“Receiving two nominations was an honor for us, and to have been awarded the Most Improved Network award is undoubtedly a recognition of the effort of an entire team to offer greater connectivity and access to air transport. The year 2024 was historic, consolidating the largest network in our history and transporting the largest number of passengers in 105 years. We are proud to bet on new destinations and strengthen our offer in the United States,” said Claudio Vélez, Senior Vice President of Network and Alliances at Avianca.

Connectivity between the United States and Latin America

Avianca reaches 21 routes that directly connect the United States with Latin America. The routes are:

1. Miami-Medellín.
2. Orlando-Medellín.
3. New York-Pereira.
4. New York-Medellín.
5. Guayaquil-New York.
6. Quito-New York.
7. Fort Lauderdale-Medellín.
8. Cartagena-Miami.
9. Cartagena-New York.
10. Cali-Miami.
11. Cali-New York.
12. Bogotá-Tampa.
13. Bogotá-Chicago
14. Bogotá-Miami.
15. Bogotá-Orlando;
16. Bogotá- New York.
17. Bogotá-Washington.
18. Bogota-Fort Lauderdale.
19. Bogotá-Dallas.
20. Bogotá-Boston.
21. Barranquilla-Miami.

Headline photo includes Sebastian Porras, Network Planning Specialist, and Claudio Velez, Senior Vice President of Network. Photo credit: Avianca.

The proposed flight schedule is as follows:

This new route will enhance Avianca’s existing operations between Colombia and the United States, which currently include connections to Miami, Orlando, New York, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Chicago, Washington, and Boston.

“We continue to strengthen connectivity between the Americas. We are very excited to bring our customers closer to this incredible city, known for its great urban art district, and to promote cultural, commercial, and tourist exchange between both regions. In addition, the new operation to Dallas is added to the three direct routes that we announced at the beginning of the year to the United States, allowing our travelers to enjoy 21 routes between this country and Latin America during the high season,” said David Alemán, Avianca sales director for Colombia.

Tickets for the Bogotá-Dallas route are available for purchase through Avianca’s official channels, including their website, mobile application, physical sales points, and authorized travel agencies.

The initiation of this route is subject to governmental approval.

Headline Image: Airbus A320 operated by Avianca. Photo credit: Avianca.

Click on the above image to play the video.

Collective Mining keeps finding gold

First, some good news. Collective Mining (TSX: CNL, OTCQX: CNLMF, FSE: GG1), which is developing a gold mine down in the Caldas region in coffee country has five drill rigs operating at its Guayabales project, part of its 40 thousand meter drill program for this year. They are getting really encouraging results. This is the same team that developed Continental Gold and sold it to Zijin mining a few years ago for over a billion dollars. We published a more detailed update in Finance Colombia if you want to go over the numbers and assay results of this most recent update. I’m long on Continental because I believe in the team led by Ari Sussman.

Collective Mining Expands its Box Target Area with New High-Grade Samples; Drilling Continues

Petro threatens the private sector with “forced investments!”

President Gustavo Petro is once again terrifying investors, this time with an announcement that he plans to force private banks to loan money to projects and borrowers of his choosing. He said, and I translate:

 “I promised that we were going to present the measures to the congress of the republic to reactivate the economy which will consist, and I say it once and for all, in projects of law that generate FORCED INVESTMENT in the private financial system of Colombia destined to small, medium and large industry of agriculture and tourism in Colombia to reactivate the country.”

This is what Petro’s opponents warned about, and at least when it comes to intent, they were right. The question now is whether Colombia’s institutionalism can withstand more of his adventures. Statements and plans like this destroy investor confidence and scare away capital, just like what is happening with Ecopetrol.

“…and I say it once and for all, in projects of law that generate FORCED INVESTMENT in the private financial system of Colombia” – President Gustavo Petro

General Motors To Close Colombia Manufacturing Operations

Speaking of scaring away capital, General Motors is closing its Colmotores car factory after almost 70 years in Colombia. Now two years ago, GM said it was going to invest 50 million dollars to upgrade the factory to produce new models! What has changed? By the way, the Minister of Labor has told GM that they have to keep the workers employed even though the factory is closing, so we will see how that works out.

