Avianca will return to Cuba from this South American destination

Avianca, one of South America’s largest airlines, asked the Colombian Civil Aeronautics to allow them to directly operate the Bogotá-Havana route again, which it had suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

In this way, Avianca will compete with the Colombian Wingo, the only airline that offers direct flights between the Colombian capital and the island. According to specialized magazine Reporter, Avianca plans to offer daily flights with Airbus aircraft, while Wingo has five weekly frequencies with the Boeing 737-800.

In addition, Avianca has requested permission to reactivate flights from Medellín/Rionegro to San José de Costa Rica and Pasto using Airbus A319, A320ceo and A320neo aircraft with a capacity of 156 to 174 passengers.

The company thus wants to strengthen its route network in the region by 2024, as it has also received approval to expand its operations in Argentina with a third daily flight to Buenos Aires. Similarly, it hopes to open a route between Guayaquil and San Andrés.

Avianca wants to return to Cuba this year

As of June 2023, Cuban authorities were seeking to reactivate the Avianca route from Colombia to Cuba. An interview with the newspaper El Tiempo revealed that Ivis Fernández, tourism counselor at the Cuban Embassy in Colombia, was seeking to reactivate the operation.

The Colombian airline suspended its flights to Cuba in January 2020 due to the pandemic and United States sanctions. Fernandez said Cuba expects more Colombian tourists and it is important that Avianca reestablishes its routes from Bogotá. Colombia is the twelfth country to send tourists to Cuba, following other European countries including Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy.

Many Cubans used the Avianca company to travel to Panama and South America, as it had flights to many countries in the region such as Ecuador, Chile, El Salvador or Peru. However, the company stopped selling tickets and argued that the ban would impact them if they continued to operate on the island. Avianca is a Colombian company, but its capital and registration is in the US.