After last March 22 the Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) approve the process integration between Avianca and Viva Airon the morning of this Wednesday, April 5, the first airline presented a resource to the air authority requesting “minor modifications” to the resolution so that, according to it, the decision is in accordance with “the reality of the current market.”
“The resource is intended to ensure the minimum conditions to be able to operate what remains of Viva and thus preserve connectivity in the country and the offer to passengers. Since day one we have proposed solutions and protected hundreds of thousands of affected users. We emphatically reject the insistence of some competitors to put obstacles in the process with the sole purpose of disappearing what remains of Viva “explained the President and CEO of Avianca, Adrian Neuhauser.
According to the airline, after reviewing in detail the conditions required by the authority to endorse the integration with Viva Air, they decided to ask Aerocivil for a series of “clarifications and specific modifications” that, according to the airline, will not only guarantee that the conditions are viablebut also, that they are executed in accordance with the reality of the current market and, therefore, allow the low-cost to maintain its low cost model.
Among the main modifications requested by Avianca is that they can have the air fleet that Viva Air has, in order not only to guarantee the connectivity in the country, but also, power serve passengers what turned out affected for him cessation of operations of the low-cost.
The airline also requested that, while defining which airlines will fly to and from Bogota – thus covering the slots that the low-cost airline must return-, “Viva can sustainably operate a minimum number of aircraft from El Dorado airport”, that is, that the low-cost can keep a minimum amount of slots.
In the case of Viva’s air operation during peak hours, Avianca proposes to Aerocivil that it be carried out in regions with a high demand for connectivity such as San Andrés, Leticia, Santa Marta and Riohacha.
On the conditions established by the Aerocivil to guarantee the protection of passengers affected by Viva AirAvianca reported that it accepted all of them “including those who had purchased ‘Viva Pass’ tickets with the low-cost ticket”.
It should be remembered that, in accordance with the Aerocivil resolution, the authorization of the integration between the two airlines was conditioned by, among other things, that the rights of travelers affected by Viva are respected in terms of guaranteeing them the refund of the price they paid for their tickets and allow them to complete the routes that were canceled due to the operational cessation.
In addition to the above, Avianca would have to guarantee that Viva would continue to operate with its low-cost model.
Faced with this appeal presented by Avianca to the Civil Aeronautics, the CEO of the airline expressed: “Taking into account the urgency of the affected users to solve their situation, as well as the need for stability in the Colombian aeronautical sector, we trust that the Aerocivil will analyze the clarifications in light of the current reality of low-cost”.
Although Aerocivil has not yet ruled on the appeal filed by Avianca, it is worth remembering that in the last hours two of interested third parties in acquiring Viva presented a appeal on the decision of the air authority to approve the integration of the two companies. Is about Latam Airlines and JetSmartwho, among other things, filed the appeal arguing that more than a month after the cessation of operations of the low-cost, the company has not yet returned the slots that Aeronautics requested.
