The Ecuadorian startup EQUAIR has officially shown off its first Boeing 737-700. The airline is close to starting flying commercially throughout Ecuador as it is set to become the country’s fourth carrier, after LATAM, Avianca, and Aeroregional. Let’s investigate further.
EQUAIR’s new colors
A couple of weeks ago, EQUAIR received its first aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 Next-Generation. The plane, registration HC-CXB, departed from Lleida in Spain on November 25. It landed a few hours after at Keflavik International Aiport in Iceland, where it stayed for a week. On December 3, it departed to Boston and from there to Latacunga, Ecuador, where the airline officially took possession.
HC-CXB had its first flight in March 2011 and belongs to Park Aerospace Holdings, according to ch-aviation. Before EQUAIR, the aircraft had only operated with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines between 2011 and 2021.
Since December 6, EQUAIR’s first aircraft has been receiving its livery in Latacunga. Yesterday, EQUAIR’s CEO, Gabriela Sommerfeld, announced on Twitter,
“We are ready to depart from Latacunga to Quito. Thanks to the Directorate of the Aeronautics Industry (DIAF) for doing spectacular paintwork in the first airplane of EQUAIR. #HereAndNow.”
¡Un cóndor llegó a Quito! Y no, no es el ave, es nuestro hermoso avión de @Boeing 737-700 NG ✈️😎🇪🇨
Compra tus boletos #aquiyahora en: https://t.co/3LfWH6FP0s pic.twitter.com/JAA81uteRO— equair (@equairECU) December 16, 2021
The new flights
EQUAIR is set to have its first flight on December 22, 2021, said local newspaper El Telégrafo. The airline will connect Quito and Guayaquil, Ecuador’s two main cities.
Additionally, EQUAIR will fly Baltra (GPS) and San Cristobal (SCY), the two airports in the Galápagos Islands. Those will be EQUAIR’s four destinations to start with.
In the near future, the startup could add a few more destinations like Manta, Cuenta, and El Coca. There are no international destinations in the short term.
EQUAIR aims to compete against LATAM, Avianca, and Aeroregional by offering low fares, and five different tariffs: promo, economic, flexi, superflexi, and premium, according to its website.
We searched for a flight between Quito and Guayaquil on January 7, 2021, and the prices were between US$55.74 and US$94.87 with EQUAIR. LATAM’s flights started at US$62 and Avianca’s at US$65. Aeroregional didn’t offer a flight between these two cities.
New aircraft coming
EQUAIR aims to start flying with a fleet of four B737-700 aircraft. They will have a capacity of 142 passengers. There’s currently no additional information regarding the three extra planes. Ch-aviation only has one B737-700 registered to the airline so far.
How’s the Latin American startup craze right now?
A year ago, many Latin American startups appeared. It seemed like the region would have many new operators during the year. Nonetheless, so far, only two regional startups have started flying.
In Brazil, Itapemirim Transportes Aéreos has been flying since June 29. The airline is doing well and currently has a fleet of seven aircraft, including six Airbus A320-200 and one A319-100.
The other startup ready to launch operations is EQUAIR. Nonetheless, the Colombian startup Ultra Air is also finishing the last details towards starting commercial flights. Ultra Air recently received its first aircraft.
What about the other startups?
Ecuatoriana Airlines is moving through, although there’s no official launching date; Nella Airlines, a Brazilian startup with airlines in Bolivia and Venezuela, recently received a $2 billion reais investment; there’s no new information regarding Colombia’s Starblue Airlines, nor Mexico’s VLU, and Zenith Aero.
What do you think of EQUAIR’s livery? Let us know in the comments below.
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