ROUTE UPDATES: February 2023 - Avianca, Emirates

Route Updates - February 2023

The following airlines / flights are confirmed to have started or re-started service on the indicated routes on the listed dates.  Many of the services are the resumption of flights that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Increases / decreases in flight frequency are not always verified by your editor.

Airline - Eff Date - Route - Aircraft Type - Flight Frequency - Remarks  

* Avianca - San Jose (SJO) - Quito (UIO) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - 01Feb23 - A320, A320neo - 4x/weekly - Remarks: Equipment upguage from A319 

* Emirates - Dubai (DXB) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - 01Feb23 - 777-300ER - 1x/daily - Remarks:  Increased frequency from 5x/weekly

Sources:

www.aviacionline.com

www.sirchandler.com

www.aviacionnews.com

FLEET UPDATE: Aerolineas Argentinas 737-700 fleet history - six still operating (photos)

Aerolineas Argentinas has operated a total of 22 737-700's with 14 having left the fleet and 8 still with the carrier.

* 14 Retired 737-700's

Of Aerolineas' 14 retired airframes, 9 were originally delivered to Virgin Blue and 4 to EasyJet, with all 13 aircraft leaving the Boeing factory in the 2000-2001 timeframe.  Aerolineas took delivery of these planes between 2009-2012 with all of them going on to Southwest between 2016-2018. 

One airframe had a different career path from those above, having first been  delivered to Sky Airlines (Turkey) before joining Aerolineas and continuing on to Chrono Aviation (presumably the Canadian charter airline) in 2021.   

* 8 737-700's still in the Fleet

      

Two 737-700's are stored at the airline's Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) base:

* LV-BYY (33938/2863) presumably still in the pre-2010 color scheme  

* LV-CBF (32696/1922) presumably still in the pre-2010 color scheme 

Aerolineas Argentinas still flies six 737-700's:

* Two in the pre-2010 color scheme with a white fuselage and solid dark blue tail

* Two in the current 2010 livery 

* One in Skyteam colors

* One in the 1970's retro "AA" two-tone blue livery

These aircraft are pictured below with accompanying comments profiling their histories:  

LV-CAP (32695/1919) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 31Jan23 in Aerolineas Argentinas' pre-2010 color scheme with a white fuselage and solid dark blue tail.  (Phil Perry Photo)

This aircraft was first delivered to SkyEurope (Slovakia) in 2006, continuing on to Aerolineas on 01Oct09.  It is leased from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).  

 

LV-CBT (34756/2208) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 16Dec21, also in Aerolineas' pre-2010 color scheme.  (Phil Perry Photo)

This aircraft was first delivered to SkyEurope (Slovakia) in 2007, continuing on to Aerolineas on 28Nov09.  It is also leased from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).  

LV-BZO (32676/1974) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) in Aerolineas' current 2010 livery on an intermittently foggy 26Aug22.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

This aircraft was first delivered to SkyEurope (Slovakia) in 2006, continuing on to Aerolineas on 25Jun09.  It is also leased from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).

LV-CAD (32680/2089) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 31Jan23 in the current 2010 livery.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

This aircraft was first delivered to SkyEurope (Slovakia) in 2006, continuing on to Aerolineas on 25Jul09.  It is also leased from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).

LV-BZA (32674/1952) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 31Jan23 in Skyteam colors.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

This aircraft was first delivered to SkyEurope (Slovakia) in 2006, continuing on to Aerolineas on 06Jun09.  It is also leased from General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).

LV-GOO (35962/2932) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 28Aug22 in Aerolineas' 1970's retro "AA" two-tone blue livery.  (Phil Perry Photo)

This aircraft was apparently factory-delivered new to Aerolineas Argentinas on 24Jun09, having orginally been slated to join AirTran but it was NTU (Not Taken Up) by the US carrier, probably due to AirTran's merger with Southwest and the likely differences with Southwest's 737-700's that would have resulted. 

Sources:

https://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Aerolineas%20Argentinas.htm

PHOTO GALLERIES: Viva Air A320neo HK-5388 at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 26Aug22

 

Viva Air A320neo HK-5388 (c/n 10693) taxis for takeoff at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 26Aug22 on its return trip to Colombia after having been diverted to AEP while operating inbound to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) due to fog earlier that morning.  Viva Air never operated scheduled flights to Aeroparque. (Phil Perry Photo)

Viva Air shut down operations on 27Feb23 after on again-off again plans for its acquisition by Avianca for several months due to the ULCC carrier's financial problems.  As of this writing, the carrier might still be acquired by Avianca with much depending on whether the Colombian government finally approves the merger. 

