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 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

Sol Lineas Aereas - The Final Months - Part 3 of 3 - Sol's Fleet Today

Air Nostrum CRJ-200ER, EC-MJY (c/n 7915) ex-LV-GIH, in Sol colors but with small Air Nostrum titles on approach to Toulouse Blagnac (TLS) France on 24Mar16.  

Photo by "Eurospot" used with photographer's permission: 

http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.cgi?1417618

Sol's Former Fleet Today

CRJ-200ER's

Two of Sol's CRJ-200's were reportedly parked at Rosario (ROS) soon after the carrier ceased operations with the third going to Asuncion (ASU).  By 24Feb16, all three were spotted in Asuncion (ASU) with apparently two, (c/n 7915) and (c/n 7975) departing back to Air Nostrum in Spain in March.    

LV-GIH (c/n 7915) was re-registered as EC-MJY.

LV-GII (c/n 7975) was re-registered as EC-MJZ.   

In the meantime, the third CRJ-200, LV-GIJ (c/n 7466), which was supposed to be re-registered as EC-MJX, presumably returned to Spain although the author of this blog knows of no confirmed reports of this. 

Interesting photos of two the CRJ-200's in Sol's blue colors but with small Air Nostrum titles and with their new Spanish registrations: 

EC-MJY (c/n 7915):  See top of posting 

EC-MJZ (c/n 7975):  http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=1424329

Saab 340's

Sol's five Saab 340's are reportedly parked in Rosario (ROS), the airline's former base. They are in, order of when they joined the Sol fleet:

* Saab 340A, LV-BEX (c/n 14), is one of the first Saab 340's to have been built way back in 1985.  Sol took delivery of the plane on 02Aug06 but stored the aircraft in February 2012. 

* Saab 340A, LV-BEW (c/n 150), was delivered to Business Express in 1989 and joined the Sol fleet on 07Aug06.   

* Saab 340A, LV-CEI (c/n 12), is also one of the first Saab 340's to have been manufactured with Comair (USA) taking delivery of the plane on 29Mar85.
Sol added the aircraft to its fleet on 30Jul10.

* Saab 340B, LV-CSK (c/n 168), was delivered in 1989 and flew for several European airlines before joining Sol on 14Nov11.   

* Saab 340B, LV-CYC (c/n 310), was delivered in 1992 and flew for several carriers in Europe, the USA, and Australia before joining Sol on 28Jul12.   

Sol also flew three more Saab 340's in its 10-year history::

* Saab 340A, LV-BMD (c/n 123), was originally delivered in 1988, flying for several airlines, all in the USA, prior to joining the Sol fleet on 01Oct07.  On 02Jan13, the pilots lost directional control of the aircraft while taxiing for takeoff at Mendoza (MDZ) exiting the taxiway onto rough ground.  Propeller blades from the #1 engine were damaged with shrapnel causing a 5 centimeter hole in the fuselage.  Nobody was hurt but the aircraft was deemed to be beyond economical repair. 

* Saab 340A, LV-BTP (c/n 131), joined Sol on 03Jan09 but left to Sky Bahamas on 23Aug14.

* Saab 340A, LV-CEJ (c/n 25), joined the fleet on 30Jul10, the same date as LV-CEI.  It crashed on 18May11 in the province of Rio Negro, Argentina due to severe icing and subsequent loss of control with the loss of all 3 crew and 19 passengers.

Sources:

http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Sol%20Lineas%20Aereas.htm
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2016/01/cese-operaciones-de-sol-lineas-aereas-ii.html
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2016/02/sol-lineas-aereas.html
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2016/02/se-fueron-los-dos-crj200-de-rosario.html
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2016/03/vuelta-espana.html
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20130102-0
http://www.perfil.com/contenidos/2013/01/02/noticia_0020.html
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20110518-0
  

Sol Lineas Aereas - The Final Months - Part 2 of 3 - The Airline Shuts Down & tries to Reorganize

Sol employees protest at the airline's former ticket counter at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 17Mar16.  The signs say "No aviation worker fired" and "You are are richer (referring to the airline's owners) and 300 more families are without work". (Phil Perry Photo)    

Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral Agreement with Sol Lineas Aereas

With the election of new Argentine President Mauricio Macri, who took office on 10Dec15, Aerolineas' senior management was changed so that the state-owned carrier would be run in line with President Macri's wishes.  Isela Costantini, a high-ranking executive at Mercedes Benz Argentina, took over the reins at Aerolineas on Monday, 04Jan16 and upon examining the finances and operations of the loss-plagued carrier, promptly cancelled the agreement with Sol on 14Jan16, which she judged to be extremely disadvantageous to Aerolineas.     

