Viva Air Launches ‘Viva Air Labs’ to Pursue Innovation in Latin American Aviation Industry

Discount regional airline Viva Air has launched a new “innovation laboratory” to pursue modernization and digital advances in Latin America’s aviation and tourism sector.

Among the Viva Air Labs projects described so far by the company, which has flown to around a dozen locations domestically under the Viva Colombia brand for the past half-decade, is a new way for passengers to pay for flights through mobile platforms such as WhatsApp, the most popular communication app in the country.

Photo: Clyde Hutchinson, director of Viva Air Labs, and Félix Antelo, president and CEO of Viva Air, celebrate the opening of the innovation center. (Credit: Viva Air)

The innovation center will also look to develop digital methods that help the company better understand its customers preferences and interests in order to provide more personalized flights, travel packages, and other offers.

“We are very excited to be the first airline in Latin America to develop a project like Viva Air Labs that is committed to innovation in the sector,” said Felix Antelo, president and CEO of Viva Air.

The lab, which has named Clyde Hutchinson as its director, was launched with the support of public promotion agencies ProColombia and ACI Medellín. Viva Air hopes to continue expanding the number of stakeholders and participants by reaching out to more public agencies, private sector firms, and university.

“This is the type of investment that is sought out to promote entrepreneurship, competitiveness, and the orange economy,” said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.

An inquiry form is available on the Viva Air website for anyone who wants to find out more information about the venture and how to potentially participate.