NEW AIRLINE PLANS: Amaszonas Uruguay plans to start CRJ-200 service between Montevideo (MVD) & Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) in July

Just about exactly one year ago, the Bolivian airline Amaszonas bought the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of BQB Lineas Aereas right after the latter shut down.  Amaszonas' intention was to replace the defunct carrier with its own Uruguayan-based service to Argentina and other points but it did not gain the proper authority in short order as it had planned.  

Being a Bolivian airline with Bolivian-registered aircraft, Amaszonas was not authorized to operate routes originating from Uruguay, even having bought BQB's Air Operator Certificate. Also, BQB was part of the holding group Las Cipreses S.A. and for the BQB AOC to be passed on to another carrier, BQB first had to be removed from Las Cipreses ownership. This being completed, the AOC could then be passed on to Amaszonas, subject to the approval of the Uruguayan Ministry of Transport. 

Amaszonas recently concluded this process forming a Uruguayan affiliate, Amaszonas Uruguay, which is on the verge of starting service between Montevideo (MVD) and Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) having received route authority from both the Uruguayan and Argentine aviation authorities to fly the all-important "Air Bridge" as this route is known.                 

Amaszonas CRJ-200ER, CP-2969 (c/n 7209), arrived in Montevideo (MVD) on 04May16 wearing the Amaszonas Uruguay livery, which is similar to that of the parent airline, except that it is in light blue / yellow colors (same as the Uruguayan flag) instead of red / green and has "Uruguay" titles just below "Amaszonas" on the fuselage in place of where the parent airline has "Linea Aerea" on its aircraft. 

See link below:

http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2016/05/primer-avion-de-amaszonas-uruguay.html

Curiously, the aircraft has a Bolivian registration and there has been no word of plans to add the plane to the Uruguayan register although this is apparently required for Amaszonas Uruguay to have a Uruguayan AOC.  The aircraft will need to be flown by Uruguayan pilots and flight attendants too and with no CRJ-200's previously on the Uruguayan register they will presumably have to be trained.    

The new airline intends to take delivery of two more CRJ-200's from its Bolivian parent in July and August with plans for eventually six aircraft in the Amaszonas Uruguay fleet by 2018.  

Amaszonas Uruguay intends to start flying between Montevideo (MVD) and Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) twice daily in competition with Austral and Alas Uruguay in early July.  Other possible routes include seasonal flights from Argentina to the Uruguayan summer resort of Punta del Este (PDP), some Brazilian routes, such as Montevideo (MVD) to Porto Alegre (POA) and Florianopolis (FLN), also Santiago (SCL) plus the possibility of Montevideo (MVD) - Cordoba (COR) - Santa Cruz (VVI) to tap into the large Bolivian population in Cordoba that would want to fly to Santa Cruz, a route presently not served by any other carrier.   
    
Interestingly, going on the Amaszonas website and selecting "Uruguay" as the country of residence, the site redirects the visitor to a BQB Lineas Aereas website with an Amaszonas route map so BQB's past AOC still plays a role in Amaszonas Uruguay's current operation. 

Editor's Comment:

The route plans of Amaszonas Uruguay sound very similar to those of Alas Uruguay but there is not enough traffic for two new Uruguayan carriers to operate successfully on these sectors; even one would find it very challenging to compete against the established foreign carriers.  

Amaszonas Uruguay's 50-seat CRJ-200's will be cheaper to fly than Alas Uruguay's 130-seat 737-300's but the per seat costs of the Canadairs are considerably more than those of the Boeings, so even with full planes Amaszonas might find it difficult to make money.  They have higher seat-mile costs mainly due to the high per seat fuel consumption of the smaller plane that in times of expensive fuel make the CRJ-200's uneconomical to operate as US and European regional operators of large numbers of the type discovered during the last decade.                

Sources:

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/editorial/item/22371-confirman-teoria-del-pda-habra-amaszonas-uruguay-y-cambia-el-contexto
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160310/avn-160310.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160414/avn-160414.html
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/editorial/item/22643-nace-amaszonas-uruguay-anticipamos-la-imagen-de-manana
http://www.elobservador.com.uy/amaszonas-uruguay-volara-buenos-aires-julio-proximo-n905520
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160505/avn-160505.html
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/editorial/item/22660-que-viene-a-hacer-amaszonas-al-uruguay
http://www.elobservador.com.uy/aerolinea-amaszonas-dispuesta-explorar-asociacion-alas-u-n900742
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160512/avn-160512.html

BQB Lineas Aereas Never Operated its A319 and had several Emergency Landings in its Last Months

BQB Lineas Aereas never operated the A319, CX-SAN (c/n 1703) that it took delivery and had possession of for six months in 2014.  The Uruguayan aviation authority, DINACIA, never authorized its use, presumably due to a lengthy certification process, but possibly due to political conflicts between the Uruguayan government and Juan Carlos Lopez Mena, owner of BQB, stemming from his role in the failed 2012 auction of PLUNA's CRJ-900's.  

