On December 1, as part of its international expansion, Avianca Ecuador began operations between Guayaquil (GYE) and New York (JFK) with six flights per week using 120-seat Airbus A319s. The inaugural flight carried 102 passengers, representing 85% occupancy.
«The occupancy we expect to achieve is over 90% of the annual average,» said Manuel Ambriz, Avianca’s Chief Commercial Officer.
#Ecuador: ¡Lluvia con sabor a viaje! ???????? Nos fuimos desde Guayaquil directo a Nueva York y no nos cambiamos por nada ¡A volar! ????✈️ pic.twitter.com/tFv1aQoTDB
— Avianca Suramérica (@AviancaSAM) December 1, 2021
Flight Itinerary
- Guayaquil – New York AV7392 GYE 16:45 – JFK 23:05
- New York – Guayaquil AV7393 JFK 01:00 – GYE 08:00
On this new route, Avianca Ecuador will compete against other U.S. operators such as JetBlue, which offers daily flights on Airbus A321NEO and Eastern Airlines with four weekly flights on Boeing 767-300ER. More than 300,000 Ecuadorian descendants live in the New York metropolitan area, one of the main air markets between Ecuador and the United States.
Avianca intends to inaugurate more than 50 routes in the next three years through all of its subsidiaries. The company expects to increase its operations from Quito (UIO) and Guayaquil (GYE). Currently, New York (JFK) is the only link to the United States offered by the company in Ecuador, but soon it expects to add flights to Miami (MIA) and other international destinations in Latin America such as Cali (CLO) and Medellin (MDE).
El Director de Conectividad e Inversión, Pablo Galindo, participó en el acto inaugural del primer vuelo directo Guayaquil – Nueva York, de @AviancaSAM. El evento contó con la participación de @MarceloHCabrera, ministro de @ObrasPublicasEc y directivos de la aerolínea. pic.twitter.com/zAUQzIX0Tb
— Ministerio de Turismo del Ecuador ???????? (@TurismoEc) December 1, 2021
«The goal is to offer our customers more seats, more destinations, more direct routes and progressively more competitive and affordable prices for all» Ambriz continued.
As of January 21, 2022, Avianca Ecuador will begin operations between Guayaquil (GYE) and Lima (LIM) with a weekly flight operated by Airbus A319 and recently began operations between Quito (UIO) and Coca (OCC).
During the inaugural flight event, the Minister of Transportation and Public Works, Marcelo Cabrera, was in attendance and commented on the consolidation of the air sector in Ecuador:
«Next week we will sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States, Chile, and the Dominican Republic, preliminary to the signing of Open Skies agreements, with the objective of encouraging the arrival of new airlines and creating new destinations for Ecuadorians.»