What were the terms of the Aerolineas / Sol agreement ?  The information published in news media has been spotty and piecemeal making it difficult to determine with certainty what the terms were.  Below is the editor's interpretation from several different sources.    

Capacity Purchase Agreement 

Aerolineas entered into a "Capacity Purchase Agreement" with Sol, similar to such arrangements between major carriers and regionals / commuters in the US and Europe, whereby the major purchases the entire seat inventory of the smaller carrier and sells it through the larger carrier's formidable marketing apparatus, keeping the revenue for itself.

Two Versions of Agreement

One version of the agreement is that Aerolineas reportedly agreed to cover all of Sol's company costs, including flying operations, administrative costs, etc. + 12% in guaranteed profit, with the latter expected to be approximately US$ 5.50 million per year.

Another version has Aerolineas agreeing to pay Sol for 210 monthly hours use of its four 34-seat Saab 340's at US$ 2,600 per block hour for a total of US$ 552,510 each plane.  Similarly, the national carrier was to pay for 210 monthly hours x US$ 3,000 = US$ 630,000 per month for each CRJ-200.  Some reports have also indicated that Aerolineas separately provided fuel for these operations.  

Aerolineas' Projected Losses from Agreement

Aerolineas had already given Sol 125 million pesos (approx. US$ 8 million) before the change of government in December with the new management estimating that continuing the agreement would have resulted in a loss to Aerolineas of 1 million pesos (approx. US$ 65,000) per day.
   
Some said that Aerolineas was paying Sol 80% more for flying these routes than if it had just operated the routes itself with sister carrier Austral's E190's.  It appears that this might be the case in the first version above where all of Sol's costs were covered by Aerolineas but in the second version it seems the opposite would be true because Austral's E190's would probably cost a lot more to operate than Sol's 34-seat Saab 340's and 50-seat CRJ-200's.   

With the cancellation of the Aerolineas agreement, Air Nostrum cancelled its partnership with Sol leading the latter's management to declare the carrier's continuing operations to be unviable and suspend operations on 15Jan16.  

Sol looks for new Business Partners to resume Operations  

The sudden shutdown of Sol caused a lot of commotion for passengers who found themselves with cancelled flights, but mostly affected Sol's 220 employees who suddenly lost their jobs.

The Argentine government worked with Sol and other parties to get the airline operating again both to avoid the loss of connectivity and preserve jobs. 

Via Bariloche + London Supply + American Jet

Initially three companies; the Via Bariloche bus operator and owner of small commuter airline SAPSA, London Supply, operator of El Calafate (FTE) and Ushuaia (USH) airports, and American Jet (an FBO and charter company with a fleet of business jets and an ATR-42 flying for the oil industry in Neuquen), all looked at making investments in Sol but did not get very far in the process before dropping out.

Amaszonas Interest

This was followed by the promising interest shown by Amaszonas of Bolivia, which was and is expanding in the region with affiliates Amaszonas Paraguay and now Amaszonas Uruguay, and also operates the same CRJ-200 type of aircraft that Sol flew.  Expanding into Argentina with both domestic flights and international connectivity to its other affiliates seemed like a natural fit for the airline's expansion plans.  However, when the Avianca Group of Colombia bought Macair as a base for establishing a domestic operation in Argentina, Amaszonas dropped out of pursuing Sol, saying that it could not compete with a large and powerful company like Avianca, although some thought that it was a convenient excuse for Amaszonas to back out.

With no agreement with any other carriers or investors in sight, Sol Lineas Aereas shut down completely on 31Mar16 after nearly 10 years of flight operations. 

Sources:

http://www.ieco.clarin.com/aerolineas-estado-auditoria_0_1504050066.html
http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/economico-Aerolineas-Sol-cancelo-vuelos_0_1504649666.html
http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/Recalde-Sol-Aerolineas-recaudaba-millon_0_1504649753.html
http://www.clarin.com/politica/Sol-gremial-connivencia-empresarios-Recalde_0_1505249673.html
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/22110-gobierno-argentino-presiona-para-evitar-cierre-de-sol
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160128/avn-160128.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160331/avn-160331.html
Avion Revue, Latin American Edition, April 2015, Issue #194, "Sol deja de Operar", p.30-34

Sol Lineas Aereas - The Final Months - Part 1 of 3 - Three CRJ-200's Delivered

Sol Lineas Aereas CRJ-200ER, LV-GII (c/n 7975), takes off runway 31 at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 02Jan16, less than two weeks before the carrier shut down. (Phil Perry Photo) 

This blog's last posting on Sol Lineas Aereas was in late September 2015 when the airline was seemingly embarking on an exciting new era of expansion and jet service but, sadly, only a little over three months later, Sol, was shut down by its ownership on 15Jan16.