The Uruguayan website, Portal de America, claims that BQB's ATR-72-500's had several emergency landings in the last few months that the airline was in service and that this prompted the DINACIA to withhold certification of the A319.  The Spanish aviation magazine, Avion Revue, also claimed in its June 2015 issue that BQB's ATR-72-500's had numerous emergency landings but this might simply have been a repetition of the Portal de America claim.

Sources:

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/columnistas/alejandro-spera/item/20981-el-complejo-proceso-de-certificaci%C3%B3n-de-una-aerol%C3%ADnea

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/editorial/item/21327-%C2%BFqu%C3%A9-le-vendi%C3%B3-l%C3%B3pez-mena-a-amaszonas?                

ROUTE UPDATE: Amaszonas never started Montevideo (MVD) - Buenos Aires (AEP) service, has increased flights to Asuncion (ASU)

Amaszonas bought the Uruguayan airline BQB Lineas Aereas in May 2015 but it is unclear what the Bolivian carrier actually obtained in the deal. 

At first, it appeared that BQB's Airline Operator Certificate (AOC) was part of the agreement but subsequent information appears to suggest that Amaszonas' purchase from BQB's parent company Los Cipreses S.A. only included the BQB brand name, limiting Amaszonas' ability to take over BQB's operations.       

The Uruguayan travel/aviation website, Portal de America, reports that one of the principal problems has been that BQB's AOC was issued with authorization for the carrier to operate ATR-72-500's but Amaszonas' operates a completely different type, CRJ-200 regional jets, which would require the Bolivian airline to go through an authorization process for this type with the Uruguayan DINACIA aviation authority before it could put them into service on former BQB routes, but that is assuming that Amaszonas did indeed purchase BQB's operating certificate and not just the BQB brand name ! 

The end result of whatever Amaszonas actually purchased is that the airline has yet to start service on BQB's most important and profitable former route; Montevideo (MVD) - Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP).  Portal de America claimed in May that Amaszonas never even requested rights for this route from the Argentine aviation authorities but Aviacion News quotes the Uruguayan Tourism Minister Liliam Kechichian as saying that Argentina has denied Amaszonas permission to fly from Montevideo to Aeroparque as it has with so many other foreign airlines seeking to fly to Argentina. 

However, Amaszonas, which has flown the Santa Cruz (VVI) - Asuncion (ASU) - Montevideo (MVD) route since prior to the purchase of BQB, has now also added pure Montevideo (MVD) - Asuncion (ASU) round-trips on a "special permission" basis, so there appear to have been some benefits to the Bolivian carrier beyond simply buying the BQB brand name.        

Sources:

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/columnistas/alejandro-spera/item/20981-el-complejo-proceso-de-certificaci%C3%B3n-de-una-aerol%C3%ADnea
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/20991-amaszonas-a%C3%BAn-no-hizo-tr%C3%A1mite-alguno-en-buens-aires
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/20992-aerol%C3%ADneas-latinoamericanas-abren-nuevas-rutas-y-ampl%C3%ADan-capacidad
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/21026-silencio-de-turbinas-y-sin-bandera-uruguaya-en-cielo-rioplatense
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150702/avn-150702.html

Amaszonas CRJ-200 arrived in Montevideo (MVD) for Certification Process just after Midnight, Flew First Charter this Morning

As announced on Saturday, Amaszonas flew one of its CRJ-200's to Montevideo (MVD) on Sunday night arriving just after midnight early Monday morning. The aircraft will participate in the certification process of what is being called "Amaszonas Uruguay".

Surprisingly, "Amaszonas Uruguay" operated its first service this morning, Monday, May 11, a charter to Asuncion (ASU).  The flight, with 31 passengers on board, was operated by CRJ-200 CP-2856 (c/n 7226) and was the first of several charters that the Uruguayan DINACIA aviation agency authorized Amaszonas Uruguay to operate to Asuncion (ASU) this week.   

Per the Uruguayan travel website, Portal de America, the Argentine ANAC aviation agency has indicated that Amaszonas has not submitted an application for the authorization of CRJ-200 flights so the only aircraft that the Bolivian carrier can currently fly to Argentina under the former BQB Air Operator's Certificate is the ex-BQB ATR-72-212's.     

