ROUTE UPDATES: December 2021 - Part 5 - Azul LInhas Aereas, Gol Linhas Aereas

Route Updates - December 2021 - Part 5

The following airlines / flights are confirmed to have started or re-started on the indicated dates.  Most, maybe all, 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.

Airline                      Origin                             Destination                 Eff Date      Type            Frequency 

GOL Linhas             Rio de Janeiro                Buenos Aires               19Dec22      737-800      3x/weekly

Aereas                     Galeao (GIG)                  Aeroparque (AEP)

GOL Linhas             Sao Paulo                       Buenos Aires               19Dec22      737-800      1x/daily

Aereas                     Guarulhos (GRU)            Aeroparque (AEP)

Azul Linhas             Porto Alegre (POA)         Punta del Este (PDP)   20Dec22     E-195-E2    3x/weekly  

Aereas

Remarks: Reducing to 2x/weekly on 30Jan22

Azul Linhas             Viracopos (VCP)             Punta del Este (PDP)   23Dec22     E-195-E2    2x/weekly

Aereas

Remarks: Seasonal until 30Jan22

Sources:

www.aviacionline.com

www.sirchandler.com

www.aviacionnews.com

ROUTE UPDATES: November 2021 - Part 4 - Azul LInhas Aereas, COPA, LATAM Chile, LATAM Peru

Route Updates - November 2021 - Part 4

The following airlines / flights are confirmed to have started or re-started on the indicated dates.  Most, maybe all, 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.

Airline                      Origin                             Destination                 Eff Date      Type            Frequency   

Azul Linhas             Porto Alegre (POA)         Montevideo (MVD)      10Nov21      E-195-E2    4x/weekly

Aereas

* Remarks: Increasing to daily on 20Dec21

LATAM Chile           Santiago (SCL)                Cordoba (COR)           15Nov21      A320           3x/weekly

LATAM Peru            Lima (LIM)                       Cordoba (COR)           15Nov21      A320           3x/weekly

COPA                       Panama City (PTY)         Cordoba (COR)           16Nov21      737-800      3x/weekly

Sources:

www.aviacionline.com

www.sirchandler.com

www.aviacionnews.com

ROUTE UPDATES: Azul expands Argentina & Uruguay connections with Brazil

Azul Linhas Aereas Brasileiras entered the Argentina - Brazil air travel market in March 2016 and has not stopped growing since, steadily adding new gateways in Argentina during the last two years.  Service to Uruguay has also increased.

Summer 2018 - Seasonal Service - Scheduled

Azul was reported to be planning the following routes during the southern hemisphere summer months and presumably operated them though planned service occasionally does not materialize as announced:

* Sao Paulo Viracopos (VCP) - Punta del Este (PDP) - eff 21Dec17 - 04Feb18

Flights to the popular Uruguayan summer resort.

* Porto Alegre (POA) - Punta del Este (PDP) - eff 21Dec17 - 04Jan18

Flights to the popular Uruguayan summer resort.

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Navegantes (NVT) - eff 11Dec17 - 04Mar18

1x/daily until 17Feb18 and 4x/weekly until 04Mar18 operated with E195's.

NOTE:  Above service has been extended indefinitely on a 4x/weekly basis. 

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Cabo Frio (CBF) - eff 16Dec17 - 03Mar18 -1x weekly

Operated with Embraer E195's

Year-Round Scheduled Service

* Rosario (ROS) - Recife (REC) - eff 24Mar18 - 1x weekly

Operated with A320neo's

* Cordoba (COR) - Recife (REC) - eff 25Mar18 - 1x weekly

Operated with A320neo's

* Cordoba (COR) - Porto Alegre (POA) - eff 01Jul18 - 4x weekly

Operated with Embraer E-195's

* Rosario (ROS) - Porto Alegre (POA) - eff 03Jul18 - 3x weekly

Operated with Embraer E-195's

Winter 2018 - Seasonal Service - Scheduled

Azul is planning to operate the following route during the southern hemisphere winter:  

* Sao Paulo Viracopos (VCP) - Bariloche (BRC) - eff 30Jun18 - 29Aug18 - 3x/weekly

Operated with A320's to the popular Argentine ski / lakes / mountains resort. 

