Avianca Uses A318 on Medellin – Cartagena

Posted 22/09/2011

Colombian national carrier Avianca upgraded its three times daily Medellin – Cartagena domestic route this week replacing the Fokker 50 that it had previously used on the route with a larger Airbus A318.  The airline has introduced ten former Mexicana A318s to its fleet on lease from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) during the course of this year and has been using them to enhance its service on some of its key domestic and international routes, where demand does not justify the use of larger jets.

According to the airline’s schedule the A318 was introduced into service on September 20.  Avianca is currently the only airline operating direct flights between the two cities and carried an estimated 120,000 O&D passengers on the route in the past year- 94,000 on the direct flight and around 26,000 routing via Bogota.  The airline holds an 81 per cent share of the total 147,000 O&D passenger market with the additional passengers flying with Aires and Copa Airlines via the Colombian capital.

Medellin is the second largest city of Colombia and a developing hub for Avianca, where it operates domestic schedules and international flights to North America and Europe.  Cartagena is a popular Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia.  The city’s Rafael Núñez International Airport is due to welcome its first scheduled link from Europe this winter as Air Europa introduces a regular flight from Madrid.

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