Sources:

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/20947-lleg%C3%B3-el-bombardier-crj200-para-amaszonas-uruguay

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/20948-sali%C3%B3-el-primer-charter-de-amaszonas-bqb

Amaszonas due to fly a CRJ-200 to Montevideo (MVD) today for authorization process of BQB takeover

It was previously reported that Amaszonas Linea Aerea had purchased only BQB Lineas Aereas Air Operator's Certificate but El Pais of Uruguay claimed in its May 8 edition that Amaszonas has bought all shares of the Uruguayan carrier too. 

The newspaper also reported that Amaszonas was due to fly one its eleven CRJ-200's from Bolivia to Montevideo (MVD) today, Sunday, May 10 to start the process of authorizing the airline's aircraft operations with the DINACIA Uruguayan aviation authority that will permit "Amaszonas Uruguay" to start flying with BQB's certificate from Montevideo (MVD) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Asuncion (ASU). The last bit of news comes as a surprise since the Amaszonas Bolivia-based operation already flies between Asuncion (ASU) and Montevideo as an extension of it Santa Cruz (VVI) to Asuncion (ASU) route.  The CRJ-200 will apparently be based in Montevideo (MVD) to start the new operation.      

Amaszonas has reportedly hired 31 of BQB's former employees and claims that it already has route authorization from the DINACIA to fly to Buenos Aires and Asuncion but that the regulatory procedures and paperwork have taken longer than anticipated which has resulted in unexpected delays to the start of service.

The procedures with the DINACIA and the Argentine and Paraguayan authorities are expected to be completed soon with the start of service to Asuncion (ASU) later this week to be followed by Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) soon thereafter.

Source:

http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/domingo-llegara-primer-avion-amazonas.html   

Amaszonas / BQB Lineas Aereas' Montevideo (MVD) - Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) Start Date Uncertain

Portal de America reports that the start date of Amaszonas' new service between Montevideo (MVD) and Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) using BQB Lineas Aereas' Uruguayan Air Operator's Certificate is uncertain as the Bolivian carrier has not received authorization to fly the route from either the Uruguayan DINACIA or Argentine ANAC aviation authorities. 

Permission from Uruguay might be hindered by political considerations, such as possible favoritism by the Uruguayan government of the imminent start-up of Alas Uruguay, a privately-owned carrier that is seen as the de facto replacement for the now-defunct PLUNA that also aspires to fly the former flag carrier's flagship route between MVD and AEP.  Alas Uruguay is mainly composed of ex-PLUNA employees.

Presently, the only airline flying the highly-profitable route between the Argentine and Uruguayan capital cities is Aerolineas Argentinas' Austral subsidiary with 6-7 roundtrips per day operated with EMB-190's.  With Amaszonas / BQB to be a Uruguayan operation, presumably the Uruguayan DINACIA would have to grant Alas Uruguay the route authority before the Argentine ANAC could act.         

Sources:

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/20933-%C2%BFnuevo-papel%C3%B3n-en-la-misma-semana-de-amaszonas-y-bqb?

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/columnistas/sergio-antonio-herrera/item/20939-amaszonas-bqb-claros-indicios-que-no-est%C3%A1-hecho

ROUTE UPDATE: Amaszonas did not start former BQB Flights today May 4, might start May 8

Portal de America reports that everything seemed in order on April 29 when Amaszonas announced that it would start service from Montevideo (MVD) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on May 4 operating the same twice-daily flights that BQB Lineas Aereas used to fly. However, on April 30 there was no sign of the flights actually materializing.

Also raising a lot of doubts was a set of questions that Portal de America submitted to Amaszonas management on April 18 about the legal and operational structure of the new Amaszonas/BQB entity, which Amaszonas failed to answer.  The most significant questions were as follows:

1) What brand will the new operation fly under ?  Amaszonas Uruguay ?

2) Will the new airline start operations with BQB ATR-72's for a simpler and 
    faster transition ? 

3) Has the new operation received permission from the Argentine authorities to 
    fly Amaszonas CRJ-200's, which are registered in Bolivia, between 
    Montevideo (MVD) and Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) under the route 
    authority granted to BQB, a Uruguayan airline ?

4) BQB's Air Operator Certificate is owned by Los Cipreses, a Uruguayan  
    company that owns the Buquebus ferry lines.  Can a Bolivian company take 
    over the certificate without going through a major regulatory process ?         

