One in every of Latin America’s greatest airways is making a serious change with a small letter.
Bogota, Colombia-based Avianca Airways unveiled a rebranding mission this week, altering its stylized title and emblem to a lower-cased “avianca airways.”
The Star Alliance member, which emerged from Chapter 11 chapter safety that it entered on the top of the COVID-19 pandemic in Could of 2020, described the rebranding because the end result of two years of labor reorienting the airline for a broader flying public.
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The airline described the lower-case “a” as being “an emblem of an organization that, by combining one of the best of its over 100 years of flying with the practicality and adaptability of the trendy low-cost world, has ceased to be for a number of and is now for everybody.”
“We noticed [during the pandemic] that it was not solely attainable but in addition vital to attain a special avianca, one that’s extra open, nearer, extra accessible, and with extra for everybody,” CEO Adrian Neuhauser mentioned in a press launch. “After practically two years, that new avianca is right here.”
Over that two-year interval, the airline simplified its fleet to 2 plane varieties — the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 787 — reconfigured its A320s in an all-economy format that has 20% extra seats than the earlier multiclass configuration, improved its reliability and grew its community, which can see the airline function 146 routes to 74 locations throughout 24 international locations by the tip of 2023. That features 26 new routes added in 2023, plus different locations and routes that it may attain via its codeshare with Star Alliance companions like United Airways.
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The rebranding comes as journey within the Latin America journey market is changing into extra aggressive than ever.
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Journey between the U.S. and Latin America has been in demand, however lately, the inter-region hall has turn into much more necessary for airways. Delta Air Strains’ nascent three way partnership with Santiago, Chile-based LATAM has seen the U.S. provider transfer to place itself extra aggressively within the South American market, whereas American Airways’ current codeshare tie-up with South American ultra-low-cost provider JetSmart, coupled with its present relationship with Brazilian provider GOL, unlocks a mess of routes between North and South America.
With sturdy demand and robust competitors, there are alternatives for airways on each side of the area, one thing that Neuhauser reiterated throughout a press convention this week.
“The U.S. is a key marketplace for us; it has been one among our largest progress markets,” Neuhauser mentioned. “We’re within the top-three non-U.S. carriers at this time at JFK and Miami.”
“It is a market the place our LifeMiles [frequent flyer] program can also be gaining elevated depth as a loyalty program, and that is permitting us to drive extra visitors into our program,” he added.
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With its hub on the northern fringe of South America however at a excessive altitude — the airport’s elevation is listed as 8,360 ft — the airline has each geographic benefits and downsides in serving as a connecting hub between North and South America.
“We see most of our progress sooner or later as being point-to-point,” Neuhauser mentioned. “That having been mentioned, Bogota is a really highly effective head, and even with out attempting — for lack of a greater description — the fact is we have now a lot connectivity right here. Connectivity via Bogota represents 40% of our flying.”
Neuhauser cited a current Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation examine, nonetheless, that discovered the airport’s capability is at present restricted to a per-hour complete of round 74 operations (or complete variety of arrivals and departures mixed). That capability might be elevated, however it could require substantial enhancements to infrastructure and operations on the airport.
“We do not see, within the close to future, far more skill to continue to grow in Bogota till these investments are made,” he mentioned.
Nonetheless, the airline sees loads of demand that may facilitate progress, together with from the U.S. Notably, the Pew Analysis Middle estimates about 1.4 million Hispanic individuals of Colombian origin stay within the U.S.
Avianca has been Colombia’s flag provider because it was based in 1919. (Its authentic title was Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transportes Aéreos, or SCADTA.)
