Aerolineas Argentinas: Feeder Carrier for Domestic Flights ? - Austral New Aircraft by end 2018 - Long-Haul Aircraft to Oceania - Intercon Routes to Stay

Aerolineas Argentinas President Mario Dell' Acqua spoke at the recent World Travel & Tourism Council conference held in Buenos Aires stating four particular points of interest:   

* FEEDER AIRLINE PARTNER ? 

With Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral steadily transitioning to larger aircraft, service to many of the Argentine domestic airports currently served by the group will no longer be commercially viable, not being able to produce enough passengers to operate larger aircraft profitably.  To remedy this situation, the Aerolineas group is looking to organize a network of feeder routes with "a serious and solvent" carrier operating smaller aircraft, presumably connecting smaller cities to Buenos Aires and AR's Cordoba (COR) hub. 

There has been speculation in at least one Argentine blog about which carrier this might be:

Flyest with its CRJ-200's is possible with its connection to the well-established Spanish commuter carrier Air Nostrum but Flyest is also a reincarnation of the now-defunct Sol Lineas Aereas that had a feeder agreement with Aerolineas' management under the previous Argentine presidency that was widely regarded as a sham.

LASA, the new Neuquen-based carrier that is scheduled to start service soon with EMB-145's is also possible. 

Avianca Argentina with its two ATR-72-600's, with more expected to be added to the fleet soon, would seem like a natural candidate to be a feeder carrier fro Aerolineas, both because it is "serious and solvent", having a major corporation as its backer, and operating an appropriate type of aircraft for feeder operations
possessing both a moderate number of seats and fuel-efficient propeller engines.       

* AUSTRAL NEW AIRCRAFT TYPE BY END 2018

Similar to what Aerolineas Argentinas has been saying recently, the new aircraft type that will eventually replace all of Austral's 26-strong E190 fleet is planned to have 180 seats, which appears to eliminate the E195 E2 new-generation jet from Embraer that is replacing the corresponding first generation E170/175/190/195 series of aircraft.       

The first example of the new type will likely be flying for Austral before the end of 2018, which suggests that a contract to buy or lease the type will be agreed to soon.  How long it will take to replace all 26 E190's is still unknown but previously it was suggested that the process would conclude in about 2-3 years time.  

* NEW LONG-HAUL TYPE REQUIREMENT TO OPERATE PROFITABLY TO OCEANIA

Aerolineas is actively considering the new type that will replace its current long-haul fleet of 10 A330-200's and 2 A340-300's with a decision expected before the end of the year.  A newly-revealed requirement is that the new type must be able to operate profitably to Australia and New Zealand, which would suggest that the aircraft chosen will need to fly long distances nonstop with a full payload.

* INTERCONTINENTAL ROUTES TO STAY    

There has been much speculation in recent years that Aerolineas would dump its intercontinental routes due to their lack of profitability but the airline's flights from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Miami (MIA), New York Kennedy (JFK), Madrid (MAD) and Rome Fiumicino (FCO) will apparently continue. 

Sources:

https://aviacionline.com/2018/04/aerolineas-argentinas-en-la-wttc-2018-tarifas-mas-bajas-y-comentarios-sobre-flota-long-haul-y-alianzas-en-cabotaje/
https://aviacionline.com/2018/04/aerolineas-argentinas-analiza-hacer-una-alianza-con-una-compania-de-cabotaje/
http://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2018/04/aerolineas-argentinas-hablo-de-una-premium-economy-para-los-vuelos-internacionales/

FLEET UPDATE: Flyest's second CRJ-200, LV-HQU, arrived in Argentina last week

New Argentine start-up carrier Flyest's second CRJ-200, LV-HQU (c/n 7200), arrived at Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) sometime during the last week, presumably from Asuncion (ASU) where it was observed parked in December 2017 wearing the Spanish registration EC-MQZ.

Flyest is apparently a joint venture between Spanish carrier Air Nostrum and some former directors of the defunct Argentine carrier Sol Lineas Aereas, similar to the venture that Air Nostrum has with Amaszonas of Bolivia whereby surplus CRJ-200's from the Spanish airline's fleet are put to use earning revenue on new routes in South America.

Flyest's first CRJ-200, LV-GIJ (c.n 7466), flew briefly with Sol Lineas Aereas in late 2015 / early 2016 and was parked for a time before joining Flyest in March 2017.  It has since flown numerous charters, mainly for professional sports teams.

