After several months of undergoing the certification process and startup, JetSMART takes a key step in its expansion by starting its domestic flights in Colombia today, the third-largest market in the region after Brazil and Mexico.
The inaugural flight, JA5110, is scheduled to take off from the El Dorado airport in Bogotá at 11:00 to arrive in Medellín (MDE) at 12:01. A second flight to Medellín will depart at 13:30.
From the José María Córdova (MDE) airport, there will be a flight to Cartagena (CTG) at 14:20, and two more to Bogotá at 15:21 and 19:24.
JetSMART check-in counters at Bogotá El Dorado Airport early in the morning of Thursday 14, 2024, minutes before its first domestic flight in Colombia
The ultra low-cost plans to initially deploy three Airbus A320neo in Colombia. Among them stands out the first NEO directly delivered from the Mobile factory, United States, identified with the registration CC-AWZ and adorned with the image of a «Scarlet Macaw».
The Colombian subsidiary will be the fourth domestic operation after those in Chile, Peru, and Argentina.
Currently, JetSMART Colombia markets eight routes:
- From Bogotá (BOG) to Cartagena (CTG), Medellín (MDE), Pereira (PEI), and Santa Marta (SMR).
- From Medellín (MDE) to Cartagena and Santa Marta.
- From Cartagena to Pereira and Cali.
But its ambition for Colombia is significant, especially as it seeks to fill the void left by Viva and Ultra Air. The Aerocivil has already granted approvals for 27 routes.
- Bogotá: Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Medellín/Rionegro, Montería, Pasto, Pereira, San Andrés, and Santa Marta.
- Medellín: Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Montería, Pasto, Pereira, San Andrés, and Santa Marta.
- Cali: Cartagena.
- Cartagena: Cúcuta, Pereira, and San Andrés.
- Pereira: Bucaramanga and Cúcuta.
- Barranquilla: Cúcuta.
The Colombian domestic market experienced a 9.4% decline last year compared to 2022, following the cessation of operations of Viva and Ultra Air, recording 29.7 million passengers with a load factor of 79%. However, Avianca, LATAM, Wingo, and CLIC have expanded their operations to cover the demand.
One of the challenges JetSMART faces is the slots at El Dorado Airport, which have been unpredictable and ambiguous in the current business landscape. This contrasts with the beginning of last year when VIVA and Ultra Air had a 25% presence at the airport.
JetSMART’s Competition in Colombia
Colombia, with its complex geography divided by the Andes Mountains, presents a competitive air market with high passenger traffic. The Bogotá-Medellín and Bogotá-Cali routes are considered among the top ten in traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA).
JetSMART will directly compete with Avianca on all its links, and with LATAM and Wingo on six of them. Additionally, it will face indirect competition with Clic! on two routes and with SATENA on one.
According to information provided on the airline’s website, JetSMART is expected to initially operate 113 weekly flights in each direction, offering a total of 42,036 seats per week. The projection is to transport more than 2 million passengers in the first year of operation.
- Bogotá (BOG) – Cartagena (CTG): JetSMART will operate 20 weekly flights and compete with Avianca (141 weekly flights); LATAM (74) and Wingo (16). The route begins on March 15.
- Bogotá (BOG) – Medellín (MDE): JetSMART will operate starting March 14 with 28 weekly flights competing with Avianca (188 weekly flights); LATAM (106) and Wingo (40). Indirectly competes with Clic (21 weekly flights) and SATENA (27 weekly flights), which operates from the airport Olaya Herrera (EOH)
- Bogotá(BOG) – Pereira (PEI): Starting March 21, JetSMART will operate 12 weekly flights and compete with Avianca (95 weekly flights); LATAM (29); Wingo (5) and Clic (4).
- Bogotá (BOG) – Santa Marta (SMR): JetSMART will operate 14 weekly flights competing with Avianca (77 weekly flights); LATAM (41); and Wingo (17), with the start scheduled for March 19.
- Medellín (MDE) – Cartagena (CTG): Starting March 18, JetSMART will operate 21 weekly flights versus 77 from Avianca, 16 from LATAM, and 5 from Wingo. At Medellín’s Olaya Herrera airport, Clic offers seven weekly flights to Cartagena.
- Medellín (MDE) – Santa Marta (SMR): JetSMART will operate 14 weekly flights competing with Avianca (14); LATAM (11) and Wingo (4). The route will be inaugurated on March 20.
- Pereira (PEI) – Cartagena (CTG): Starting March 22, JetSMART will offer 4 weekly flights competing with Avianca (14 weekly flights).
JetSMART International Operations in Colombia
In addition to its domestic routes, JetSMART operates up to 32 weekly flights from Peru and Chile to five Colombian cities. This facilitates connections with other destinations in the JetSMART network towards Argentina, Brazil, and other domestic destinations in Peru and Chile.
- From Santiago (SCL):
- Bogotá (BOG); with seven weekly flights.
- Cali (CLO); with seven weekly flights.
- Medellín/Rionegro (MDE); with four weekly flights.
- From Lima (LIM):
- Cartagena (CTG); with three weekly flights.
- Cúcuta (CUC); with three weekly flights.
- Medellín/Rionegro (MDE); with four weekly flights.
- From Antofagasta (ANF):
- Cali (CLO); with four weekly flights.
