Getting to Know the New-Look Avianca Airlines

Image: Colombia's Avianca Airlines is now avianca airlines. (Photo Credit: Avianca)

by Juan Antonio (Oso) Oseguera
Last updated: 8:35 AM ET, Sat October 21, 2023

After more than a century in operation, Colombian airline avianca gave itself an image makeover and showed the results of a restructuring after investment.

During the pandemic, old avianca airlines was shocked by two stiff winds: the pandemic effect and bankruptcy. In those days, avianca was optimistic about its future. The second-largest carrier in Latin America planned a restructure through bankruptcy and emerged as a smaller, leaner, stronger airline carrying passengers well into its second century.

As a result of its nearly two years of transformation, the airline bid farewell to its uppercase "A" and welcomed the lowercase "a" as a symbol of a company that ceased to be for a few to become a company where "the sky belongs to everyone."

avianca is taking advantage of the opportunity to take flight and prepare to close a successful 2023 and set the runway for smooth travel in the following two years.

"The more than 180 days that our planes spent on the ground due to the COVID-19 pandemic were dark days," said Adrian Neuhauser, CEO of avianca. "We knew that our airline was at risk of disappearing, as was the connectivity of the countries and regions where we operated and the jobs we generated."

"But it was also during that time that we saw that it was possible but also necessary to achieve a different avianca that is more open, closer, accessible, and with more for everyone. After nearly two years, that new avianca is here."

Growth at Full Speed

To keep the company on course, avianca invested $473 million in 2023 and turned the operation around. Today, they also want the first-time flyer market part of their new strategy.

"The two airports with more frequencies in the United States are Miami and JFK, now in high season. This year is the first time that JFK overpasses Miami. In Miami today, we have 14 daily flights, and at JFK, we have 16, and we are among the top three operators at both airports in frequency. They will go from 600 daily flights to 750 in 2023," Neuhauser told TravelPulse.

He added, "The North American market is significant to us and has been one of the fastest-growing markets."

Neuhauser shared some positive numbers from the North American region. For example, they grew 56 percent from November 2022 to November 2023, from 291,900 seats to 456,100. They also increased flights by 48 percent, from 1,700 to 2,500 in the same period.

In terms of connectivity to and from the U.S., today there are 244 frequencies on 34 routes, and in 2023, added: Boston to Bogota and El Salvador; JFK to Sucre, Ecuador and San Pedro Zula, Honduras; Orlando to El Salvador and Sucre and, finally, Las Vegas to El Salvador, Oakland to El Salvador and Chicago to Guatemala.

The Positive Numbers

The new avianca is the result of the strategic projects that have been implemented to date to become a more efficient, competitive and sustainable airline, including:

More first-time customers flying, with more seats and better prices:

20 percent more capacity in the A320 fleet with 180 seats
39 million seats available in 24 countries
32.5 million passengers flying throughout the network in 2023
16 percent of customers are flying for the first time with avianca

avianca's customers fly on time and arrive with all their luggage:

Punctuality (OTP): 89.8 percent, the most punctual in the world for September (Cirium)
Compliance (SC): 99.6 percent
Baggage irregularities (MB): 1.36 per 1,000 customers

Fewer aircraft types, a simplified fleet:

Only two types of aircraft, A320 and 787, with a total passenger fleet of 140 aircraft

More airplanes arriving to increase capacity:

16 more A320 aircraft starting this month (October) and an additional 100 A320neo aircraft from 2025

The regions in Colombia are more connected than ever:

31.9 million seats are available in Colombia, with more than 26.9 million customers flying within and outside the country in 2023
21.8 million seats are available in Colombia's regions, with more than 18.0 million customers flying in 2023

More customers choosing how they want to fly and paying only for what they need:

Four sizes in Economy (XS, S, M, L) and one in Business (XXL) for flights in America
Three sizes in Economy (S, M, L) and one in Business (XXL) for flights in Europe
15 additional products and services for customization

More people flying to new destinations with fewer layovers:

146 routes, 74 destinations, and 24 countries in operation by the end of 2023
26 new routes in 2023, including eight new destinations: Ipiales, Cusco, Belo Horizonte, Manaus, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and Oakland

A more sustainable operation for our environment:

25 percent less carbon footprint per passenger transported, mainly thanks to fleet simplification and the reconfiguration of the A320 aircraft.

More travelers enjoying LifeMiles, the most recognized loyalty program in the region:

12.4 million members
11 avianca lounges in Colombia and El Salvador available to everyone

avianca Cargo in the Top 3 Cargo Airlines in the Americas:

258,000 tons of cargo transported to and from the region
34 percent more tons of flowers delivered to the world on Mother's Day and Valentine's Day

So, after successfully circumventing Chapter 11, avianca can now boast of keeping the operation on course with more destinations to cover and reaching a market they had not conquered before.

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