Photo: Venezuela Protests Maduro Flag 2017 (Photo credit: Efecto Eco)

Slated for three weekly departures from Simón Bolivar International Airport in the Venezuelan capital, this will bring much-needed capacity to a nation of people who have seen their ability to fly severely hampered in recent years.

“We are very happy to be able to return to Venezuela, thus expanding our network of international destinations and reaffirming our promise to customers to provide point-to-point connectivity to the destinations where they want to travel,” said Alex Benitez, vice president of Central America and the Andean region for Avianca.

“We are sure that customers in both Costa Rica and Venezuela will be able to expand their possibilities to travel on the Avianca network and enjoy all its attributes,” he added.

The three weekly flights will leave Caracas at 11:00 am local time each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday — and land in the Costa Rican capital at 3:50 pm — with a total of 1,080 seats available each week.

Round-trip tickets are already on sale at a promotional price for the route, which will start its first flight on December 18 and operate three times per week thereafter.

Felix Antelo, president and CEO of Viva Air. (Credit: Viva Air)

The carrier expects to transport some 31,000 passengers on the route during the first year between the U.S. city with the most connections to Latin America and, in Santa Marta, a popular domestic tourist destination that is gaining recognition among foreigners, particularly as an entry point to visit the spectacular beaches in Colombia’s Tayrona National Park.

This will be the first international flight that Viva Air will operate from Santa Marta’s Simón Bolívar International Airport, which has undergone a significant modernization effort over the past two years to upgrade its facilities.

Viva Air is also investing more in Santa Marta, a city of nearly half a million people and the capital of the department of Magdalena.

In May, the company named the city’s airport as its third base of operations within the Andean country. Its other two hubs are José María Córdova International Airport in Rionegro (located just outside of Medellín) and El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá.

Felix Antelo, president and CEO of Viva Air, said he was pleased that the new Miami route will be giving Colombians living in this area of the Caribbean coast “the opportunity to travel more than just to the interior of Colombia, but abroad, with our low prices.”

The just-under-three-hour flight will depart Santa Marta every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 6:20 am (local time) and land at Miami International Airport at 9:08 am (local time). The return flight will depart Miami on the same days at 10:38 am and touch down back in Colombia at 1:26 pm.

A promotional fare, advertised at $195 USD, will be offered for this route until the available seats are exhausted or through November 17, according to Viva Air’s marketing materials.

(Photo credit: Viva Air)

The airline says it has launched the route in response to customer demand and to help better connect the two nations. From 2013 to 2016, according to Wingo, more than 1.2 million Venezuelans entered Colombia as the economic, political, and security situation deteriorated in their home country.

“We want Venezuelans living in our country to feel closer to their homeland and also more Colombians to discover the Wingo side of Caracas,” said Catalina Bretón, general leader at Wingo. “Plus, Caracas is a very important business destination in the region.”

The flight will depart El Dorado International Airport in the Colombian capital at 4:29 am each Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, arriving in Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas at 7:24 am. The return leg will depart from Venezuela at 8:31 am and land back in Bogotá at 9:30 am. (All times local.)

Daniel Pages, president of the Association of Venezuelans in Colombia (AsocVenCol), was pleased with the news. “We strive for strategic partnerships that benefit our fellow citizens,” he said, adding that “in addition to providing commercial service between Venezuela and Colombia, Wingo has identified the need to connect to sister nations.”

Photo credit: Wingo

Nationwide, the busiest 10 airports reported 1.6 million more passengers from January to April of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. That’s a jump from just 17.2 million people to 18.8 million, and more than half of these travelers — nearly 10 million — came through Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport.

Despite high inflation and a national economy being dragged down by slumping oil prices, more people are coming to the capital for work and pleasure. The nation’s famous beaches are also filling up with sunbathers eager to enjoy the surf, sand, and exotic fruit juices that make spending time on the coast so relaxing.

The international airport servicing Colombia’s top tourist destination, Cartagena’s Rafael Núñez International Airport, welcomed 20.3% more travelers than it did during the same period in 2015. The next two largest airports on the Caribbean coast — Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla and Simón Bolívar International Airport in Santa Marta — also saw jumps of 11.5% and 6.5%, respectively, over last year.

Even the popular getaway hotspot San Andrés has had a huge year. With more than 688,000 travelers passing through its Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport so far in 2016, the island paradise recored a 22.5% increase compared to the same period in 2015.

In total, the four biggest airports servicing Colombia’s Caribbean region have seen almost half a million more passengers in the first four months of 2016 than they did from January to April last year.

Photo: An Avianca A321 takes flight (Credit: Bernal Saborio) / Infographic: Aeronáutica Civil