Alvaro Uribe is formally charged with witness tampering & bribery

Former President Alvaro Uribe, who in recent years has seen his once stellar legacy tarnished by a litany of revelations, is now formally charged with witness tampering in a drama that goes back to 2012. See the AP article here. https://apnews.com/article/colombia-alvaro-uribe-charges-witness-tampering-bd11a922142d000db1fcac178a1a147e

See also: Declassified US State Department Cables: “Uribe Almost Certainly Had Dealings With The Paramilitaries”

Bilateral harmony between Colombia & US leads to results

In some good news Colombia hosted a US State Department delegation last month for high level talks which led to several announcements. Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, who actually was a US Citizen for a while, has announced that Colombians can now access almost 20 thousand United States non-agricultural work visas, and more than 1,000 summer job visas. We will do a write up on this both on Finance Colombia and Empleobilingue, the only source on the web for bilingual talent.

Colombia is going to open five new consulates in Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, Charlotte and Seattle. There are already 9 thousand Colombians studying in the US on Student Visas, and there is a family unification program already in effect between the two countries which has 6,000 current authorizations by the State Department.

The mammoth UNGRD scandal that threatens Petro

There is an ongoing scandal in the Petro Administration where the government paid the equivalent of $12 million US dollars for a fleet of water tanker trucks to supply water to citizens of La Guajira, the desert region on the Atlantic Coast near the Venezuelan border. Now, no water got to the residents of La Guajira, the trucks sat idle on a Colombian military base. But the money paid to a contractor by Colombia’s UNGRD (National Unit of Disaster Risk Management) was “allegedly” used to bribe Senate President Iván Name and Andrés Calle in the house of representatives to unblock opposition to Petro’s reform bills. According to Colombia’s comptroller, the Controller General (Contraloria), each tanker truck was purchased from the dealer, Kenworth de la Montaña, in Medellín, for about 600 million pesos, but then sold to the government for $1.2 billion pesos. This way they could launder money out for political purposes.

Former Deputy Director of the UNGRD, Sneyder Pinilla “prendió el ventilador-started the fan” (Colombian saying, like “when the shit hits the fan”) and accused former director of the UNGRD, Olmedo Lopez of using the UNGRD money through this conspiracy to pay the bribes, covering it up with this tanker truck contract, and that the payments were made at the direction of Petro’s Minister of the Interior, Luís Fernando Velasco, and the Councilor for the Regions, Sandra Ortiz, who was actually the bag man, or “bag woman.”

Now Olmedo López and Sneyder Pinilla are testifying and want immunity with Colombia’s attorney general, because they say that the tanker scandal is just the tip of the iceberg in a case that for Colombia, may be larger than the Odebrecht scandal.

According to these two, a political machine was put in place inside the Petro administration that would launder 380 billion pesos, or almost $100 million US dollars of “marmalade” or UNGRD funds into the hands of legislators and bureaucrats to bribe for passage of Petro’s reforms, all of which have failed so far, and to finance last October’s local elections, where again, Petro’s party and allies lost badly. Lopez says the tanker truck scandal just got discovered but according to him there is a whole infrastructure inside Petro’s government operating with this modality to bribe legislators and fund campaigns.

Now the scary thing is that the company that sold the trucks, Impoamericana Roger SAS was sold to Elmer Celis in 2019, and right before the contract for the tankers was being finalized, Celis was assassinated. So this scandal now has deadly implications.

Sura wants out of the EPS health system

Grupo Sura, the insurance and asset management giant has told the Colombian government that it plans to withdraw from the national EPS health insurance scheme. They are supposed to be meeting with the company to negotiate what happens.

Colombia wants the gold from a Spanish Galleón, so do Bolivians

In 1708 the Spanish galleon San José was sunk by the British during the War of Spanish Succession. in the Caribbean sea off the coast of Cartagena. The shipwreck was found in 2015 in about 600 meters, or 328 fathoms, or 2,000 feet of water, and Colombia is claiming it as its own and using the military to fend off any would-be treasure hunters. Last month, Colombia announced that it was launching a research and recovery project, aiming to prioritize the historical value of the wreck. There are complications though. The ship was Spanish, so Spain would need to renounce any sovereignty over the wreck. Spain considers the ship a graveyard that should not be molested out of respect for the dead.

