Colombia’s flag-carrier Avianca is adding a new route between El Salvador and the US this summer.

The airline will begin service between San Salvador International (SAL) and Ontario International (ONT) in California in early July. Flights will be 3X-weekly.

The Star Alliance member will operate from Terminal 2 at ONT and serve the ONT-SAL route with Airbus 319 aircraft, accommodating 120 passengers in business and economy class seating.

“Ontario is experiencing the quickest recovery among California airports, and third-fastest among airports in the US, since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic,” Ontario International Airport Authority CEO Mark Thorpe said.

“While domestic travel accounts for much of ONT’s recovery, it will be particularly gratifying to add Avianca’s international service.”

Avianca currently offers up to 20X-weekly flights between SAL and Los Angeles (LAX), located some 90 km (56 mi.) away from ONT.

Delta Air Lines and United Airline also serve SAL-LAX daily, while Volaris Costa Rica operates a 3X-weekly route. However, the ONT-SAL sector is currently unserved.

According to data provided by Sabre Market Intelligence, O&D traffic between Los Angeles and El Salvador totaled almost 300,000 two-way passengers in 2019. Preliminary figures for 2020 show strong traffic flows despite the pandemic, with about 147,000 two-way passengers.

Photo credit: Joe Pries