The issue raised by the above questions, especially 3) and 4), are enough to sideline the new Amaszonas/BQB operation for weeks and possibly months while all of the regulatory formalities are worked out.

In the meantime, Portal de America reports that a couple of the GDS are showing BOTH Amaszonas and BQB flights as operating between Montevideo (MVD) and Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) this coming Friday, May 8 on the two daily slots formerly operated by BQB.

Sources:

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/20897-amaszonas-anuncia-su-nueva-ruta-a-aeroparque
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/columnistas/sergio-antonio-herrera/item/20901-del-silencio-de-bqb-al-silencio-de-amaszonas
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/20906-papel%C3%B3n-confirmado-ni-amaszonas-ni-bqb-vuelan-el-lunes

ROUTE UPDATE: Amaszonas reportedly will start flying CRJ-200's from Montevideo (MVD) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) & Asuncion (ASU) on 04May15

Aviacion News reported in its 23Apr15 online issue that, contrary to earlier reports, Amaszonas will start flying one of its own CRJ-200's instead of ex-BQB Lineas Aereas ATR-72's from Montevideo (MVD) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Asuncion (ASU) on 04May15.  

Amaszonas purchased BQB's AOC (Air Operator Certificate) earlier this month and it was announced by several media outlets that the Bolivian carrier would start service from Montevideo (MVD) with former BQB aircraft while it went through the approvals process for operating its own planes from the Uruguayan capital. However, it now appears that Amaszonas will wet-lease one of its own CRJ-200's flown by its own crews to "Amaszonas Uruguay", a measure made easier because the Bolivian airline recently took delivery of it eighth CRJ-200.     

Editor's Note: 

One formidable obstacle for Amaszonas could be getting approval from the Argentine government to fly its own CRJ-200's to Aeroparque given that the present government has been very reluctant to allow new services by foreign carriers into Argentine airports.      

Source:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150423/avn-150423.html

Bolivian Airline Amaszonas purchases BQB Lineas Aereas' Air Operator Certificate, plans to restart BQB's Aeroparque (AEP) & Asuncion (ASU) Routes on May 4

In the early morning hours of Thursday, April 16, Bolivian airline Amaszonas came to an agreement with BQB Lineas Aereas to purchase the latter's Uruguayan Air Operator's Certificate and the route rights that come with it from Montevideo (MVD) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Asuncion (ASU).  

Amaszonas has also entered into negotiations with BQB to lease the carrier's three ATR-72-212A's presumably allowing Amaszonas to receive permission from the Uruguayan, Argentine and Paraguayan aviation authorities to start service on the above-mentioned routes, with a target date of Monday, May 4, since such service would merely be a continuation of the flights that BQB operated until recently.  BQB technically "suspended" services on April 11 allowing the carrier to restart flights within 60 days with its current operating certificate as opposed to closing down which would have resulted in the cancellation of its AOC.  
       

Amaszonas has no intention of buying BQB's ATR-72-212A's because it already has a fleet of eight 50-seat CRJ-200's but the carrier expects that it will take up to six months to obtain all the proper authorizations for it to introduce the CRJ-200's between Montevideo (MVD) and Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Asuncion (ASU).       

Amaszonas will retain 30 of 90 BQB's employees effective immediately to transition to Amaszonas plus 30 more to maintain the operating certificate for the ATR-72's (flight crews and maintenance staff) with the last 30 being laid off (made redundant) unless the carrier needs them for future growth, in which case they might be offered jobs again.     

Amaszonas is a privately-owned carrier that has grown to help fill the vacuum left by the closing of Bolivian carriers Lloyd Aero Boliviano and Aero Sur in recent years.  Other carriers that have started or grown in Bolivia in recent times include the government-owned Boliviana de Aviacion, the military airline TAM, and most recently EcoJet.

Amaszonas has grown in recent years to serve 40 cities in eight different countries, mostly from its Santa Cruz Viru Viru International Airport (VVI) base. This includes 12 cities in Bolivia and seven in surrounding countries; Montevideo (MVD), Asuncion (ASU), Iquique (IQQ) in Chile, Salta (SLA) in Argentina, Campo Grande (CGR) in Brazil, plus Arequipa (AQP) and Cuzco (CUZ) in Peru. 

Long-term plans are for the carrier to invest $ 22 million to build up to a fleet of 16 CRJ-200's and a route network of 40 destinations by 2017, including several touristic points, such as Foz de Iguacu, Rio de Janeiro and the Galapagos Islands, building its Santa Cruz base into a major new South American hub.