Three CRJ-200's delivered (of six that were planned)

Sol took delivery of its first CRJ-200ER, registered EC-IVH (c/n 7915), from Air Nostrum on 20Sep15.  Surprisingly, the aircraft was not painted in the blue and orange colors of Sol, but in a scheme almost identical to that of Aerolineas Argentinas' sister carrier Austral Lineas Aereas, with the exception of a different tail logo and Sol titles instead of Austral.  This livery reflected that Sol was to assume the role of a regional carrier covering low-density routes for Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral and feeding the two carriers' flights at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and potentially other cities.  

The resemblance was not lost on Austral's pilot's union, UALA, long a rival of Aerolineas pilots' union, that interpreted the similarity of schemes as an indication that Sol might take over much of the Argentine domestic flying done by Austral's E190's.  Strong objections and tensions between UALA and Aerolineas / Austral management ensued.        

The aircraft was re-registered as LV-GIH and, after some training and route trials, it entered service on 19Oct15 on "El Corredor Petrolero" (The Oil Corridor) flying from Rosario (ROS) - Cordoba (COR) - Neuquen (NQN) - Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD) and back, so named because much of the passenger traffic going to the latter two cities is oil-related business travel.  Flight crews were said to be a mix of Argentine and Spanish nationals. 

Two more CRJ-200ER's were delivered by Air Nostrum to Sol, EC-JCL (c/n 7975), which was re-registered as LV-GII, in late October and EC-HSH (c/n 7466), later becoming LV-GIJ, in December.  Both aircraft were also painted in the Austral-style scheme. 

CRJ-200 Routes

In addition to "The Oil Corridor", Sol planned to fly at least the following routes (and apparently started some prior to shutdown):

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Mar del Plata (MDQ) - Bahia Blanca (BHI) - Trelew (REL) - Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD) along the Atlantic seaboard and appropriately known as "El Corredor Atlantico".

Summer seasonal services:

* Rosario (ROS) - Mar del Plata (MDQ)

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

* Cordoba (COR) - Punta del Este (PDP)

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Villa Gesell (VLG)   

Air Nostrum buys Shareholding of Sol

In addition to the agreement with Aerolineas, a key factor in Sol's new undertaking was the participation of the Spanish regional carrier, Air Nostrum, which was granted a 45% (some say 49%) share of Sol in exchange for the six CRJ-200's that the carrier was due to give Sol, plus corresponding training, maintenance and spares support.

Air Nostrum was establishing a new business unit, Air Nostrum Technics Americas, based in Paraguay to provide maintenance and spares support to operators of Bombardier, ATR, and CASA aircraft in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay.  Amaszonas of Bolivia and Amaszonas Paraguay are customers and Sol was to be one too.  In addition, the existence of this new business venture created an outlet for Air Nostrum to dispose of its CRJ-200 fleet, which was redundant to its needs.     

Sources:

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

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn151001/avn-151001.html
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2015/10/sol-lineas-aereas-crj-200.html

http://aeropuertocordoba.blogspot.com.ar/2015/10/sol-retomo-vuelos-cordoba.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn151022/avn-151022.html
http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/21732-sol-retoma-la-ruta-a-punta-del-este-desde-rosario-y-cordoba
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn151029/avn-151029.html
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2015/11/sol-lineas-aereas-en-jet.html
http://www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2015/11/asi-seran-los-vuelos-de-sol-lineas-aereas-durante-el-verano/

More Details: Sol Lineas Aereas Marketing Agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral

Sol Lineas Aereas' first CRJ-200, EC-IVH (c/n 7915), is due to enter service with the carrier on October 18 or 19 on the "Petroleum Route"; Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Rosario (ROS) - Cordoba (COR) - Neuquen (NQN) - Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), so named because Neuquen and Comodoro Rivadavia are important oil industry centers in Argentina's Patagonia region.   

