By Juan Pedro Sanchez Zamudio
Argentina, Colombia and Peru Airlines Have No Defined Date to Resume International Operations
On July 30, Peter Cerdá, Vice President for the Americas of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), stated that a large number of Latin American airlines will close if they do not resume flights in the coming weeks, due to Latin America is a region where public aid to the sector is minimal.
Currently, Latin American carriers have between six and seven months of inactivity, due to the borders closing decreed to try to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to ALNNEWS, globally, around $130 billion public aid was given to the aviation industry. Most of that aid, $60 billion, comes from the U.S. and a large percentage from Europe, while only 1% corresponds to public aid in Latin American countries.
According to La Nación, after the head of the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), Paola Tamburelli, questioned the restart of aviation activities expected for September 1, representatives of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) asked the Argentine government “that if there is any kind of modification on that date, the industry be informed as soon as possible,” given that it is the only reference that the industry has for planning its operations.
María José Taveira, IATA country manager in Argentina, explained that the problem that different airlines have encountered is that when they request “hourly feasibilities” at airports to schedule flights from September, which is the date that carriers have already sold tickets, they do not obtain any answer “because the start of operations has not yet been confirmed”.
In an interview with RCN, the Minister of Transport, Angela María Orozco, stated that there is no approved international route yet.
“The important thing is that Civil Aeronautics has been making a process of permanent conversation with the airlines and conversations are already beginning with other countries. The fact that we open the country to international travelers does not mean that it is an immediate opening of all routes and frequencies. This also depends on what happens in the other countries and this opening of air transport has been very gradual and very slow, and involves a country-to-country conversation”, she declared.
According to Gestión, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism announced that international flights may be authorized again by the end of this year or the beginning of 2021. The decision will depend on the reports made by the Ministry of Health regarding the advance of the COVID-19 in Peru.
“We are going to promote in the following months, towards the end of the year, national tourism to prepare ourselves with security and health measures, so we can responsibly be able to open international flights and tourism later”, she added.
The three things Juan loves most about aviation are aircraft, airports, and traveling thousands of miles in just a few hours. What he enjoys the most about aviation is that it is easier and cheaper to travel around the world and this gives you the opportunity to visit places you thought were too far away. He has traveled to different destinations in North, Central, South America and Asia. Born, raised and still living in Perú, Juan is a lawyer, soccer lover, foodie, passionate traveler, dog lover, millennial and curious by nature.