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150416/avn-150416.html

http://www.elobservador.com.uy/noticia/302923/amaszonas-negocia-alquilar-aviones-a-bqb/

http://www.elobservador.com.uy/noticia/303007/amaszonas-preve-retomar-vuelos-el-4-mayo/

http://www.elobservador.com.uy/noticia/302865/lopez-mena-vendio-bqb-a-la-aerolinea-boliviana-amaszonas/

http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/amaszonas-comenzaria-volar-region-mayo.html

http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/lopez-mena-vendio-aeronautica-bqb.html

   

BQB Lineas Aereas to Suspend Operations on April 11

BQB recently announced that it would suspend operations on April 11. The Uruguayan airline started flying in May 2010 as a subsidiary of Buquebus, which operates the main ferry services between Argentina and Uruguay, having a virtual monopoly on the route.       

The carrier had grown by early 2014 to operate 4 ATR-72-200's; CX-JCL (c/n 805), CX-JPL (c/n 816), CX-POS (c/n 636) and CX-LFL (c/n 570) plus an A320 leased from Spanish carrier Vueling, EC-LLJ (c/n 4661) from Montevideo (MVD) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), Asuncion (ASU), Paraguay and various Brazilian points. BQB also took delivery of a leased A319 in May 2014, CX-SAN (c/n 1703), which reportedly never entered service.  

However, signs of financial difficulties appeared in August 2014 when it briefly failed to make payments to the IATA clearinghouse with more significant problems being signaled by the cancellation of services to the Brazilian cities of Porto Alegre (POA), Curitiba (CWB) and Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU), all in September. In addition, the airline returned one of its ATR-72-200's, CX-LFL (c/n 570) to the Toulouse, France headquarters of the aircraft's manufacturer, Aerospatiale, in February 2015. 

BQB started operations in May 2010 with domestic flights from Montevideo (MVD) to Salto (STY), Uruguay followed by service between Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Punta del Este (PDP), Uruguay but sought to expand and fill the void left by PLUNA when the latter carrier shut down operations in June 2012.  However, the Argentine authorities never allowed BQB to establish a major presence on the lucrative Montevideo (MVD) - Aeroparque (AEP) route, being limited to two daily frequencies. In addition to the airline's domestic flights to Salto (STY), it also flew to Rivera (RVY), Uruguay but abandoned both routes due to poor loads.           

As it now wraps up services, BQB is down to two ATR-72-200's and 2x/daily flights from Montevideo (MVD) to Aeroparque and 5x/weekly to Asuncion (ASU).

Factors in the airline's decision to close include conflict with the Uruguayan government over BQB's controversial role in the failed late 2012 attempt to auction off the seven company-owned ex-PLUNA CRJ-900's plus the imminent start-up of Alas Uruguay with 737-300's.

Rumor has it that BQB's operation might still be salvaged in the form of a purchase by the privately-owned Bolivian airline, Amaszonas, which is seeking to expand in the region.       

Sources:

http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/bqb-suspende-actividad-busca-comprador.html

http://aeronavescx.blogspot.com.ar/2015/04/a-partir-del-11-de-abril-la-aerolinea.html

http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/BQB%20Lineas%20Aereas.htm

BQB Lineas Aereas to Close After Alas Uruguay Starts Service ?

BQB Lineas Aereas ATR72-212A, CX-JCL (c/n 805) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 20Mar11. This was the first aircraft that BQB took delivery of but will it soon be gone ?  (Phil Perry Photo) 

There have been rumors that the Buquebus ferry lines, owners of BQB Lineas Aereas, will shut down the carrier after Alas Uruguay starts service in the coming months.

While the company is privately held, the airline has apparently suffered

financial losses as would be inferred from route, aircraft and personnel cutbacks since the second half of 2014: 

* Airbus A319, CX-SAN (c/n 1703), left the fleet in December followed by the recent departure to Europe of ATR-72-212A, CX-LFL (c/n 570) leaving BQB with the two ATR-72's that it originally took delivery of back in 2010, CX-JCL (c/n 805) and CX-JPL (c/n 816) plus one more that joined the fleet in November 2013, CX-POS (c/n 636).  

* All Brazilian routes to Curitiba (CWB), Porto Alegre (POA) and Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) were abandoned in September leaving the carrier only with its Montevideo (MVD) - Buenos Ares Aeroparque (AEP) and Montevideo (MVD) - Asuncion (ASU) routes. 

* 55 staff were laid off (made redundant) as a result of the above cutbacks.  

