The airline announced more flights from Colombia to New York and an increase in frequencies to Miami, USA.
In May, American Airlines will reach the highest point of operation it has had in Colombia with three new daily routes from Bogota, Cali and Medellin to New York, which will join the airline’s itinerary in the country. , which includes more than 14 daily flights. Omar Nottaro, director of the airline for Colombia and Ecuador, spoke with the Spectator about its reactivation process in the region and the most strategic markets in its business.
Why did they make the decision to increase their operation?
Since we restarted the routes in September we have been noticing a progressive growth of the market. Despite all the measures in place today to fly, the Colombian market has been reacting positively and for us it is very important to offer the public all these flights that we have announced: from March we have an additional flight from from Cali and Medellin to Miami and in April we will put on a fourth flight from Bogota. In addition, we will have a growth in equipment because our aircraft will change and will have wide cabin (Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 787-800), with more passenger capacity and cargo. The last thing we will do in May is increase three frequencies in the New York market from Bogota, Cali and Medellin.
Did they have this flight offer before the pandemic or has it been given progressively?
We started operations in Colombia 30 years ago, we met them in August last year; originally, in 1990, we flew to Bogota and Cali. Today we operate in six cities in total, along with Medellin, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Pereira. With the growth we are going to experience in May we are going to go from 65 flights a week to 117 flights. This is a 160% growth expectation.
How have you been these months after reactivating?
We resumed operations in September 2020 and did so in a segmented manner, starting first in Barranquilla and the following week in Cartagena. For October we had the opportunity to operate from Bogotá and Medellín, and the last operation we reopened was Pereira, in December last year. Demand weakened sharply in 2020 when flights were interrupted, but the Colombian passenger has been gaining confidence as time has passed, it is one of the markets that has had a good recovery.
How many passengers have moved?
Since we started operation, especially from this year, we have noticed an increase in the number of passengers traveling, we have been transporting from 50,000 to 60,000 passengers in the first months of the year despite the fluctuations due to the measures that the governments impose, as there are occasional closures and additional requirements; however, we noticed that there is a repressed demand that needs to travel. The expectation is to have many more passengers, from April we believe we will possibly be around 130,000 to 150,000 monthly.
How strategic is Colombia for the airline, how can the country contribute to the recovery of operations?
Because demand weakened so much, in 2020 we recorded an overall loss of US $ 9.5 billion, 62% less revenue than in 2019. However, our people’s route planning analyzes they tell us that there is a potential market in Colombia and that is what gives us the confidence to put the product on the market the way we are doing it.
What is the outlook for 2021?
By 2021 we will have around 1.7 million chairs available on the market, a very important offer that seeks to reactivate this sector. The fact that an airline is betting on increasing its supply at a time when demand is not at 2019 levels is a sign of commitment that will allow them to reactivate their sales and people can find better prices. We see that since January has been moving quite a bit of demand from various channels, such as travel agencies, although there are others a little more repressed as the corporate side.
How has the airline reactivated in other countries?
Our region began to reactivate in June 2020 and has been progressively growing as the governments of the countries where we operate have allowed us to reach out. Today we have operations in almost 95% of the region respecting all biosecurity protocols, with the requirements in testing, for example.
Is there a possibility of further growth in Colombia?
Our route planning group is always looking for opportunities, checking where there are new markets in which we can start operations or if existing markets have the potential to grow, it is a regular and constant study.
And regarding the cargo business, will there also be news?
It is a very important segment for us and we want to convey to our customers that we will have aircraft with more capacity. The growth we have seen in freight transport in pounds since December, when we started operating our wide-cabin aircraft, was 170% compared to 2019; in January, it was 375% compared to the same month of 2020. This allows us not only to expand the passenger network, but it is also an opportunity for our cargo customers to know that we have more capacity and that we will be ready to receive your shipments to the United States and other countries of the world with all the network we have.
American Airlines announced that in the United States should dismiss some passengers on behalf of the pandemic, this decision has scope in Colombia?
What was recently announced is applicable only to the United States, not to international markets, at this time.