By Richard Mann, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Avianca Brazil suffered another severe blow. A couple of days ago, executives from Avianca Airlines – the “mother” company of the Colombian group also controlled by businessman Germán Efromovich – landed in São Paulo to design the new structure of the conglomerate after the increasingly likely demise of Avianca Brasil.
The Colombians are already talking to Azul, Gol, and Latam regarding agreements to share flights within Brazilian territory.
Sharing flights with Azul, Gol, and Latam will enable Brazilians to fly on a domestic route operated by competitors and then board an Avianca Airlines flight abroad, according to a source close to the negotiations.
The Colombian company intends to sign these contracts by the second semester. Currently, all flights of the group in Brazil are shared with Avianca Brasil.
The Colombian group also wants to build a commercial structure in Brazil for the sale of international tickets. Currently, the mother brand operates direct flights to Bogotá and Lima, running regularly.
Faced with the tarnished image of the brand in Brazil, the search for these flights has decreased significantly.
The Colombian group Avianca continues to operate regularly, though it is not experiencing a good moment and recently announced the reduction of operations.
In March, the company announced the end of flights to Chicago and Boston, as well as the reduction of flights to New York from Latin American capitals. The company explained the decision as a strategy to increase profitability.
Besides, Avianca Colombia has reduced its demand for aircraft to European Airbus for the coming years.