Down in landlocked Bolivia, the Chicha, Caranga and Killaka people have filed claims with UNESCO saying that their enslaved ancestors extracted the treasure onboard from mines in what is now Bolivia, and have a right to share in whatever wealth is in the shipwreck.

This is going to be an interesting case. There is a treaty, the 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage. Spain is a signatory, so is bound by the treaty, but Colombia never ratified or signed it, so is not bound by it.

Colombia has (finally) outlawed bullfighting

The Colombian house of representatives has outlawed bullfighting, a 500 year old tradition of bovine torture inherited from the Spanish. There are still people who defend bullfighting. The bill is in reconciliation with the senate, and then goes to President Petro, who is sure to sign it into law.

Mafia guerilla groups flourishing, expanding under Petro’s “Total Peace” fiasco

Reuters is reporting that it got access to a secret report showing that all the major criminal mafias in Colombia expanded in 2023, making a mockery of President Petro’s “Total Peace” initiative. Those criminal organizations would be the Clan del Golfo, ELN, and the two former FARC groups Estado Mayor and Segunda Marquetalia. Petro ran his campaign promising “Total Peace” but these groups, three of the four are avowed communist guerillas, and the Clan Del Golfo a descendant of paramilitaries, just keep getting bigger. When is Petro going to start?

Reuters also reported on illegal road building in the Amazon rainforest, in some cases by these same groups, that the government is supposed to be stopping. For example, Chiribiquete, nobody is even allowed to go in there but there are at least 12 illegal roads built, according to Reuters!

These mafias, in this case it looks like the Estado Mayor – former FARC, is building these roads to conduct illegal activities in nature preserves, and the government is unwilling to do anything, or at least, so far it is not combatting the activity.

So that’s it for this week.

Remember to practice critical thinking

Stay mentally and physically active,

And above all, be kind to yourself and others.

The five new consulates will be opened in Charlotte, Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, and Seattle, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo.

“The presence of Colombia is expanded through these consulates and is a response to the need that the Colombian diaspora, the extended Colombia, the population that lives in the outside,” said Murillo. “And we will do this, obviously not only in the United States, but in other countries where our population requires the attention of our government.”

In announcing the news, the ministry also highlighted the recognition it has received from the United States for the nation’s leadership in terms of welcoming migrants from Venezuela.

“We applaud President [Gustavo] Petro in his decision to expand regularization and protection options this year to give almost three million Venezuelans residing in Colombia the opportunity to work, send their children to school and have access to health services,” said Richard Verma, undersecretary of state for the United States.

Murillo added context by providing an update on the Venezuelan migrant situation in Colombia. “We have about 2.3 million Venezuelans here integrating into our society and we are also going to welcome about 500,000 – 600,000 more,” said Murillo.

The two nations also discussed plans regarding Colombians who have migrated, particularly the current US family unification program aimed at helping Colombians reunite with their families in the United States.

“About 58,000 a thousand Colombians will benefit,” said Murillo. “Authorization and invitation have already been given by the [US] State Department for 6,000, and there are already close to 500 families in the United States that have been reunified through this program.”

For the first time, the United States has also provided authorization for nearly 20,000 Colombians to apply for non-agricultural work visas and approximately 1,000 visas for young people to work in summer in different cities in the United States.

“There are nearly 9,000 Colombian men and women studying in the United States, which also shows the strength of this relationship in these aspects,” said Murillo.

Photo: Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Gilberto Murillo. (Photo credit: Cancillería of Colombia)

Alpina says that the investment opens the doors to the US west coast; the region alone has an economy ten times the entire Colombian economy. Both companies have confirmed that Clover Somona’s management team will remain intact.

Ernesto Fajardo, Alpina’s president.

“At Alpina we are always exploring new opportunities to continue growing and to create opportunities for internationalization. We seek to generate capacity and carry our knowledge to other places. In Clover Sonoma, we found an ally with whom we share values, principles and ethics; a committed team with whom we have identified the vision of the importance of innovation, differentiation, and value creation for the consumer. In both companies, we work to satisfy the necessities and tastes of our consumers, honoring the value promises that we have identified,” said Ernesto Fajardo, Alpina’s president.