In addition to serving as a feeder to existing Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral services, Sol will use the six CRJ-200's that it is due to receive in the coming months to fly some of the "thinner" routes that do not have enough traffic to support the use of AR/AU's larger jets plus open up new services, which typically take time to develop for the use of larger aircraft.

The Uruguayan travel blog Portal de America reports that AR/AU has agreed to pay Sol guaranteed fixed rates per block hour of US$ 3,144 for its Saab 340's and US$ 3,885 for its CRJ-200's, which at six hours per day for a 31-day month total US$ 584,784 and US$ 722,610, respectively.  "Portal" contends that this amounts to a subsidy with AR/AU effectively absorbing the Sol operation, but the agreement is similar to arrangements that US carriers have had with their feeders so this would be a matter of debate.

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150924/avn-150924.html

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/columnistas/luis-alejandro-rizzi/item/21557-el-acuerdo-aerolineas-argentinas-sol

FLEET UPDATE: First Sol CRJ-200 arrives at Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE)

Sol Lineas Aereas' first CRJ-200 arrived at Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) yesterday, 21Sep15.  The aircraft is, as identified in a previous post, the ex-Air Nostrum airframe EC-IVH (c/n 7915). It departed Valencia (VLC) Spain on 20Sep15 and routed via Nelson Mandela International Airport (RAI), Santiago Island, Cape Verde plus presumably somewhere in Brazil after crossing the Atlantic.  

Still wearing its Spanish registration, the aircraft will presumably receive an Argentine registration prior to its entry into service in Sol's new role as an Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral feeder airline in October.  Sol is due to receive five more CRJ-200's from Air Nostrum over the next six months. 

Source:  

http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2015/09/llego-el-crj-de-sol-lineas-aereas.html

FLEET UPDATE & PHOTO LINK: Sol Lineas Aereas first CRJ-200 Painted in Austral Colors !

The first CRJ-200 that Sol will reportedly take delivery of to start fulfilling its expanded code-share agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral has appeared painted in Austral colors but with Sol titles and a different tail logo from Aerolineas' sister carrier.  

This was somewhat unexpected as there has been no announcement of a color scheme change.  However, with Sol transforming itself into a feeder carrier for Aerolineas / Austral, it should not be too surprising that the carrier would abandon its "house" colors in favor of the Austral scheme for greater marketing consistency.

The aircraft in question is currently still with Air Nostrum of Spain as EC-IVH (c/n 7915) but is expected to be delivered to Austral on 22Sep15 and enter into service in mid-October. 

Recent photo of the aircraft in Montpellier, France as published by Rwandan Aviation via the excellent Argentine aviation blog Rollout Spotting:

http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2015/09/se-viene-el-canadair-para-sol.html

  

An artist's impression of a CRJ-200 in Sol "house" colors as posted in late August, also from Rollout Spotting:

http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2015/08/cambios-en-sol.html

Source:

http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2015/09/se-viene-el-canadair-para-sol.html

PHOTO GALLERY: Link to Artist's Image of Sol Lineas Aereas' CRJ-200

With Sol due to receive six CRJ-200's from Air Nostrum of Spain over the next few months, the excellent Argentine aviation blog Rollout Spotting recently published an artist's image of a CRJ-200 painted in full Sol colors:  

http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2015/08/cambios-en-sol.html

These will hopefully be gracing Argentine skies soon ! 

Sol Lineas Aereas to Expand Codeshare with Aerolineas Argentinas and acquire Six CRJ-200's from Air Nostrum

Sol Lineas Aereas recently signed an expanded codeshare agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral to cover routes that do not have enough traffic to economically operate the 737-700's, 737-800's and ERJ-190's flown by these two carriers.  Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral will reportedly be in charge of the sales and marketing of tickets with revenue accruing to the two carriers while Sol gets paid a flat fee by them to operate the codeshares.  

The agreement is due to take effect on September 1 and will apparently see the carrier abandon its current short-range regional route network flown by Saab 340's in favor of becoming a pure codeshare operation.  Sol's current fleet of four 34-seat turboprop Saab 340's, two "A" and two "B" models, are designed for short to medium range flights of up to about 400 miles / 650 km and are not suitable to operate on the longer-distance legs flown by the longer-range and greater capacity jets flown by AR /AU so Sol will reportedly replace its Saabs with six 50-seat CRJ-200 regional jets from Spanish regional carrier Air Nostrum with the first airframe due to arrive in early October, the second in November, two more in January, and the last two in March 2016.  Air Nostrum currently has a fleet of 44 aircraft; 5 ATR-72-600's, 3 CRJ-100's, 15 CRJ-200's (seven of which are in storage), 11 CRJ-900's and 10 CRJ-1000's and is looking to dispose of its CRJ-200's in favor of more CRJ-900's. 

