LATAM Colombia to suspend three domestic routes as of October

LATAM Colombia will suspend three of its domestic routes as of October 30th, due to «commercial needs», the company said. However, the subsidiary maintains its expansion plans and growth projections for the coming months.

Routes to be ceased from October

• Barranquilla (BAQ) – Cali (CLO): Avianca will become the only airline to operate the route.
• Cali (CLO) – Montería (MTR): LATAM Colombia is currently the only operator between the two airports.
• Cartagena (CTG) – Pereira (PEI): following the termination of LATAM Colombia services, Avianca, VIVA and Ultra Air will continue to operate flights between the two cities.

Flights between Cali and Montería, and between Cartagena and Pereira, had been inaugurated in December 2021 as part of a process to grow the domestic network. The company had launched thirteen other domestic routes that year.

Today, despite the announced reductions, Colombia continues to be the LATAM Group’s best performing market in terms of operating statistics. Compared to July 2019, real growth reached 7%. Today, it maintains connections to 17 domestic and five international destinations.

The figures can also be understood by the sustained recovery of the Colombian air market in recent months. During the first half of 2022, record numbers of passengers and tons of cargo transported were reported. The total increase reached 101.8% compared to the same period in 2021.

In this context, LATAM Colombia will continue to expand its network of domestic and regional services in the near future. On July 11th, it applied to Aeronáutica Civil for operating permits for up to seven weekly frequencies between Bogotá (BOG) and Caracas (CCS). Approval by the regulatory authority would reactivate connections between the two capitals, which have been interrupted since 2020.

See also: LATAM Colombia formally requests Aerocivil to fly to Venezuela