COVID-19 Country Specific Information pages for updated information on COVID-19 related to the availability of testing.
• Visit travel.state.gov to view individual Travel Advisories for the most urgent threats to safety and security.
• Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the United States.
• Click here for our Travel to the U.S. FAQs.

Assistance:

U.S. Embassy Bogota, Colombia
Tel. +57-1-275-2000 or 601-275-2000
acsbogota@state.gov
https://co.usembassy.gov/

U.S. Consular Agency, Barranquilla
conagencybarranquilla@state.gov

U.S. Department of State – Consular Affairs
1-888-407-4747 or 1-202-501-4444

Colombia Country Information

Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates

Photo courtesy Minsalud

Ruíz indicated that during December 2020, the country expects 120,000 inbound travelers, between tourists and Colombians returning from abroad. “As long as the Ministry of Health does not apply the ruling and does not change the rule, the situation will continue the same,” said Ruíz.

“For the people who are traveling to Colombia we want to tell them that while this situation supplies the entire legal process, they will be able to continue coming to Colombia without taking the PCR test and without having to be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine,” he said.

In late November, an attorney, Alberto González Mebarack, launched a lawsuit in Bogotá to demand that the Colombian Ministry of Health reimpose the requirement for a negative PCR test on any traveler entering Colombia. After considering the demand for 11 days, the judge initially ruled in favor of the attorney, who claimed that the motivation for his suit was that Colombia does not have sufficient health care capacity to control risks caused by such international travel.

Photo courtesy Colombian Health Ministry

Anyone violating health & quarantine orders is subject to criminal sanction. Non Colombians are subject to expulsion. The past weekend, Colombia expelled 3 Spanish & 2 French nationals for violating quarantine.

Colombian citizens and permanent residents who return to the country are subject to a mandatory 14 day quarantine. The measures apply to all land, sea and air travel, and borders with neighboring countries Venezuela, Peru, Brazil & Ecuador have been closed.

Colombia now counts 33 coronavirus infections, though the government is hoping to prevent a public health calamity as seen in Wuhan, China or Italy. This includes 10 new infections registered over the weekend.

As tourism is one of Colombia’s fastest growing and most important industries, these measures are bound to have a significant negative effect on the country’s economy and fiscal stability.

Photo: César Carrión – Presidencia de la República