Avianca increases its fleet of aircraft. The Colombian airline announced this Thursday that this year it will invest 473 million dollars (about 442 million euros) to add 16 aircraft to its fleet and thus expand the frequency of flights to a good part of the country.
The president and CEO of Avianca, Adrián Neuhauser, explained that this is one of the company’s largest investments in the country, which will also allow the hiring of 1,200 new jobs, 800 of them in Colombia.
These additions of aircraft will serve to increase available seats by 25% by the end of the year, after supply in the country suffered a drop with the disappearance of two airlines: Viva Air and Ultra Air.
The executive explained that this will also allow the company to incorporate 14 A-320 aircraft to serve the Colombian market and two more for the international market such as the United States, Central America and Peru.
The way the planes will arrive at Avianca, founded 104 years ago, will be through “leasing” (rental with purchase option), Neuhauser explained, who added that part of the 473 million will be invested in training personnel and in the integration of the operation and that these resources come from the company’s cash and another part of debt.
When referring to the planes, he said that they will begin flying with the company between October 2023 and January 2024, which will increase their capacity to offer seats to travelers.