Sources:

https://aviacionline.com/2017/06/mas-destinos-de-azul-hacia-buenos-aires-navegantes-y-cabo-frio/
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2017/avn171005/avn-171005.html
https://aviacionline.com/2017/11/azul-empezo-a-comercializar-sus-nuevos-vuelos-hacia-cordoba-y-recife/
http://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2018/02/azul-volara-bariloche-regular-desde-san-pablo-dos-meses/
https://aviacionline.com/2018/03/azul-extendio-sus-vuelos-entre-buenos-aires-y-navegantes/
https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/277977/azul-adds-new-argentina-routes-from-porto-alegre-in-july-2018/ via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATES: Copa, Sky, Azul, Cubana

* Cordoba (COR) - Panama City (PTY) - eff 02Dec17 - Adding Second Daily Flight

Copa will add a second daily 737-800 flight from Cordoba (COR) to its hub in Panama City (PTY), joining the many other international flights starting up from Argentina's second-largest city. 

With this flight, Copa will operate 46 weekly frequencies from Argentina to Panama City (PTY) composed of 7x/weekly from Rosario (ROS), 14/weekly from Cordoba (COR), 21/weekly from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) (increasing from 17x/weekly soon), and 4x/weekly from Mendoza (MDZ), which is a new service to be added on 16Nov17.         

* Santiago (SCL) - Punta del Este (PDP) - eff 13Dec17-11Mar18

Sky Airline will switch two of its existing five weekly flights between Santiago (SCL) and Montevideo (MVD) to the Uruguayan summer resort of Punta del Este (PDP) for three months during the southern hemisphere summer season to be operated with A319 aircraft.      

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Belo Horizonte (CNF) - eff 15Dec17 - One of two daily frequencies to be operated with A320neo

Azul operates two daily flights on this route with 118-seat E195's but one of them will be upgraded to the 174-seat A320neo, signaling high demand and success on the route, which it started flying in March of this year.   

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Havana (HAV) - eff 19Dec17 - Adding second weekly frequency

Cubana will add a second-weekly Ilyushin Il-96-300 flight between Ezeiza (EZE) and Havana (HAV), stopping in Santa Clara, Cuba (SNU).  The existing 1x/weekly flight stops in Cayo Coco, Cuba (CCC) prior to arriving in Havana (HAV).    

Sources:

http://www.aviacionline.com/2017/08/copa-airlines-suma-un-segundo-vuelo-diario-entre-cordoba-y-panama/
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/primera-plana/item/24865-cambios-en-vuelos-y-frecuencias-de-sky
http://www.aviacionline.com/2017/09/azul-aumenta-la-capacidad-en-su-ruta-a-buenos-aires-al-incorporar-el-a320neo/
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/274569/cubana-boosts-argentina-service-from-dec-2017/  via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATES: Amaszonas Uruguay, Sky Airline, Level and Azul

* Cordoba (COR) - Montevideo (MVD) - eff 24Aug17

To be operated 3x/weekly with CRJ-200's.  This will represent the return of non-stop service between the Argentine and Uruguayan cities for the first time since PLUNA closed down in July 2012.  

The planned addition of a third CRJ-200 to the Amaszonas Uruguay fleet, joining CX-SDU (c/n 7209) and CX-LVA (c/n 7561), will make possible both this new service and another daily frequency on the Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Montevideo (MVD) route for a total of 4x/daily weekday services on the "Air Bridge" between these two cities.

* Rosario (ROS) - Santiago (SCL) - eff 03Oct17

To be operated 3x/weekly with A319's.  Rosario will be the Chilean LCC's fourth destination in Argentina joining Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE), Cordoba (COR) and Mendoza (MDZ).  

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Barcelona (BCN) - Frequency Increase - eff 29Oct17

The recently started route by new Iberia low-cost (LCC) affiliate Level will increase from 3x/weekly to 5x/weekly flights using A330-200's on 29Oct17.

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Navegantes (NVT) - eff 11Dec17 

To be operated 1x/daily with E195's. 

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Cabo Frio (CFB) - eff 16Dec17 - 03Mar18 (seasonal) 

To be operated 1x/weekly with E195's.

Sources:

http://aeropuertocordoba.blogspot.com.ar/2017/07/desde-el-24-de-agosto-amaszonas-uruguay.html
http://www.aviacionline.com/2017/07/amaszonas-uruguay-suma-una-cuarta-frecuencia-diaria-a-buenos-aires/
http://www.aviacionline.com/2017/07/sky-volara-a-rosario-desde-octubre/
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/273921/level-expands-argentina-service-in-nw17/ via Eric Trum
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/273961/azul-increases-buenos-aires-routes-from-dec-2017/  via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATES: Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral and Azul

Continuing the ongoing expansion of routes that directly connect Argentina's provinces without going through Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral are adding three more new routes, all be two of them seasonal in nature: 

* Rosario (ROS) - Ushuaia (USH) - eff 01Jul17 - End of August

To be operated by Austral E190's 1x/weekly.

