“The possibility of a integration is in intensive care”assured the Avianca chief operating officer, Frederico Pedreiraby noting that, if after the May 9date on which Viva Air will lose the business recovery process protection that you currently have in Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Antioquiathe integration between the two airlines has not materialized will be “practically impossible” save the low-cost.
This was revealed by the Avianca executive in dialogue with the magazine Weekbefore whom he explained that aspects such as conditionings that Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) asked them to comply Resolution 00815among other things, will prevent the recovery of Viva.
And it is that, according to Pedreira, in the resolution the air authority ignores the current operating conditions of the low-cost airline as its route network, planes and workerswhich prevents these conditions from being fully met.
“The conditions that were reiterated with the decision of the Aerocivil this week, depending on the case, make Viva’s operation unfeasible in the medium term, condemning it to operational and financial failure (for example, the lack of slots)”, explained the chief operating officer of Avianca to the aforementioned medium.
Immediately afterwards, the director of the airline stressed that these conditions are equally “impossible” to meet if one takes into account that Viva Air has already lost more of its planes and, among the requirements of Aerocivil, is “maintain capacity on exclusive routes” even with the lack of aircraft and slots –takeoff and landing permits.
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Furthermore, as said by Pedreira to the Bogotá publication, among the conditions, benefits have been given to third parties such as “require Avianca to pay for the IOSA certification security satin”.
“In addition, Aerocivil continues to open the door to third parties to intervenein direct opposition to what is established by Law 1340 of 2009, and what is required by the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation. This has made it possible for competition (Latam, Wingo -which is Copa-, Ultra and Jetsmart) they benefit from delay the processgetting Viva to suspend operations, and taking away planes and employees ”added the senior manager of the airline in his dialogue with the same medium.
To the above, and taking into account that May 9 is getting closer and closer, the date on which Viva will lose her recovery process before the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Antioquia, it is added, according to Pedreira, that every day that passes without a final determination, the risk is increased that landlords of the airplanes that are left to the low-cost, remove them from the market.
The situation, according to the Avianca director, would make “non-viable” the Viva Air operation therefore, in his dialogue with Weekreiterated that the low-cost airline does not have much time left to continue flying.
“It is not the time that Avianca can wait, it is how much time Viva has left. As I mentioned before, every day that passes increases the risk that the lessors will take the few planes that are left to the low-cost, and without planes, without workers and without slots, what integration can we talk about?sentenced the chief operating officer of Avianca to the same medium.
It should be remembered that, according to the Resolution 00815 of April 25, 2023 issued by Aerocivil, the guarantee was left firm for Avianca and Viva Air to integrate into the same economic group, as long as they meet conditions such as the return of slots and certain air frequencies, maintain Viva’s low-cost scheme, among others.
