RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – As part of its international expansion, Avianca Ecuador began operations between Guayaquil (GYE) and New York (JFK) on December 1 with six flights per week using 120-seat Airbus A319 aircraft. The inaugural flight carried 102 passengers, representing 85% occupancy.
“The occupancy we expect to achieve is above 90% of the annual average” said Manuel Ambriz, Avianca’s Chief Commercial Officer.
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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 reside in the New York metropolitan area, one of the main air markets between Ecuador and the United States.
Avianca aims to inaugurate more than 50 routes over 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 it expects to soon add flights to Miami (MIA) and other international destinations in Latin America such as Cali (CLO) and Medellin (MDE).
“The goal is to offer our customers more seats, more destinations, more direct routes and increasingly 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).
Present during the inaugural flight event was the Minister of Transportation and Public Works, Marcelo Cabrera, who commented on the strengthening of the air sector in Ecuador:
“Next week we will sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States, Chile and the Dominican Republic, which are prior to the signing of Open Skies agreements, with the objective of encouraging the arrival of new airlines and creating new destinations for Ecuadorians.”