Additionally, the airline has been dealing with legal problems related to irregularities in its bid on the seven company-owned ex-PLUNA CRJ-900's during an auction in late 2012.  Finally the entry into the market of Alas Uruguay, which will presumably have Uruguayan state political support as the unofficial successor to PLUNA, does not bode well for BQB.  

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150226/avn-150226.html
http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2015/02/salida-para-bqb.html
http://www.planespotters.net/Production_List/search.php?manufacturer=ATR&subtype=ATR-72&fleet=8613&fleetStatus=1

FLEET UPDATE: BQB Lineas Aereas A319, CX-SAN, returned to lessor in Toulouse

Buquebus Lineas Aereas A319, CX-SAN (c/n 1703), departed Montevideo (MVD) on return to lessor Air Lease International in Toulouse, France (TLS) via Recife, Brazil (REC) on 13Dec14.  

The aircraft, which was intended for regional routes from Montevideo (MVD) to points in Brazil and Chile, such as Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG), Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) and Santiago (SCL), saw little regular service with the Uruguayan airline.  It was the first and so far only Airbus aircraft to be on the Uruguayan register.

Sources:

http://aeronavescx.blogspot.com.ar/2014/12/partio-toulouse-el-airbus-319-cx-san-de.html

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141225/avn-141225.html

BQB Lineas Aereas Cutting Back Services, Laying Off Workers & Reducing Fleet

BQB Lineas Aereas, which as recently as the first half of 2014 was planning to increase service, has cancelled expansion plans and sharply reduced existing services.

The airline, based in Montevideo (MVD), was flying a leased A320 followed by a leased A319 to Santiago (SCL), Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) and Rio de Janeiro (GIG) earlier this year but now has canceled these routes and apparently returned the A319 to the lessor.  In addition, BQB has sold two of its four ATR-72-212A's though the editor of this blog has not been able to confirm which ones. 55 staff have been laid off (made redundant) and all Brazilian routes canceled including Porto Alegre (POA) and Curitiba (CWB). 

The airline is currently only flying the services that it started out with, such as its most important route, Montevideo (MVD) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) plus Montevideo (MVD) to Asuncion (ASU) and domestic flights to Rivera (RVY) and Salto (STY).  

BQB claims that the reductions are not as a result of financial difficulties but are necessary measures to adjust to changes in the marketplace.  However, IATA (International Air Transport Association) suspended the airline for a time in August from its ticket clearinghouse whereby funds collected by airlines on behalf of other carriers on common tickets are redistributed to the operating carrier.  This would suggest that BQB was retaining funds that it should have forwarded to IATA.  This situation appears to have since been resolved but the editor of this blog has no confirmation of that. 

Separately, the Uruguayan Civil Aviation Direcorate (DINACIA) is investigating a tail-strike incident involving a BQB ATR-72-212A in Salto (STY) on 09Dec11 that went unreported. 

Sources:

http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/bqb-no-hara-rutas-brasil.html

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140904/avn-140904.html

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141009/avn-141009.html

       

Manufacturer's Bombardier Q400NG visits BQB Lineas Aereas in Uruguay as part of South American Sales Tour

A Bombardier Q400NG visited BQB Lineas Aereas in Uruguay as part of a South American sales tour in late March.  

The aircraft operated a demonstration flight from Montevideo (MVD) to Punta del Este (PDP) for BQB senior executives, pilots, flight attendants, mechanics and other staff with the idea of familiarizing the company with the advantages offered by the latest version of the Q400, including its 1100 nautical mile range and 350-knot cruising speed.    

With BQB operating many longer sectors from Montevideo to Brazil the Q400NG's range and speed might be a good alternative to the airline's ATR-72 fleet, albeit a very good aircraft.         

Source:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140424/avn-140424.html

ROUTE UPDATE: BQB Suspends A319 Flights citing Argentine & Brazilian Route Authority Denials

BQB Lineas Aereas late last week suspended A319 service and laid off four flight crews, citing route authority denials to Cordoba (COR) and Rosario (ROS) by the Argentine authorities and unspecified Brazilian route denials too. 

The Uruguayan airline claims that it is not in economic difficulties, yet it failed to pay other airlines for tickets that it endorsed to them when it canceled flights and needed to reroute passengers on said airlines.  BQB has said that these payments, which are routed through the IATA (International Air Transport Association) clearinghouse, will resume normally soon.  The airline claims to be in good financial health with assets of US$ 70 million, which a BQB spokesperson compared favorably to Alas U, which would be financed through a debt of US$ 15 million on the day it starts operations should it ever do so.        