LV-GIJ wears a scheme consisting of basic blue Austral colors (Sol had a short-lived joint venture with Austral) but LV-HQU has an all-white fuselage and red tail with the same billboard Flyest titles as LV-GIJ but in red, not white, and a white check mark on the tail as seen in the following photo from the Rollout Spotting blog:

https://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2018/01/flyest-suma-un-crj.html

Sources:

http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Flyest-active-crj.htm

https://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2018/01/roll-out-n-344-fleet-list.html

https://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2018/01/flyest-suma-un-crj.html

ROUTE UPDATE: Flyest flying Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Asuncion (ASU) for Amaszonas Paraguay

Flyest CRJ-200ER, LV-GIJ (c/n 7466), taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 11Jul17 flying a regularly-scheduled service for Amaszonas Paraguay to Asuncion (ASU).  (Phil Perry Photo) 

At least during the week of Monday 10Jul17, Flyest, the Argentinean airline that is the reincarnation of Sol Lineas Aereas, flew some rotations on behalf of Amaszonas Paraguay on the Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Asuncion (ASU) route.   This appears to be an outgrowth of the relationship that the Spanish carrier Air Nostrum had with Sol and Amaszonas Paraguay, which is a joint venture between Air Nostrum and Amaszonas Linea Aerea of Bolivia.   

Sol ceased operations on 16Jan16 when subsidies that it was receiving from Aerolineas Argentinas were abruptly cut off by the new administration of the national carrier put in place by the incoming government of Argentine president Mauricio Macri.  Sol had flown several Saab 340's since it started operations in August 2006 plus three CRJ-200's that it acquired under a joint venture agreement with Air Nostrum in the final months of 2015.

Two of the three CRJ-200's flew back to Spain but the third, LV-GIJ (c/n 7466), was stored in Asuncion (ASU) until 07Mar17 when it flew back to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP).  The aircraft sports the basic Austral colors that it wore while flying for Sol under the Aerolineas subsidies but with Flyest titles added.  The airplane is apparently still the property of Air Nostrum .             

Amaszonas Paraguay also flies CRJ-200's so it is natural for Flyest to fly subservices for the Paraguayan carrier.  It will be interesting to see where this cooperation will lead.  Maybe an Amaszonas Argentina joint venture between Air Nostrum and Amaszonas Linea Aerea using Flyest as a platform ?      

Sources:

See past postings for Amaszonas, Amaszonas Paraguay, Flyest, and Sol Lineas Aereas.  

NEW AIRLINE PLANS: Flyest CRJ-200 LV-GIJ parked at Aeroparque (AEP) waiting to fly

Flyest CRJ-200, LV-GIJ (c/n 7466), parked at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 19Apr17.  The aircraft has apparently been parked in the same spot in front of AEP's new terminal since late March.  (Phil Perry Photo)

Flyest, the airline that aims to succeed the defunct Sol Lineas Aereas as a small regional carrier complementing Argentina's mainline airlines, received its first aircraft, the ex-Sol CRJ-200, LV-GIJ (c/n 7466) in early March, but it has since been parked at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) with no indication of when the airline might start service.   

Air Nostrum Connection

The airline is 51% majority-owned by Gustavo Cebreiro, ex director general of Sol, with 49% of the airline in the hands of ILAI, an investor group of which the Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum is a member.  Air Nostrum has been in the process of implementing a strategy of partnering with South American regional airlines using surplus CRJ-200 aircraft from its fleet, with its greatest success being its venture with the Amaszonas group of airlines, including Amaszonas Bolivia, Amaszonas Paraguay and Amaszonas Uruguay.  In contrast, Air Nostrum's partnership with Sol Lineas Aereas only lasted for a couple of months in late 2015 / early 2016 when the new management of Aerolineas Argentinas that came in with the change of government in Argentina abruptly withdrew its marketing agreement and accompanying financial assistance to Sol in January 2016. 

Current Status & Future Plans

Flyest took over Sol's AOC and scheduled route rights to Rosario (ROS), Cordoba (COR) and Punta del Este (PDP).  It planned to start flying to Montevideo (MVD on 07Apr17 but that service has yet to materialize.  Its aircraft, LV-GIJ, is still painted in basic Austral colors with Flyest billboard titles but the airline plans to paint future aircraft, it hopes to have five CRJ-200's in service by late 2018, in its own color scheme, which has yet to be presented to the public.   

