Saturday, January 28, 2017

ROUTE UPDATE: Andes Lineas Aereas seeks to Expand Scheduled Services at December 27 Route Hearings

Andes Lineas Aereas MD-83, LV-WGM (c/n 49784/1627), taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 10Dec15.  (Phil Perry Photo)

Fleet History

Andes Lineas Aereas started operating in 2006 flying mostly MD-80's from its northern Argentina base of Salta (SLA).  It has operated a fleet of approx. fifteen MD-80 series aircraft since then, with seven examples currently in service, plus two A320's on wet lease from Vueling for a short time in early 2012 and two CRJ-900's in 2010-11. 

Scheduled Flights

Andes has operated mostly scheduled flights from Salta (SLA) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) with continuing service to Puerto Madryn (PMY) in Patagonia. Jujuy (JUJ) was also added to the route system in recent months.

New service recently started: 

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Cordoba (COR) - eff 12Dec16

   Operated 10x/weekly using MD-80's

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Mar del Plata (MDQ) - eff 02Jan17

   Operated 5x/weekly using MD-80's.  Summer seasonal service.

Charter Flights

Charters have been a very important source of business for Andes, especially flights carrying professional sports teams to many points throughout South America and high school graduation trips from airports all over Argentina to Bariloche (BRC) in Patagonia near the Chilean border, especially on behalf of student tour operator "Travel Rock", with one MD-80 even being painted in a special scheme depicting the travel company complete with billboard titles.          

December 27 Route Hearings

Andes, like several other carriers, is seeking to grow in the newly liberalized Argentine air transportation environment.  To that end, it filed for seven new scheduled routes at the ANAC's December 27 Route Hearings, considerably fewer than the other four carriers present.  

Interestingly, this included predictable domestic routes linking significant Argentine cities but Andes also requested international rights to Lima (LIM), Santiago (SCL) and Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU).  If granted, these would be the first international routes that Andes has operated on a scheduled basis.

Rumor has it that Andes, being an established carrier that has been operating for over ten years, will be one of the airlines awarded new route rights.

Routes requested:

1) BUENOS AIRES – ROSARIO – RESISTENCIA – POSADAS – PUERTO IGUAZÚ and v.v.

2) BUENOS AIRES – TUCUMÁN – SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO – SALTA – JUJUY and v.v.

3) BUENOS AIRES – CÓRDOBA – MENDOZA – NEUQUÉN – BARILOCHE and v.v.

4) BUENOS AIRES – PUERTO MADRYN – COMODORO RIVADAVIA – EL CALAFATE – USHUAIA and v.v.

5) BUENOS AIRES – CÓRDOBA – SANTIAGO DE CHILE and v.v.

6) BUENOS AIRES – CÓRDOBA – LIMA and v.v.

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