By Juan Pedro Sanchez Zamudio
LATAM Colombia Exceeds 2019 Passenger Numbers
LATAM Airlines Colombia exceeded the number of passengers moved during the third quarter of the year compared to the same period of 2019.
The carrier transported a total of 1,742,988 passengers between its 15 destinations and 25 domestic routes handled in Colombia.
With these results, the Colombian market remains one of the key countries in the LATAM Airlines Group’s strategy, with a trend that has continued to rise in recent months.
According to a press release, destinations such as Medellín and Santa Marta are the ones with the greatest recovery.
In the case of Medellín, the route to and from Santa Marta stands out, which transported 288% and 262% of pre-pandemic passengers, respectively.
For their part, routes such as Cartagena – Cali and Pereira – Bogotá moved 139% and 132% of the passengers transported in the same period of 2019.
Other routes that performed better than those achieved during the third pre-pandemic quarter were Barranquilla – Medellín with 128%, Cali – Cartagena with 125%, and Bogotá – Pereira with 121%.
The new routes inaugurated during the first half of 2021, which seek to decentralize the Bogotá operation, departed from Cali (Cali – Barranquilla, Cali – Medellín, Cali – Santa Marta), transported more than 118,000 passengers.
On the other hand, those that departed from Medellín (Medellín – Bucaramanga, Medellín – Cúcuta and Medellín – Montería), moved more than 55,000 passengers.
The Bogotá – Pasto route has maintained positive results since its launch and the Bogotá – Armenia route has mobilized more than 24,000 passengers since its inauguration in June.
During the first half of 2021, LATAM Airlines Colombia inaugurated a total of six domestic routes and strengthened its network by increasing the frequency of routes operated from Cali and Medellín in order to decentralize the operation of the Colombian capital, Bogotá.
In addition, the carrier added 3 new Airbus A320 to its fleet to leverage its growth plan projected for the second quarter, reflected in infrastructure, maintenance, human resources and supply, with which it has the objective of reaching 30% participation in the Colombian aviation market.
“Today we are more competitive and we offer more direct and convenient options to our passengers. The results prove it and that is why we celebrate exceeding the number of passengers mobilized during the third quarter of the year, compared to the results we registered in 2019. Not only is it an excellent indicator of the market recovery, but also of the results of our plan of growth projected for the second semester with which we seek to take advantage of the clear opportunities generated by the reconfiguration of the local market,” commented Santiago Álvarez, executive director of LATAM Colombia.
“The results of the third quarter are positive and the routes inaugurated during this year have contributed to invigorate the market offer, mainly benefiting passengers who today have a broader and more competitive offer leveraged by LATAM’s strategy in the country,” he concluded.
The three things Juan Pedro 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.