* Bahia Blanca (BHI) - Bariloche (BRC) - eff 03Jul17 - End of August 2017 and eff 08Dec17 - Easter 2018

To be operated by Austral E190's 2x/weekly.

* Bahia Blanca (BHI) - Neuquen (NQN) - eff October 2017

To be operated by Austral E190's 4x/weekly.

Azul is adding seasonal summer service to these two Brazilian oceanside resort areas:

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Navegantes (NVT) - eff 11Dec17 - 04Mar18

To be operated with E195's 1x/daily from 11Dec17 to 17Feb18 and 4x/weekly from 18Feb18 to 04Mar18.

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Cabo Frio (CFB) - eff 16Dec17 - 03Mar18

To be operated with E195's 1x/weekly.

Sources:

http://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2017/07/bahia-blanca-mas-destinos-aerolineas-argentinas/

http://www.aviacionline.com/2017/06/aerolineas-argentinas-unira-bahia-blanca-con-bariloche-y-neuquen/

http://www.aviacionline.com/2017/06/mas-destinos-de-azul-hacia-buenos-aires-navegantes-y-cabo-frio/

ROUTE UPDATES: Gol, Avianca and Azul

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Manaus (MAO) - eff 04Feb17

Operated by 737-800's 1x/weekly southbound on Saturdays and northbound on Sundays. 

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Belo Horizonte (CNF) - eff 05Mar17

Operated by 737-800's 1x/weekly southbound on Sundays and northbound on Mondays. 

* Montevideo (MVD) - Bogota (BOG) - eff 15May17

Operated by by A319's 1x/daily. 

* Sao Paulo / Campinas Viracopos (VCP) - Bariloche (BRC) - eff 01Jul17 - 12Aug17

Operated by A320neo's 1x/weekly on Saturdays on a charter basis.

Sources: 

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/271271/gol-adds-new-argentina-routes-in-1q17/  via Eric Trum
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2017/avn170223/avn-170223.html
http://www.aviacionline.com/2017/03/azul-volara-entre-bariloche-y-san-pablo-durante-la-temporada-de-invierno/

NEW AIRLINE PLANS: Azul Linhas Aereas planning Uruguayan subsidiary to be named Azul Uruguay

Azul ERJ-195LR, PR-AYD (c/n 247), on final approach to Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont (SDU) on 13Aug12.  (Phil Perry Photo)   

Azul Linhas Aereas of Brazil is planning to start a new Uruguayan subsidiary named Azul Uruguay in the second half of 2017. 

The carrier would be registered as a Uruguayan company with Uruguayan employees and all of its flights originating or terminating in Uruguay.  Former PLUNA and Alas Uruguay staff would be the most likely to be hired.  

One concern that the Azul management have, which would have to be addressed, is the long certification times that Alas Uruguay (18 months) and Amaszonas Uruguay (12 months) had to undergo before they were certified to operate by the DINACIA Uruguayan aviation authority.    

One of the motivations for Azul to start the new subsidiary would be to generate more of the hard currency normally charged for international travel to offset the hard currency shortfall that the carrier currently has.  53% of Azul's costs in 2016 were in US dollars while only 10% of its revenues were in hard currencies with the other 90% being in Brazilian Reales which are more vulnerable to strong variations in exchange rates often resulting in higher costs for the carrier.        
Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn161201/avn-161201.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn161222/avn-161222.html
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/columnistas/sergio-antonio-herrera/item/23954-azul-uruguay-confirmando-nuestra-presuncion-comenzara-a-operar-en-el-segundo-semestre

ROUTE UPDATES: LATAM Brazil, LATAM Chile & Azul

* Santiago (SCL) - San Juan (UAQ) - eff 08Sep16 - 06Dec16

LATAM Chile operated this route 10x/weekly using A320's as a replacement for its normal Santiago (SCL) - Mendoza (MDZ) service while the latter airport was closed three months for major renovations, including to its runway. To the best of this blog editor's knowledge, this is the first and only time that San Juan (UAQ) has had scheduled international service.  

* Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Bogota (BOG) - eff 15Dec16

Interestingly, LATAM Brazil operates this route and not LATAM Argentina. They fly it 5x/weekly using 767-300's. 

* Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Belo Horizonte (CNF) - eff 06Mar17

Azul Brazilian Airlines will start service to Argentina in March 2017 with flights from Buenos Aires to Belo Horizonte using ERJ 195's on a 1x/daily basis.

Sources:

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/268182/latam-chile-adds-san-juan-argentina-service-from-sep-2016/ via Eric Trum
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/268609/latam-brasil-plans-buenos-aires-bogota-service-from-dec-2016/ via Eric Trum
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/270747/azul-schedules-buenos-aires-launch-in-march-2017/ via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATES: PUNTA DEL ESTE (PDP) - Summer Seasonal Service - Aerolineas Argentinas, Austral and Azul

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Punta del Este (PDP) - eff 07Dec16 - 26Feb17

   Increase from normal 7x/weekly to 30x/weekly in January using Aerolineas 
   Argentinas 737-800's and Austral ERJ-190's    

* Cordoba (COR) - Punta del Este (PDP) - eff 07Dec16 - 26Feb17

   Operated 3x/weekly using Austral ERJ-190's    

* Rosario (ROS) - Punta del Este (PDP)

   Operated 2x/weekly using Austral ERJ-190's

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Punta del Este (PDP) - eff 07Dec16

   Operated 1x/daily using a CRJ-200

Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras

* Porto Alegre (POA) - Punta del Este (PDP) - eff 15Dec16 - 05Mar17

   Operated 2x/weekly using ATR-72's

* Sao Paulo Viracopos Campinas (VCP) - Punta del Este (PDP) - eff 15Dec16 - 05Mar17

   Operated 2x/weekly using ERJ-195's

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn161006/avn-161006.html
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269528/amaszonas-plans-buenos-aires-punta-del-este-route-from-dec-2016/
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/268833/azul-adds-seasonal-punta-del-este-service-from-dec-2016/ via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATES: New Montevideo (MVD) Service Announcements in 2016 - PART 2

New service announcements for Montevideo (MVD) in 2016 - Part 2:

* Azul Linhas Aereas - Montevideo (MVD) - Porto Alegre (POA) - eff 01Jul16

Azul recently started service on this route flying ATR-72-600's 2x/weekly (although the original announcement was for 4x/weekly).    

* Amaszonas Uruguay - Montevideo (MVD) - Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - July 2016 ?  

Amaszonas Uruguay, recently formed from the leftover BQB Lineas Aereas entity, was authorized by the Argentine ANAC aviation agency in late April to fly the Montevideo (MVD) - Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) route with flights expected to start in July with CRJ-200's.  Amaszonas Uruguay already has one aircraft, CRJ-200LR, CX-SDU (c/n 7209), which was transferred from the parent company with two more CRJ-200's expected to arrive in July and August, respectively, and a total fleet of eight aircraft by 2018. 

For full details on this new operation:

http://argentina-airline-news.blogspot.com.ar/2016/05/amaszonas-uruguay-plans-to-start-crj.html

* Sky Airline - Montevideo (MVD) - Santiago (SCL) - eff 12Sep16 

The Chilean "Low-Cost Carrier" is due to start daily nonstop service to Uruguay in September using A320's as part of its expansion to international destinations, such as Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE), Cordoba (COR) and Lima (LIM).    

Sources:

http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/267146/azul-plans-uruguay-service-from-july-2016/ via Eric Trum
http://cabeceranorte.blogspot.com.ar/2016/04/amaszonas-volara-la-ruta-montevideo.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160630/avn-160630.html

ROUTE UPDATE: Azul to add Sao Paulo Viracopos (VCP) and Porto Alegre (POA) to Punta del Este (PDP) Summer Seasonal Service

Azul Linhas Aereas ERJ-195, PR-AYK (c/n 19000374), at Rio de Janeiro - Santos Dumont (SDU) on 13Aug12.  (Phil Perry Photo)  

Azul Linhas Aereas of Brazil will fly summer seasonal service from Sao Paulo Viracopos (VCP) and Porto Alegre (POA) to Punta del Este (PDP), Uruguay, using ERJ-195's and ATR-72's, respectively. The flights will be operated on Thursdays and Sundays, effective 17Dec15 to 14Feb16, with extra sections during the Christmas and Carnival holiday periods. 

Source:

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/21279-azul-tendr%C3%A1-vuelos-a-punta-del-este-uruguay-en-alta-temporada