Editor's Note:  

BQB has been flying to many Brazilian destinations and this is the first I have heard of them being denied any routes to its much larger neighbor to the north. This is also the first I have read about BQB applying for routes to Cordoba (COR) and Rosario (ROS).  

These doubtful claims plus the carrier's failure to pay other airlines through the IATA clearinghouse would seem to indicate that BQB might be having financial problems in spite of its claims to have US$ 70 million in assets and being owned by the very successful Buquebus ferry company.  

Sources:

http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/bqb-fuera-iata-incumplimiento.html
http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/bqb-viajo-hoy-buenos-aires.html
http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/bqb-mas-seguro-paro-airbus.html  

BQB Lays Off / Makes Redundant 55 Workers Apparently due to Argentina Route Denials

BQB Lineas Aereas laid off / made redundant 55 workers last week, apparently due to Argentina route applications that it made being denied by the Argentine government.  The personnel losing their jobs are mostly flight and cabin crew that were to be deployed on new routes, such as to Cordoba (COR).  

The carrier's service plans for August from Montevideo include 14x/weekly flights to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), 6x/weekly to Asuncion (ASU) and 6x/weekly to Porto Alegre (POA).  Flights to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE), Curitiba (CWB), Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG), Santiago (SCL), and Sao Paulo (GRU) are being abandoned, at least for the time being. 

The Uruguayan airline is reportedly also cancelling a lease on an A319 but it is not clear if that is in reference to the sole A319 currently in its fleet or one that was due to arrive later this year. 

Editor's Note:  

The claim that the layoffs are due to Argentina route denials seems doubtful because this is the first that I have heard in at least a couple of years of BQB aspiring to fly to Argentine points beyond Buenos Aires. Also, PLUNA's failure was due in large part to its inability to gain route rights from Argentina that would have enabled the carrier to feed its six Brazilian destinations out of Montevideo (MVD).  It is hard to believe that BQB expected to be approved for the same routes that were denied to PLUNA.

It sounds more like some of BQB's routes have not been as successful as the carrier would have liked, maybe due to slow economic growth in the "Southern Cone" countries and Brazil as Aviacion News pointed out in its 31Jul14 issue, so the carrier is simply scaling back growth to meet demand.     
  
Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140731/avn-140731.html
http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/bqb-envio-personas-seguro-paro.html
http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/bqb-seguro-paro-alegando-veto.html
http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2014/08/viene-mala-para-bqb.html

BQB Lineas Aereas Cutting Routes, Reducing Some Staff & possibly Canceling A319 Lease

It all started on Wednesday, July 23 when the Uruguayan football / soccer club Defensor Sporting's return flight from Asuncion (ASU) to Montevideo (MVD) after a match was supposedly delayed for weather reasons.  But when the delay became indefinite, concerns started to mount that something more than the weather was at play.  The BQB aircraft did finally arrive the following day to fly the team home but the delay set off a chain of events revealing changes and possibly problems at the airline.

While BQB has announced the arrival of three A319's and the introduction of many new services from Montevideo (MVD) the last few months, only one such aircraft has arrived and only a handful of the destinations are currently served; Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE), Asuncion (ASU), Curitiba (CWB), and Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU).  Destinations that have seen service suspended include Porto Alegre (POA), Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) and Santiago (SCL).  Furthermore, it appears that Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE), Curitiba (CWB), and Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) will be dropped, though Porto Alegre (POA) will apparently be added back on.  

Additionally, 12 pilots have been laid off / made redundant, at least on a temporary basis.  There have been rumors that the A319 lease has been cancelled but that is uncertain.  The Uruguayan newspaper El Pais quotes sources at the airline as saying that the carrier is not having financial problems but is merely adapting to "changed circumstances".  Both claims appear to be plausible as BQB is part of the Buquebus group that operates very successful ferry services between Argentina and Uruguay plus certain destinations out of BQB's Montevideo base are becoming more competitive, such as Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG) and Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) where TAM is adding substantial new service.

Sources:

http://www.subrayado.com.uy/Site/noticia/35538/defensor-varado-en-asuncion-no-saben-cuando-vuelven
http://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/bqb-reformula-plan-negocios-recorta.html
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/zonas-del-portal/editorial/item/18600-bqb-reduce-destinos-de-su-malla-compartimos-bqb-%C2%BFcapricho-de-l%C3%B3pez-mena?
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/zonas-del-portal/primera-plana/item/18603-bqb-est%C3%A1-intentando-cambiar

ROUTE UPDATES: BQB Lineas Aereas - Growing Route Network

BQB Lineas Aereas of Uruguay, owned by the Buquebus Ferry Lines, has been growing steadily in the last few years, especially since the collapse of PLUNA in July 2012.   

