Viva Air leads the connectivity of San Andrés at the beginning of the year
It is the airline with the largest operational presence on the paradisiacal Colombian island, mobilizing nearly 100,000 passengers in 2021 with an occupancy rate of 94%
Despite the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and tropical storm Iota, Viva Air is decisively committed to San Andrés and is positioned as the most important airline on the Island in number of passengers transported, by mobilizing close to 100,000 travelers between January and February 2021 with an occupancy rate of 94%. This confirms the importance of San Andrés for the airline as a strategic destination and its efforts to regain the confidence of passengers and reactivate tourism thanks to certified biosafety protocols and the highest standards of safety and punctuality on its flights.
Viva, an airline that is committed to air inclusion in the country, mobilized more than 247 thousand travelers in this destination last year, fulfilling its promise to connect Colombia safely and at the best prices. There are already four destinations that Viva Air operates directly to San Andrés, among which are the cities of Cartagena and Cali, with a daily flight all week; and Bogotá and Medellín with two flights every day. This makes it possible for more and more travelers to have the opportunity to travel, contributing significantly to the revitalization of the air sector in the country.
“We ratify our commitment to San Andrés as a strategic destination and we remain firm in our intention to contribute to the economic reactivation of the country through air inclusion. Today we are the airline with the strongest footing on the Island and this confirms that more and more Colombians trust our model and biosafety protocols. We are proud to see that the Low Cost option is consolidated in a destination as important for Colombia as San Andrés, promoting the development of the region and the much-needed reactivation of tourism in the country ", said Félix Antelo, president & CEO of the Viva Air Group.
Under the premise of encouraging development and connectivity, the airline's operations in San Andrés have generated the well-known 'Viva Effect', highlighting as an example that, before Viva took off for the first time to San Andrés in 2012, only about 7,000 passengers arrived on the island every month from Medellín. Within 12 months of its arrival, Viva had carried 25,000 passengers per month on the Medellín-San Andrés route.
The above, together with a growing fleet of 21 aircraft, including 19 totally new, and an accumulated punctuality as a holding company of 95%; allows more Colombians to travel by plane and enables greater growth in national and international tourism.
As a complement to its Low Cost model and in response to the Company's growth strategy, Viva operates the cargo transportation service in the warehouse to San Andrés, transporting more than 37 tons of cargo so far in 2021, which allows them continue to improve its services, energize the market and thereby guarantee sustainable growth.
On the other hand, given the effects on the island caused by the tropical storm IOTA at the end of 2020, the Viva Air Foundation transported an average of 74 tons of food, more than 500 markets donated by its collaborators and 550 school kits to San Andrés. Likewise, it mobilized nine teams of lifeguards and two veterinarians to the Island, among other actions that ratify its commitment to the well-being of people, through the execution of initiatives of high social and humanitarian value.
With this, the airline seeks to be a leading market player in this region, at the same time that it contributes to improving the socioeconomic conditions of a strategic territory for local and international tourism.