Sol Lineas Aereas' first CRJ-200, EC-IVH (c/n 7915), is due to enter service with the carrier on October 18 or 19 on the "Petroleum Route"; Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Rosario (ROS) - Cordoba (COR) - Neuquen (NQN) - Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), so named because Neuquen and Comodoro Rivadavia are important oil industry centers in Argentina's Patagonia region.
In addition to serving as a feeder to existing Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral services, Sol will use the six CRJ-200's that it is due to receive in the coming months to fly some of the "thinner" routes that do not have enough traffic to support the use of AR/AU's larger jets plus open up new services, which typically take time to develop for the use of larger aircraft.
The Uruguayan travel blog Portal de America reports that AR/AU has agreed to pay Sol guaranteed fixed rates per block hour of US$ 3,144 for its Saab 340's and US$ 3,885 for its CRJ-200's, which at six hours per day for a 31-day month total US$ 584,784 and US$ 722,610, respectively. "Portal" contends that this amounts to a subsidy with AR/AU effectively absorbing the Sol operation, but the agreement is similar to arrangements that US carriers have had with their feeders so this would be a matter of debate.
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