“As we look to innovate and grow our brand in new markets, the Clover Sonoma leadership team and I have been looking at opportunities that will support that growth,” said Clover Sonoma Chairman of the Board Marcus Benedetti. “Like-minded companies have to work together to innovate for our consumers and to support our farmers and communities. As a company, we are strengthened by this partnership to facilitate growth, and the opportunities it provides for our employees, family farms, retail customers, and consumers.”

After WWII in 1945, Alpina was founded in Bogotá, Colombia by two Swiss immigrants Max Bazinger and Walter Goggel who started a dairy in Colombia to share Swiss traditions and to create new traditions and products that met the needs of Colombian families. Alpina has grown to have a presence in more than 20 countries in Latin America.

Alpina’s portfolio has more than 600 SKUs including aged cheeses, milks, yogurts, functional dairy beverages, vegetable-based beverages, baby food, nutraceutical and food supplements, among others. The company is the largest dairy producing company in Colombia and one of the most beloved brands with more than $700 million in sales.

Clover Sonoma’s milk production and manufacturing will remain in the U.S. with the support of Clover Sonoma family farms. Headquartered in Petaluma, California, Clover Sonoma is a Certified B corporation and humane-certified. Each year, the company gives back at least five percent of its profits to support animal welfare, sustainable practices, and local community initiatives.

Baker McKenzie advised Alpina on the deal. The law firm’s negotiating team was led by partners Carolina Pardo (Bogota, Colombia) and Darcy Down (Los Angeles) and supported by associates Justin Bryant (Palo Alto), Jonathan Farrokhnia (Dallas), Sean Turner (San Francisco) and Pantea Faed. (San Francisco). Kai Kramer (Houston) and Ross Staine (Houston) who provided tax and structuring advice.

“We are delighted to have acted as advisors to Alpina in a partnership with a company that shares its vision for the future of dairy, sustainability and product innovation,” said Darcy Down, partner in Baker McKenzie’s Los Angeles office.

Biodiversity treasures

When it comes to listing the nature wonders of Colombia, one doesn’t even know where to start. Colombia is the most biodiverse country per square kilometer; it is number one in bird diversity with more than 1,900 different species and it is also the country with the largest number of butterflies in the world —registering more than 3,600—, which means that 20% of the species of butterflies in the planet live in Colombia.

All these facts, among others, make the country a perfect destination for birdwatching, whale watching, trekking, hiking and cycling while enjoying the mountains, the jungle, the desert and the Caribbean beaches, all in one! Plus, did you know that precisely because of its natural biodiversity, in Colombia you can eat a different type of fruit or seed by day, without repeating, for more than a year? Get your forks ready, foodies.

Sustainability is at the core of Colombia’s tourism promotion

Cyclists at El Peñón de Guatapé, about 2 hours outside Medellín (courtesy ProColombia)

Over the last few years, Colombia has recognized that its natural and cultural wealth can be enjoyed by travelers while also being protected and preserved through sustainability guidelines. “Our country stands out for its competitive advantages in terms of sustainable tourism, and we have 27 Ministry-certified sustainable tourism destinations,” said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia, the agency in charge of promoting tourism in the country. “Colombia is also one of the few countries in the world with a Sustainable Tourism Policy, that seeks to help develop a more responsible and resilient tourism industry that preserves our culture and the environment.”

Well-prepared tourist guides and tourists as well!

To inspire both local guides as well as international travelers and educate them on the country’s efforts towards building a trustable and strong industry, Colombia released earlier this year a nature guide that features easy-to-understand information of its responsible and sustainable practices. The Illustrative Handbook for Nature Tourism Guides includes information about the country’s natural wealth, as well as 50 podcasts and factsheets available in Spanish and English. It’s free of charge and available here. This project was supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), “Riqueza Natural” Program, the Humboldt Institute, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and Punto Aparte Editors.

Top cycling destination

What a better way to get to know a country than riding its roads? In addition to finding incredible routes where world cycling greats such as Egan Bernal and Nairo Quintana do their trainings, due to its equatorial location, traveling 500 meters in Colombia represents moving from one ecosystem to another. In fact, and taking advantage of the potential these experiences have, ProColombia is launching this new tourism strategy called Colombia, the top cycling destination, to attract ‘bike geeks’ from all over the world!

