Boliviana de Aviación (BoA) took delivery of its ninth Boeing 737-800 on January 2. In less than a year, the company has incorporated five aircraft of the same model.
The aircraft in question is registered CP-3206, and like the other new aircraft, it has a capacity for 168 passengers in a single class and will operate on domestic and medium-range international flights.
The CP-3206 is owned by lessor SMBC Aviation Capital and the contract is worth USD 146,000 per month. The aircraft is 13.1 years old and previously belonged to Air Berlin, Pegasus, Jet Airways and GOL Transportes Aéreos.
The Ministry of Public Works and BoA executives presented the new aircraft at Jorge Wilsterman International Airport in Cochabamba. They also announced that in May 2023 they will complete the construction of a new maintenance hangar.
In the domestic segment, BoA uses its Boeing 737-800 on these routes:
Santa Cruz de la Sierra (VVI) to Cochabamba (CBB), La Paz (LPB), Tarija (TJA)
La Paz (LPB) to Cobija (CIJ), Cochabamba (CBB), Sucre (SRE) and Trinidad (TDD).
Cochabamba to Oruro (ORU), Sucre (SRE), Tarija (TJA) and Trinidad (TDD).
In the international market, they operate from Santa Cruz de la Sierra to Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE), Argentina; Lima (LIM), Peru; and São Paulo (GRU), Brazil.
As it continues to receive more Boeing 737-800s, the company plans to add new destinations in 2023. On target are Cancun (CUN), Mexico; Punta Cana (PUJ), Dominican Republic; Asuncion (ASU), Paraguay; and Santiago (SCL), Chile.
Boliviana seeks to make Santa Cruz de la Sierra (VVI) a hub for South America.
BoA’s current fleet totals 26 units:
5 Boeing 737-300
4 Boeing 737-700
9 Boeing 737-800
4 Boeing 767-300ER
2 Mitsubishi CRJ 200
More aircraft in 2023
The company is carrying out a fleet modernization phase, with which it would replace all of its Boeing 737-300 and Boeing 767 aircraft.
As part of its renewal program, the state-owned company plans to add three Airbus A330-200 aircraft to its fleet, ordered at FIDAE 2022.
However, there are delays in the delivery of the A330s due to problems in MRO services and the supply chain, an issue that affects the industry globally.
Ronald Casso, General Manager of Boliviana de Aviación, had told Aviacionline during the ALTA Forum last October that the three Airbus A330-200s are in Europe (Birmingham, Italy and Germany) and previously operated for Virgin Australia.
The aircraft will maintain the former company’s interior, featuring a better business and economy class than its former Boeing 767s. They will have a revamped livery, in-flight entertainment, and new catering.
BoA also plans to add a third CRJ 200 to improve the network of domestic destinations, adding cities such as Rurrenabaque, Riberalta and Guayaramerín.
Casso has urged the Bolivian government to improve existing airports in order for Boliviana de Aviación to operate. In recent years, airports such as Chimoré, Monteagudo, Ixiamas and San Ignacio have been opened in Bolivia, but have not had sufficient demand to sustain regular flights.
