By Juan Pedro Sanchez Zamudio
Sky Airline Plans Route Network Expansion in Peru
Sky Airline — the Santiago, Chile-based low-cost airline — will complete three years of operations in Peru this month and currently has a 20% share of the Peruvian market. José Raúl Vargas, Sky Airline’s CEO in Peru, told Gestión that the balance in these three years of operation has been very positive despite the pandemic.
Sky has transported 3.5 million passengers since it began operations in Peru, making 23,000 flights nationwide. The airline was able to consolidate itself as the second operator in the Peruvian market 5 months after its operations began.
Currently, Sky Airline is at 80 percent recovery, which has been increasing steadily. After announcing the new route from Lima, Peru to Miami, Sky plans to continue increasing its network of national and international destinations.
Thus, Sky Airline aims to close the year in its Peruvian subsidiary by adding 10 international destinations and 3 to 4 new destinations on domestic flights. This objective will depend on how the capacity restriction progresses at airports and schedules.
The low-cost carrier has been flying to 12 destinations and the idea is to increase to 3 or 4 new destinations. According to Vargas, the decision will depend on several variables, and at least two more destinations will be added this year.
Likewise, the airline would not only be increasing new destinations but would also increase the number of daily flights from the destinations it already has in its network. Regarding international operations, Sky flies from Lima, Peru to Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires Argentina; Punta Cana, The Dominican Republic and Cancun, Mexico.
On April 30, the low-cost airline will begin operating its fifth international destination, which will be Bogotá, Colombia, and by the end of June or the beginning of July, it will be flying to Miami. In addition, the carrier will add six international routes from Lima, Peru. Now, the airline is analyzing adding between three to six international destinations.
According to Vargas, the carrier’s goal is to finish the year with at least 10 international destinations.
This year new competitors join the Peruvian market: Volaris and JetSMART. In that sense, the airline trusts that they will not be affected by the entry of new competitors to the Peruvian air market.
In regards to the carrier’s fleet, the low-cost airline expects to end the year with 13 aircraft. It is important to remember that in 2021, Sky ended with 5 aircraft.
The 13 planes that are planned to be added to Sky Airline’s Peruvian subsidiary. Eight would be used for domestic operations and five will be used for international flights. Vargas pointed out that, in 2024, 10 long-range Airbus aircraft will be arriving in Chile and Peru, whose greater capacity and range will allow the carrier to make long trips.
Thus, it is in the airline’s plans to fly to destinations such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando, Fla. Sky also plans to fly to more destinations in Mexico and Brazil.
The carrier would be the first low-cost airline in South America to receive this type of aircraft. This type of aircraft allows to travel 8,700 kilometers and fly for up to nine hours.
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.
