On Tuesday, Avianca inaugurated a new route connecting Cartagena International Airport (CTG) in Colombia with São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in Brazil, making it the first time this has ever happened.
A new route
Thanks to the new route between Cartagena and Sao Paulo, Avianca has finally launched its services today. This new service offers three flights per week on Airbus A320 family aircraft. This makes it convenient for you, since it means you can get to your destination faster. For those who want to travel between Cartagena, Colombia and home on different days of the week, the first leg of the journey departs on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, while the return journey departs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
GRU Airport officials said that the direct route to Cartagena is one of the most desired by passengers and airport officials across Brazil. This new route has increased the number of flights between São Paulo and three cities in Colombia – Bogota, Cartagena, and Medellín. There are now 36 weekly flights between São Paulo and Colombia.
Avianca’s strong presence in Brazil
The Colombian carrier is planning to increase its presence in Brazil this year by consolidating its operations with five routes connecting the two countries and providing 40 weekly frequencies.
- There are twenty-one weekly frequencies between Bogota and Sao Paulo.
- There are seven weekly frequencies connecting Bogota, Colombia with Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Cartagena-Sao Paulo has three weekly flights.
- The new route between Bogota and Manaus will have four weekly frequencies beginning in March.
- Starting in March, there will be five weekly flights between Bogota and Belo Horizonte.
By March, Avianca will have the most flights between both South American countries. Out of the 52 weekly flights scheduled, 40 of them will be operated by Avianca.
Avianca expects to start a new era in its history with the launch of the Abra Group Holding, a Brazilian counterpart to its own airline, GOL. The Abra Group will be an airline holding that owns Avianca, GOL, and possibly Viva Colombia and Viva Peru, as well as a minority ownership of Chile’s Sky Airline.
Avianca and American Airlines have been working on a merger for some time now, and CEO Adrian Neuhauser has said that the deal is almost finalized. He expects the deal to be finalized soon, and both companies are very excited about it. The Abra Group has been negotiating financing terms with both Avianca and GOL, but it has already received the necessary approvals from the regulatory commissions in the U.S. and Brazil. Colombia is not involved in this negotiation because there is no overlap between the two airlines, and GOL doesn’t have any presence in Colombia.
