On December 3, 2021, Avianca will launch a new route connecting Bogota to Toronto nonstop in six hours. This is just one of the many new international routes Colombia has secured in 2021. Let’s investigate further.
Avianca’s new flight
So far, only Air Canada and Air Transat have connected Canada and Colombia directly. However, at the moment, Air Transat hasn’t reactivated its route, following the airline’s financial struggles that led to a halt of all flights for six months.
In October 2021, Air Canada will offer 14 flights between Toronto and Bogota, with an available capacity of 6,927 seats. Compared to its pre-pandemic numbers, Air Canada still has to provide 46% more flights and 51% more seats.
Nevertheless, Avianca believes there’s a growing market between both countries.
Starting on Friday, December 3, 2021, Avianca will start connecting Bogota and Toronto. It will operate six flights per week, using its Airbus A320 family aircraft, with a capacity for 150 passengers. This new route will represent an additional offer of about 1,000 seats per week, connecting the South American nation with Canada.
Ana María Copete, director of Sales for Avianca, said,
“We continue to add more routes, more destinations, and more options to our network with our premise of competitive prices and tailored products. We are sure that this will also be good news for the reactivation of tourism and the economy.”
In the last decade, outbound tourism from Canada to Colombia has increased dramatically. In seven years it has doubled, and between 2016 and 2019 year-over-year growth ranged between 15 and 20%, according to ProColombia, the government agency promoting tourism in the country. Canada is in the top three growth markets for Colombia during this period.
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Avianca’s international connectivity
As Colombia recovers its pre-pandemic numbers, Avianca has been announcing new international routes. Earlier this year, the airline launched flights between Medellin-Cancun, Medellin-Punta Cana, Miami-San Jose, San Salvador-Ontario, and Cali-Orlando.
Then, in August, Avianca announced 23 new international routes, of which 13 would depart from Colombia.
According to a statement provided by Avianca, these are Colombia’s new routes:
- Cali: New York, Cancun, Mexico City, San José (Costa Rica), and Quito.
- Medellin: Aruba, Mexico City, Orlando, San José (Costa Rica), Quito, and Guayaquil
- Bucaramanga: Miami
- Bogota: Toronto.
Additionally, both Ecuador and Costa Rica have four new routes each. These are,
- Guayaquil: New York and Miami
- Quito: New York and Miami
- San José of Costa Rica: Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City, and Managua.
Finally, both El Salvador and Guatemala have one new route to Orlando and Washington, respectively.
Colombia’s international boom
In 2021, 12 airlines have announced their intention to operate 31 new international routes in Colombia. So far, 19 have already been launched, and this number alone is bigger than the one Colombia had in 2019 when 17 new connections were opened all year.
According to ProColombia, the South American country has had new flights to Punta Cana, New York, Orlando, Cancun, Mexico City, and Lima.
Moreover, there will be new flights to Mexico City, Santiago, Miami, Cancun, New York, Panama City, and Toronto shortly.
María Ximena Lombana, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister in Colombia, said,
“More and more airlines are betting on the Colombian market. So far, we have had two new Mexican carriers landing in South America for the first time. Also, at least ten more airlines are increasing their capacity in terms of frequencies and routes. We have 22 carriers operating in the country, connecting eight Colombian cities with 24 countries. So far, we have recovered 88% of our pre-pandemic markets.”
What do you think about Avianca’s new route and Colombia’s recovery? Write your comment below.
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