The agreement between Sol and Air Nostrum is reportedly a lease with an option to buy and includes technical support from the Spanish carrier.  Sol flight crews are said to be already undergoing simulator training with flight dispatchers to start training soon too.   

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150618/avn-150618.html

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150723/avn-150723.html

http://todalaaviacion.blogspot.com.ar/2015/08/sol-lineas-aereas-comenzaria-operar-en.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/dXxBK+%28TODA+LA+AVIACION+...%29

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150813/avn-150813.html

http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Sol%20Lineas%20Aereas-active-sf3.htm

http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Air%20Nostrum.htm

ROUTE UPDATE: Sol Lineas Aereas Seasonal Routes this Past Summer

Sol Lineas Aereas Saab 340A, LV-CEI (c/n 12), taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque on 15Aug14.  Note the www.transatlanticatravel.com.ar titles. (Phil Perry Photo)

Sol Lineas Aereas Seasonal Summer Routes from the Summer just concluded: 

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Villa Gesell (VLG)

6x/weekly, Sunday - Friday effective 02Jan15

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

6x/weekly, Sunday - Friday, effective 02Jan15  

Sol has a fleet of four Saab 340's, two 340A's and two 340B's covering 11 destinations in Argentina and one in Uruguay.    

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150108/avn-150108.html
http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Sol%20Lineas%20Aereas-active-sf3.htm
http://www.sol.com.ar/site/new/index.php/home.php

SOL Lineas Aereas Cuts Back Service & Disposes of One Saab 340A

SOL Lineas Aereas Saab 340A, LV-BTP (c/n 131), left the fleet in August 2014 to Sky Bahamas. Here it is seen at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 20Sep10.  (Phil Perry Photo)

SOL Lineas Aereas has cut back service significantly in 2014, including the elimination of flights to cities in the Patagonia region of southern Argentina, such as Bariloche (BRC), Esquel (EQS), and Ushuaia (USH) in May and the "Corredor Petrolero" (Oil Route) linking Cordoba (COR), Mendoza (MDZ) and Neuquen (NQN) in July.  Some of these airports had been served by SOL since 2010 but increased competition from Aerolineas Argentinas and sister carrier Austral that have introduced their own "circle" routes connecting "interior" points of Argentina using the Embraer 190 have had their impact on SOL.       

On May 15, the airline cut the last two points of its "Atlantic Coast" route extending from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to Mar del Plata (MDQ), Bahia Blanca (BHI), Trelew (REL), Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), Rio Gallegos (RGL) and Rio Grande (RGA), the latter point located in the southernmost region of Argentina, Tierra del Fuego.  Trelew and Comodoro Rivadavia, both located in the province of Chubut, were set to be cut on November 1 too, but the governor of Chubut agreed to extend the fuel subsidy to SOL that was set to expire on that date.

SOL's primary routes linking Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), Rosario (ROS), Santa Fe (SFN) and Mar del Plata (MDQ) are being retained with seasonal service to Villa Gesell (VLG) and from Rosario (ROS) to Punta del Este (PDP) also planned.  

Contrary to the service reductions, SOL reintroduced service to San Luis (LUQ) on November 1, 6x/weekly with flights to Villa Mercedes (VME) and Villa de Merlo also likely. All three airports are in the province of San Luis in central Argentina.

The service cutbacks have led to the layoffs of 19 pilots and the disposal of one of its Saab 340A's, LV-BTP (c/n 131), which left the fleet to Sky Bahamas in August 2014.  SOL currently has the following Saab 340's in its fleet:

LV-CEI  (c/n 12) 340A 

LV-BEW (c/n 150) 340A

LV-CSK (c/n 168) 340B

LV-CYC (c/n 310) 340B

Sources:

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1735448-sol-lineas-aereas-se-achica-y-deja-de-volar-a-santa-cruz-y-tierra-del-fuego

http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2014/10/patagonia-sin-sol.html

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141016/avn-141016.html

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141023/avn-141023.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141030/avn-141030.html

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn141106/avn-141106.html

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

ROUTE UPDATE: Austral started Iguazu (IGR) - Rosario (ROS) - Cordoba (COR) service on 03Aug14

Austral Embraer 190AR, LV-CHO, (c/n 395), with flaps fully-extended as it lands at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 22Jan11.  (Phil Perry Photo)   

Austral Lineas Aereas added a stop in Rosario (ROS) to its existing Iguazu (IGR) - Cordoba (COR) service on 03Aug14.  

