Latin American route updates � December 2023

11 months ago 40

After the post about the United States and Canada market update, we continue with the Latin American region. To see previous editions, please click on the following link: United States and Canada � December 2023. � GOL, JetSMART and...

After the post about the United States and Canada market update, we continue with the Latin American region. To see previous editions, please click on the following link:

United States and Canada � December 2023.

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GOL, JetSMART and SKY were some of the South American airlines that incorporated aircraft to their respective fleets. In all three cases, these are brand new jets, fresh from the factory.

As for routes, there have been many start-ups in recent weeks, as well as announcements about future additions.

One of the highlights during this month was the inauguration of LATAM�s Lima-London route, resuming Peru�s connection with the UK after five years. A second highlight was the beginning of operations of Tulum�s new airport, located just over 100 kilometers from Cancun.

It is expected that Tulum airport will be very useful for the region, and will also gradually take traffic away from Cancun, since previously it was all centralized in that airport.

Aerol�neas Argentinas

During November, Aerol�neas Argentinas announced it will increase flights on some of its international routes from Buenos Aires. Certain changes will take place in December, while others will begin in April 2024.

Buenos Aires (AEP)

Asunci�n (ASU): 10 to 14 weekly � April 2024 Bogot� (BOG): 7 to 10 weekly � April 2024 Curitiba (CWB): 4 to 6 weekly � April 2024 Lima (LIM): 7 to 10 weekly � April 2024 Porto Alegre (POA): 6 to 12 weekly � April 2024 Punta del Este (PDP): 5 to 21 weekly � December 2023/January 2024 Santiago (SCL): 26 to 28 weekly � April 2024 Sao Paulo (GRU): 24 to 28 weekly � April 2024

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Buenos Aires (EZE)

Punta Cana (PUJ): 3 to 4 weekly � December 18th

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Aerol�neas Argentinas retro livery

Arajet

The Dominican airline incorporated a new Boeing 737 MAX 8, which arrived from Seattle Boeing Field. Arajet now has seven aircraft in its fleet, all of them MAX.

HI1026 HI1027 HI1078 HI1081 HI1082 HI1099 (latest addition) HI1104

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Furthermore, in terms of routes, the company inaugurated its services between Santo Domingo and Buenos Aires on November 14th, offering three weekly flights:

Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday

DM 333� Santo Domingo SDQ 17:55 � 03:05+1 EZE Buenos Aires

Monday, Wednesday and Friday

DM 334� Buenos Aires EZE 04:25 � 11:40 SDQ Santo Domingo

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avianca

The carrier began several routes during December for the start of the high season. This is the list:

Colombia

Bogot� (BOG) � Los Angeles (LAX): 7 weekly Cali (CLO) � Miami (MIA): 7 weekly Cali (CLO) � New York (JFK): 3 weekly Medell�n (MDE) � Orlando (MCO): 6 weekly Medell�n (MDE) � San Juan (SJU): 4 weekly Pereira (PEI) � New York (JFK): 4 weekly

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Costa Rica

San Jos� (SJO) � San Pedro Sula (SAP): 3 weekly San Jos� (SJO) � Washington (IAD): 3 weekly

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El Salvador

San Salvador (SAL) � Las Vegas (LAS): 2 weekly San Salvador (SAL) � Oakland (OAK): 3 weekly San Salvador (SAL) � Orlando (MCO): 3 weekly San Salvador (SAL) � Panama City (PTY): 4 weekly

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Guatemala

Guatemala City (GUA) � Chicago (ORD): 2 weekly

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Honduras

San Pedro Sula (SAP) � New York (JFK): 2 weekly

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Map by gcmap.com

In addition to these connections, avianca will resume its operations to Venezuela after a six-year suspension. Services to and from Costa Rica will be carried out as follows:

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

AV 669� San Jos� SJO 11:00 � 15:50 CCS Caracas AV 668� Caracas CCS 17:20 � 18:05 SJO San Jos�

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Copa Airlines

The airline will restart flights to Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on April 2nd, 2024. Copa will have three operations per week from Panama City with Boeing 737-700 jets.

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

CM 480� Panama City PTY 11:39 � 15:10 STI Santiago de los Caballeros CM 482� Santiago de los Caballeros STI 16:01 � 17:47 PTY Panama City

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Punta Cana and Santo Domingo are Copa Airlines� current destinations in the Dominican Republic, both from the �Hub of the Americas,� as the airport in the Panamanian capital is known.

Cubana de Aviaci�n

Cuba�s state-owned company recovered the Ilyushin Il-96-300, registration CU-T1250, following a one-year period in Russia. This is the second aircraft that Cubana has reincorporated after maintenance.

Cubana has 4 Ilyushin Il-96s in its fleet, although one of them, registered CU-T1250, is the only allowed to fly. The other three, with registrations CU-T1251, CU-T1254 and CU-T1717, are currently abandoned at Havana�s Jose Marti Airport.

The Ilyushin CU-T1250 is expected to enter service in January 2024, with possible destinations being Buenos Aires and Madrid. At present, these are operated with Plus Ultra Airbus A340-300s, once a week each.

Flybondi

The low cost carrier will have a new destination in Argentina as of January 1st, 2024. Flybondi will operate to Mar del Plata, a city located 400 kilometers from Buenos Aires on the Argentine coast.

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Flybondi�s routes from Buenos Aires (AEP/EZE)

Map by gcmap.com Bariloche (BRC) Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD) C�rdoba (COR) Corrientes (CNQ) El Calafate (FTE) Florian�polis (FLN) Iguaz� (IGR) Jujuy (JUJ) Mar del Plata (MDQ) Mendoza (MDZ) Neuqu�n (NQN) Posadas (PSS) Puerto Madryn (PMY) Rio de Janeiro (GIG) Salta (SLA) Santiago del Estero (SDE) Sao Paulo (GRU) Tucum�n (TUC) Ushuaia (USH)

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GOL

In November, GOL Linhas A�reas added its 41st Boeing 737 MAX 8 to its fleet. The aircraft, registered PS-GRC, arrived in Belo Horizonte from Seattle Boeing Field with a stopover in Punta Cana.

The airline is the main operator of the MAX in South America.

Regarding routes, GOL Linhas A�reas will launch flights to Bogot� from Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires with Boeing 737 MAX 8s effective April 1st, 2024. The company will have traffic rights between Buenos Aires and Bogot�, which means that GOL will be able to carry passengers on this segment (in addition to the Sao Paulo � Bogot� one).

Flights are on sale.

Buenos Aires

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

G3 8240� Bogot� BOG 05:50 � 14:20 EZE Buenos Aires G3 8241� Buenos Aires EZE 16:50 � 21:25 BOG Bogot�

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Sao Paulo

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

G3 8240� Sao Paulo GRU 23:50 � 03:35+1 BOG Bogot�

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

G3 8241� Bogot� BOG 23:45 � 08:10+1 GRU Sao Paulo

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These are the operations to Colombia from Argentina and Brazil

Map by gcmap.com

Argentina

Buenos Aires (AEP) � Bogot� (BOG): 7 weekly � Aerol�neas Argentinas Buenos Aires (EZE) � Bogot� (BOG): 14 weekly � avianca

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Brazil

Belo Horizonte (CNF) � Bogot� (BOG): 3 weekly � avianca Manaus (MAO) � Bogot� (BOG): 4 weekly � avianca Rio de Janeiro (GIG) � Bogot� (BOG): 7 weekly � avianca Sao Paulo (GRU) � Bogot� (BOG): 21 weekly � avianca Sao Paulo (GRU) � Bogot� (BOG): 7 weekly � LATAM

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JetSMART

The Chilean low cost airline will resume services between Santiago de Chile and Mendoza after almost five years. The flights, which are already on sale, will start on March 4th, 2024.

Monday, Friday and Sunday

JA 990� Santiago SCL 19:41 � 20:45 MDZ Mendoza JA 991� Mendoza MDZ 21:30 � 22:26 SCL Santiago

Saturday

JA 990� Santiago SCL 08:09 � 09:09 MDZ Mendoza JA 991� Mendoza MDZ 09:54 � 10:54 SCL Santiago

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Additionally, JetSMART added a new Airbus A321neo last December 4th. The plane, registered CC-DIB, landed in Santiago from Hamburg via Reykjavik, Newport News and Cali.

JetSMART�s fleet

Argentina

Airbus A320-200: 9

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Chile

Airbus A320-200: 2 Airbus A320neo: 7 Airbus A321neo: 4

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Per�

Airbus A320neo: 5

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LASER

Beginning December 15th, LASER Airlines will increase its flights between Caracas and Bogot�, reaching four weekly. The Venezuelan airline operates with McDonnell Douglas MD-82 jets.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday (new flight on Fridays)

QL 2980� Caracas CCS 08:30 � 09:10 BOG Bogot� QL 2981� Bogot� BOG 10:20 � 13:00 CCS Caracas

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Bogot�, Cura�ao, La Romana and Santo Domingo are LASER�s international destinations.

LATAM

As with avianca, LATAM also started various connections in December for the summer. In this case, all of them departing and arriving at Jorge Ch�vez Airport in the Peruvian capital.

Routes that were suspended due to the pandemic:

Lima (LIM) � Salta (SLA), Argentina: 3 weekly � Airbus A319 and Airbus A320 (December 1st) Lima (LIM) � Oranjestad (AUA), Aruba: 3 weekly � Airbus A320 (December 2nd)

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On December 1st, LATAM�s inaugural flight to London Heathrow departed Lima. The carrier will serve between the two cities for the first time.

Peru and the UK regained the non-stop connection after a five-year hiatus, when British operated from London Gatwick.

Lima (LIM) � London (LHR): 5 weekly � Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

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On the other hand, LATAM confirmed that it will offer services between Bogot� and Madrid starting July 3rd, 2024. Following LATAM�s start-up, five operators will have flights on this route (Air Europa, Avianca, Iberia and Plus Ultra, in addition to LATAM).

Daily

LA 710� Santiago SCL 15:30 � 20:25 BOG Bogot� LA 710� Bogot� BOG 22:50 � 15:40+1 MAD Madrid

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LA 711� Madrid MAD 17:25 � 20:40 BOG Bogot� LA 711� Bogot� BOG 23:10 � 06:00+1 SCL Santiago

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Lufthansa Cargo

The company began cargo operations to Santiago de Chile on November 16th. Due to the Chilean cherry season, Lufthansa Cargo will have a total of 11 flights until the end of December (approximately two per week).

The regular route Frankfurt � Campinas � Montevideo � Buenos Aires � Campinas � Frankfurt has been extended with a stopover in Santiago on the Buenos Aires � Campinas leg.

Regular Lufthansa Cargo destinations in South America:

Buenos Aires (EZE), Argentina Campinas (VCP), Brazil Curitiba (CWB), Brazil Montevideo (MVD), Uruguay Sao Paulo (GRU), Brazil

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Mexicana de Aviaci�n

Uncertain future for the new Mexicana de Aviaci�n. We had previously talked about the restart of this historic airline, with more than 20 routes planned from Mexico City�s Felipe Angeles International Airport, all with Boeing 737s.

Finally, a Mexicana aircraft appeared, an Embraer 145 from TAR, which is planned to be operated by Mexicana de Aviacion. Days later it was confirmed that the company was canceling 11 announced routes, leaving nine operational.

There is not much more information about the new Mexicana. Time passes and flights are still not available for purchase.

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Mexicana de Aviaci�n destinations (although much of it would be canceled)

Silver Airways

On November 16th, Silver inaugurated its services between San Juan (Puerto Rico) and La Romana. Operations will be carried out with 46-seat ATR 42-300 aircraft in single class.

Thursday, Friday and Sunday

3M 121� San Juan SJU 10:30 � 11:35 LRM La Romana 3M 121� La Romana LRM 12:10 � 13:15 SJU San Juan

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Silver is the only company offering this route.

SKY Airline

The low cost carrier added a new aircraft after almost two years. The Airbus A321neo, registration CC-DCD, arrived in Santiago de Chile from Hamburg via Reykjavik, Charleston and Lima on November 28th.

SKY�s fleet consists of the following:

Airbus A320neo: 24 Airbus A321neo: 4

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The average age of the fleet is 3.7 years, one of the most modern in Latin America.

Surinam Airways

Effective December 18th, the airline plans to begin operations on the Paramaribo � Oranjestad � Cura�ao � Miami route. Surinam will fly with Boeing 737-800s configured for 168 passengers.