Sources:

http://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2017/04/datos-de-flyest/
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2017/03/listo-para-volar.html

NEW AIRLINE PLANS: Flyest taking over Sol Lineas Aereas AOC and Route Authorities

New details have emerged about Flyest, the new regional airline that was recently announced to start up in early April of this year, which came as a surprise since no previous information about the carrier was disclosed in any publication.  

Ownership

The airline is presently owned by three individuals; Gustavo Cebreiro, Juan Nyffenegger and Horacio Darréformer, all of whom had minority stakes in Sol Lineas Aereas, the Rosario-based regional carrier which shut down in early 2016.  The Angeli family, which had a majority stake in Sol, will reportedly not have any ownership in Flyest.  The current owners will apparently soon sell 49% of the airline to Inversora Líneas Aéreas Internacionales (ILAI), the Argentine affiliate of Spanish regional carrier Air Nostrum, which was involved in a joint venture with Sol at the time of its shutdown last year.  

Sol Lineas Aereas AOC & Routes

Flyest is reportedly in the process of acquiring Sol's operating certificate and route rights from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to Mar del Plata (MDQ), Rosario (ROS), Rafaela (RAF), Santa Fe (SFN) and Montevideo (MVD) with the intention of starting service to Uruguay very soon on 07Apr17.

Normally, if an Argentine carrier does not fly for six months it loses its route rights but plans for Flyest were apparently already underway at that point and the carrier's management asked for an extension of this deadline and received it.  

First Aircraft

Flyest's first aircraft is one of the former Sol / Air Nostrum CRJ-200's, LV-GIJ (c/n 7466), which was parked in Asuncion (ASU) since early 2016 until it was recently flown to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP).  The aircraft sported Sol's last Austral-style color scheme without titles while it was parked in Paraguay but was quickly painted with Flyest titles before its flight to Argentina with no changes being made to the basic scheme.  Four other CRJ-200's and 120 staff, many of them former Sol employees, are expected to join the carrier by year's end.

Editor's Note

Flyest's start up date seems way too ambitious since transferring the Air Operator Certificate from one entity to another normally still requires many of the procedures involved in acquiring an original AOC, such as demonstrating the financial and operating fitness to operate an air carrier.      

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2017/avn170309/avn-170309.html
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1992896-flyest-con-los-aviones-pintados-de-apuro-ya-tiene-todo-listo-para-empezar-a-volar-en-la-argentina

NEW AIRLINE PLANS: Photo of Flyest CRJ-200 at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 07Mar17

Photo of Flyest CRJ-200 at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) at 11:30am on the morning of 07Mar17.  The aircraft reportedly arrived at the city airport only an hour earlier at 10:20am from Asuncion (ASU) where it had been parked for over a year.  (Phil Perry Photo)

This plane is presumably LV-GIJ (c/n 7466), which flew with Sol Lineas Aereas in a joint venture with Air Nostrum of Spain that also involved a code-sharing marketing agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral Lineas Aereas that resulted in the aircraft being painted in Austral colors although with Sol titles. 

The venture only lasted from late 2015 into early 2016 when the change of presidency in Argentina and resulting new management that took over at Aerolineas / Austral quickly put an end to the agreement on January 15, 2016.

Three CRJ-200's had been delivered by Air Nostrum to Argentina by the time of the closure with two being returned to Europe soon after the shutdown but with LV-GIJ being parked in Asuncion (ASU) ever since then. 

Flyest has seemingly "come out of nowhere" while five other carriers participated in the much-publicized late December 2016 public route hearings. 

According to La Nacion newspaper, Flyest will put four CRJ-200's into service between Buenos Aires (Aeroparque?) and Mar del Plata (MDQ), Rosario (ROS), Santa Fe (SFN) and Montevideo (MVD) with flights starting during the next month !  The carrier will reportedly be backed by US$ 45 million from Spanish investors (Air Nostrum, according to the blog Linea Ala) and employ 120 pilots, crew members and other staff. 

Sources:

http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2017/02/air-nostrum-en-argentina.html
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1990886-llego-el-primer-avion-de-flyest-la-nueva-linea-aerea-que-volara-a-santa-fe-mar-del-plata-y-rosario