ROUTE UPDATES: January 2023 - Part 1 - Aerolineas Argentinas, American, Andes Lineas Aereas, Flybondi, Gol, Iberia, LADE, LATAM Peru

Route Updates - January 2023 - Part 1

The following airlines / flights are confirmed to have started or re-started service on the indicated routes on the listed dates.  Many of the services are the resumption of flights that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Increases / decreases in flight frequency are not always verified by your editor.

Airline - Eff Date - Route - Aircraft Type - Flight Frequency - Remarks  

* Aerolineas Argentinas - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Punta Cana (PUJ) - Havana (HAV) - 02Jan23 - 737 MAX 8 - 2x/weekly - Remarks: Decreased frequency from 3x/weekly

* Aerolineas Argentinas - Cordoba (COR) - Florianopolis (FLN) - 03Jan23 - 737-800, 737 MAX 8 - 3x/weekly - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service until 05Feb23 (originally until 05Mar23)

* Aerolineas Argentinas - Cordoba (COR) - Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) - 01Jan23 - 737-800, 737 MAX 8 - 4x/weekly - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service until 09Feb23.

* Aerolineas Argentinas - Mendoza (MDZ) - Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) - 03Jan23 - 737-800, 737 MAX 8 - 2x/weekly - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service until 14Apr23.

* Aerolineas Argentinas - Rosario (ROS) - Bariloche (BRC) - 01Jan23 - 737-800, 737 MAX 8, 4x/weekly - Remarks: Increasing frequency from 4x/weekly.

* Aerolineas Argentinas - Rosario (ROS) - El Calafate (FTE) - 03Jan23 - 737-800 - 2x/weekly - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service until 08Apr23.

* Aerolineas Argentinas - Rosario (ROS) - Florianopolis (FLN) - 02Jan23 - 737-800 - 2x/weekly - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service until 06Feb23 (originally until 03Mar23)

* American Airlines - Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - 09Jan23 - 787-8 - 1x/daily - Remarks: 787-8 replaces 777-200ER

* Andes Lineas Aereas - Cordoba (COR) - Jujuy (JUJ) - Cayo Largo (CYO) - 05Jan23 - 737-800 - 1x/weekly - Remarks: Charters for tour operator to Cuba.  The carrier's sole aircraft was delivered to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) by the lessor, but it did not receive authorization to start service from the ANAC Argentine civil aviation organization.   

* Andes Lineas Aereas - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Tucuman (TUC) - Cayo Largo (CYO) - 07Jan23 - 737-800 - 1x/weekly - Remarks: Charters for tour operator to Cuba.  The carrier's sole aircraft was delivered to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) by the lessor, but it did not receive authorization to start service from the ANAC Argentine civil aviation organization.   

* Flybondi - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Florianopolis (FLN) - 01Jan23 - 737-800 - 2x/daily - Remarks: Seasonal summer increased frequency until mid-March 2023.

* Flybondi - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) - 02Jan23 - 737-800 - 3x/daily - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service increase from 2x/daily until early April.

* GOL Linhas Aereas - Florianopolis (FLN) - Cordoba (COR) - 01Jan23 - 737-800, 737 MAX 8 - 3x/weekly - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service until 28Feb23

* GOL Linhas Aereas - Salvador de Bahia (SSA) - Montevideo (MVD) - 07Jan23 - 737MAX 8 - 1x/weekly - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service until end of February

* Iberia - Madrid (MAD) - Montevideo (MVD) - 01Jan23 - A330 - 1x/daily - Remarks: Increasing frequency from 5x/weekly, year-round service

* LADE - Miramar (MRJ) - Villa Gesell (VLG) - Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - 02Jan23 - Twin Otter - 2x/weekly - Remarks: Seasonal Summer Service until end of February.

* LATAM Peru - Lima (LIM) - Cordoba (COR) - 01Jan23 - A319 / A320 - 1x/daily - Remarks: Increasing frequency from 4x/weekly.  Returning to 4x/weekly in February.

Sources:

www.aviacionline.com

www.sirchandler.com

www.aviacionnews.com

ROUTE UPDATES: January 2023 - Part 2 - Viva Air

Route Updates - January 2023 - Part 2

The following airlines / flights are confirmed to have started or re-started service on the indicated routes on the listed dates.  Many of the services are the resumption of flights that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Increases / decreases in flight frequency are not always verified by your editor.

Airline - Eff Date - Route - Aircraft Type - Flight Frequency - Remarks  

* Viva Air - Bogota (BOG) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - 22Jan23 - A320 - 1x/daily - Remarks: Increasing frequency from 6x/weekly.  Viva Air suspended all flight services on 27Feb23.

* Viva Air - Medellin (MED) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - 22Jan23 - A320 - 1x/daily - Remarks: Increasing frequency from 6x/weekly.  Viva Air suspended all flight services on 27Feb23.

Sources:

www.aviacionline.com

www.sirchandler.com

www.aviacionnews.com