Low-cost airline Viva now allows travelers to bring bicycles, camping gear, surfing (including wind & kite), fishing tackle, golf, tennis and scuba equipment to and from Colombia. For details click here.

Great air connectivity

During 2021, international air connectivity in Colombia has made significant progress, and airlines such as Viva, Avianca, Copa, JetSmart, American Airlines, JetBlue, Spirit, among others, are betting on Colombia as a connectivity hub. An additional fact for the American travelers: currently, there are 351 weekly frequencies available between Colombia and US cities such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, New York, Orlando, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Washington. That means 61,944 seats available per week!

Unique types of accommodation

In a destination where nature and sustainability stand out, the whole perfect package is closed with an eco-accommodation offer. Unique places and unconventional rooms are offered to stay and enjoy a gratifying evening, such as glamping, villas, farms, and private houses. Projects like Secretos de Colombia or many other glamping hotels such as Nido del Condor and Color de Mis Rêves are great examples. These experiences are well known by its contact with nature and the facility for visitors to get close to the sky from their room comfort, nothing better to end the day than a glass ceiling to watch the stars.

For more information about Colombia, please visit Colombia.Travel.

Views expressed in this guest contribution are those of ProColombia and do not necessarily reflect the views of Finance Colombia. CONTACT: Catalina Sanchez, csanchez@procolombia.co, Phone: (305) 374 3144 Ext. 66186

Avianca indicated that the restrictions were necessitated by “the constant restrictions in different countries in terms of limitation of the entry of tourists, operational reductions, as well as mobility within cities, and the high uncertainty that passengers still have.”

Passengers are advised to visit the Avianca website and contact the air carrier to confirm individual details.

Suspended flights include those from Bogotá, Colombia to and from:

• Washington, DC
• Los Angeles
• Orlando
• Fort Lauderdale
• London
• Barcelona
• Curaçao
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Asunción
• La Paz, Bolivia
• Santa Crúz, Bolivia
• Guatemala City
• Panamá City

Also suspended are the following flights:

• Cali – Medellín – Madríd
• Guatemala City – Tegucigalpa
• Guatemala City – Los Angeles
• Panamá City – San José, Costa Rica
• San Salvador – Dallas
• San Salvador – Houston
• San Salvador – Miami
• San Salvador – Toronto
• San Salvador – México City
• Quito – Galapagos Islands
• Quito – El Coca
• San Pedro Sula – Miami

Avianca says it hopes to resume flights in April to Curaçao, Orlando, Guatemala City, and Los Angeles from Bogotá, and San Salvador to Houston, Toronto and México City.

The airline is currently undergoing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy reorganization in US Federal Court.

The only two airports in the region ahead of El Dorado are Mexico City International Airport in the Mexican capital and São Paulo–Congonhas Airport in Brazil’s largest city. By comparison, Bogotá has a population of roughly eight million while there are more than 20 million in the metro areas of both Mexico City and São Paulo.

The United States dominates the megahub global rankings. Nine of the top 10 are in the country, with Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta being the only non-U.S. airport.

The U.S. airports amont the top 10 include: O’Hare International Airport (Chicago), Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Denver International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

OAG Aviation Worldwide, a research firm covering the industry, published the study in late November based on its connectivity index, a measure of the ratio of scheduled seat capacity to the number of destinations served by the airport.

Specifically, the company came up with the score for each location by calculating “the total number of possible connections between inbound and outbound flights within a six-hour window at the largest 100 airports in the world based on the busiest day for global aviation in 2016,” stated OAG in its report.

To increase its capacity to handle more flights, Bogotá has embarked on a major overhaul to its aviation infrastrucutre. It is currently adding a new terminal to El Dorado and will soon begin building a new airport — so far deemed “El Dorado II” — farther to the west of its current megahub on the outskirts of the capital.

Photo Credit: Jared Wade

Headline photo: “Christus Santa Rosa medical hospital, South Texas Medical Center (02 04 2007)” by Zereshk at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons –