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Latin American route updates – December 2023

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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:

 

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.

Aerolíneas Argentinas

During November, Aerolíneas 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)

  • Asunción (ASU): 10 to 14 weekly · April 2024
  • Bogotá (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

 

Buenos Aires (EZE)

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

 

Aerolíneas 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

 

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

Monday, Wednesday and Friday

 

avianca

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

Colombia

 

Costa Rica

 

El Salvador

 

Guatemala

 

Honduras

 

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

 

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

 

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 Aviación

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.

Monday, Wednesday and Sunday

Monday, Tuesday and Thursday

Friday

 

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

Map by gcmap.com

 

GOL

In November, GOL Linhas Aéreas 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 Aéreas will launch flights to Bogotá 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 Bogotá, which means that GOL will be able to carry passengers on this segment (in addition to the Sao Paulo – Bogotá one).

Flights are on sale.

Buenos Aires

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

 

Sao Paulo

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

 

These are the operations to Colombia from Argentina and Brazil

Map by gcmap.com
Argentina

 

Brazil

 

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

Saturday

 

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

 

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

 

Perú
  • Airbus A320neo: 5

 

LASER

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

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

 

Bogotá, Curaçao, 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 Chávez 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)

 

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

 


On the other hand, LATAM confirmed that it will offer services between Bogotá 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

 

 

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:

 

Mexicana de Aviación

Uncertain future for the new Mexicana de Aviación. 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.

 

Mexicana de Aviación 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

 

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

 

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 – Curaçao – Miami route. Surinam will fly with Boeing 737-800s configured for 168 passengers.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday

 

 

Surinam Airways currently offers three weekly services between Paramaribo and Miami via Georgetown with the same aircraft.

Tulum Airport

On December 1st, the new Tulum airport began regular operations. VivaAerobus had the privilege of having the first arrival at 11:49 local time, with flight VB 9360 from Mexico City’s Felipe Angeles Airport (AIFA).

For now, Aeromexico and VivaAerobus will have services to and from Tulum. As of March 2024, U.S. airlines will be added, with flights from Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Newark and Orlando.

 

Map by gcmap.com

Current schedule

 

New routes

  • Atlanta (ATL): Delta · eff March 28th, 2024
  • Charlotte (CLT): American · eff March 28th, 2024
  • Chicago (ORD): United · eff March 31st, 2024
  • Dallas (DFW): American · eff March 28th, 2024
  • Fort Lauderdale (FLL): Spirit · eff March 28th, 2024
  • Guadalajara (GDL): VivaAerobus · eff December 16th
  • Los Angeles (LAX): United · eff March 31st, 2024
  • Miami (MIA): American · eff March 28th, 2024
  • Newark (EWR): United · eff March 31st, 2024
  • Orlando (MCO): Spirit · eff March 28th, 2024
  • Tijuana (TIJ): VivaAerobus · eff December 17th

 

Photo: AMLO on X

United Airlines

Last November 30th, United started its second frequency between Houston and Buenos Aires. For the first time since it began operating this route in 2012, the carrier will offer more than one daily flight (excluding the suspension due to the pandemic).

United will have 10 weekly services with 275-seat Boeing 777-200(ER) jets.

Daily

 

New flight

Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
Monday, Thursday and Saturday

 

VivaAerobus

The Mexican company inaugurated flights between Mexico City’s Felipe Angeles Airport and Guadalajara on December 9th. Viva will operate two daily services on Airbus A320neo aircraft with 180 seats.

Daily

 

Daily

 

Wingo

Connectivity between Colombia and Venezuela has been recovering in recent months, with the start of several Venezuelan airlines, LATAM and some Colombian carriers.

As of January 16th, 2024, Wingo will launch flights between Medellín and Caracas. The company owned by Copa will have three weekly operations on Boeing 737-800s with capacity for 186 passengers.

Tuesday

 

Wednesday

 

Saturday

 


Cover photo: Alex Rivera – JetPhotos (Bogotá, Colombia).

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