Starting with two ATR-72-212A's, CX-JCL (c/n 805) and CX-JPL (c/n 816), in early 2010, the airline added two more ATR-72's, CX-LFL (c/n 570) and CX-POS (c/n 636) in 2013 plus a Vueling A320 that operated for four months with BQB in late 2013 / early 2014 prior to being replaced on 10May14 with an A319, CX-SAN (c/n 1703) leased from Air Lease Corporation.  

As of late March 2014, BQB operated the following routes and frequencies: 

Montevideo (MVD) to:

ARGENTINA:

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - 14 weekly flights with ATR-72
Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - 7 weekly flights with ATR-72

BRAZIL:

Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) - 5 weekly flights with A320 
Rio de Janeiro (GIG) - 5 weekly flights with A320
Porto Alegre (POA) - 6 weekly flights with ATR-72
Curitiba (CWB) - 5 weekly flights with ATR-72

CHILE:

Santiago (SCL) - 6 weekly flights with A320

PARAGUAY:

Asuncion (ASU) - 6 weekly flights with A320

Sources:

www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2014/03/que-rutas-opera-bqb-lineas-aereas-actualmente/

www.airfleets.net/flottecie/BQB%20Lineas%20Aereas.htm

FLEET UPDATE: BQB Lineas Aereas recieved its first A319, CX-SAN, on 09May14

This is a photo of Vueling A320, EC-JTQ, (c/n 2794) apparently photoshopped with the BQB colors since it is not the one that the airline leased from Vueling earlier this year.  (Photo: BQB)  

BQB's first A319-132, CX-SAN, (c/n 1703) arrived in Montevideo (MVD) on 11May14 on delivery from Bordeaux. France (BOD), via Espargos, Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde (SID) and Recife, Brazil (REC).  
The aircraft, which is on lease from Air Lease Corporation, was first delivered to TAM on 31May02 as PR-MAI with which it flew until December 2013 when it was stored until recently.

BQB was expecting to make good use of the new aircraft, especially with its 144 all-economy class seating for charters to the Uruguayan soccer team games at the World Cup in Brazil.   

Photo of CX-SAN at Ilha do Sal (SID) on 09May14:

http://aeronavescx.blogspot.com.ar/search?updated-max=2014-05-11T10:22:00-07:00

Sources:

http://aeronavescx.blogspot.com.ar/search?updated-max=2014-05-11T10:22:00-07:00
http://aeronavescx.blogspot.com.ar/2014/05/llegada-del-cx-san-carrasco-hoy-1148-am.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140515/avn-140515.html
http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a319-1703.htm

ROUTE UPDATES: World Cup Charters / Extra Sections: BQB to Add Many Extra Flights from Montevideo (MVD) & Santiago (SCL) to Brazil

BQB's ATR-72-500's and soon-to-be-delivered A319's will be busy this southern hemisphere winter flying their regular schedules plus a lot of World Cup charters.  Above is BQB ATR-72-500 CX-JPL taking off at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 11Oct10.  (Phil Perry Photo)

BQB Lineas Aereas of Uruguay will operate a total of 42 charter flights and extra sections (21 round-trips) from Montevideo (MVD) and Santiago (SCL) to Brazil for fans to attend Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay World Cup "Group Round" matches plus some "Second Stage" and playoff round matches as well. 

19 of the round-trips will be from Montevideo (MVD) with 12 being operated by BQB's ATR-72-500's and 7 by the three A319's that it is supposed to receive by then. 

Only 2 of the round-trips will be operated from Santiago (SCL), both with A319's. 

From Montevideo (MVD) several of the airports will be ones that BQB normally operates to - Porto Alegre (POA), Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG), and Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) plus several one-off destinations that will be sure to please local spotters - Belo Horizonte (CNF), Brasilia (BSB), Natal (NAT), Sao Paulo Viracopos (VCP) and Cuiaba (CGB).

From Santiago, BQB will fly their A319's to Sao Paulo Viracopos (VCP) and Cuiaba (CGB). 

Some of the ATR-72 flights will be very long, especially to Belo Horizonte (CNF) and Brasilia (BSB) which could be in excess of five hours !  Most of the flights are being sold as same-day round-trips so there should be little luggage on the planes and less weight allowing for more range.  On the other hand, the aircraft should be full with most of the passengers being male so that might result in unscheduled fuel stops ! 

For full details on all the individual flights, please click on the "Source" below: 

Source:  http://airlineroute.net/2014/02/05/5q-brazil-s14/ via Eric Trum