The route is being flown 2x/weekly as an Iguazu (IGR) - Rosario (ROS) - Cordoba (COR) roundtrip using Embraer 190's on Wednesdays and Sundays. 

The addition of the legs between Rosario (ROS) and Cordoba (COR) comes as bad news to Rosario-based SOL Lineas Aereas that has been flying the route with Saab 340's since the carrier's inception seven years ago.   

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140605/avn-140605.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140612/avn-140612.html

ROUTE UPDATE: SOL Lineas Aereas Adds/Drops Routes to adapt to Competitive Market Changes

SOL Saab 340A, LV-BMD, (c/n 123) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 01Oct10.  (Phil Perry Photo)   

SOL Lineas Aereas has made adjustments to its route structure to adapt to changes in the competitive marketplace, mostly by Aerolineas Argentinas and sister company Austral.

SOL dropped its "Oil Route", Cordoba (COR) - Mendoza (MDZ) - Neuquen (NQN) on 01Jul14 and with Austral adding the Rosario (ROS) - Cordoba (COR) sector, which was SOL's "bread and butter" route, SOL decided to drop Cordoba (COR) altogether, shifting equipment to reinforce Rosario (ROS) - Santa Fe (SFN).

The carrier also discontinued flights to Bariloche (BRC) and Esquel (EQS) in Patagonia and Ushuaia (USH) in southern Argentina on 20May14.

SOL's route system looked like this as of late July:

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Rosario (ROS), 15x/week

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Santa Fe (SFN), 11x/week

* Rosario (ROS) - Santa Fe (SFN)

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) multiple-stop route southward along the eastern seaboard of Argentina to Mar del Plata (MDQ), Bahia Blanca (BHI), Trelew (REL), Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD), Rio Gallegos (RGL), and Rio Grande (RGA) operated 5x/week.  

* Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Villa Gesell (VLG) seasonal service (summer)

All flights are operated with SOL's fleet of five Saab 340's.

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140626/avn-140626.html  
http://www.sol.com.ar/site/new/
http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Sol%20Lineas%20Aereas.htm

Sol Lineas Aereas gets 15-20% of Bookings through Code-Share with Aerolineas Argentinas; Looks to acquire ATR-42's or ATR-72's

Sol Lineas Aereas, the small Rosario, Argentina-based regional carrier with a fleet of six Saab 340A/B's, has been code-sharing with Aerolineas Argentinas since August 2013, mostly on less-traveled regional routes but also on some more important sectors also flown by Aerolineas.  The code-share agreement has been successful for Sol with 15-20% of its bookings being generated by Aerolineas' reservations.     

Sol was looking to acquire CRJ-200's from Spanish carrier Air Nostrum last year but the operation of jet equipment was seen as a threat to Aerolineas so Sol is now considering the acquisition of ATR-42's or even ATR-72's, although even the smaller ATR would represent a 40% increase in capacity over the Saab 340's. 

Source:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140206/avn-140206.html

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina & Uruguay Airline Route Additions & Changes

Sol Lineas Aereas - Effective 23Dec13

Increased service from Rosario (ROS) - Punta del Este (PDP) to 6x/weekly for the summer season with their Saab 340's.    

Sol Lineas Aereas - Effective 01Jan14

Started 6x/weekly summer service from both Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Rosario (ROS) to Villa Gesell (VLG).

Conviasa - Effective First Quarter 2014 (unconfirmed)

Luis Graterol, president of the Venezuelan state airline that replaced the defunct VIASA, announced in a television interview that the carrier would start 2x/weekly service from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Porlamar (PMV) on the Venezuelan resort island of Isla Margarita sometime during the first quarter of 2014. 

Conviasa already flies from EZE to Caracas (CCS) 3x/weekly using 767's, possibly leased from Vision Air as the Venezuelan airline does not have long-range aircraft of its own.  Presumably the same type will be used to Porlamar (PVM).      

Air Europa - Effective March 2014

The Spanish low-cost carrier announced that it will increase its Montevideo (MVD) - Madrid (MAD) flights from the current 3x/weekly to 4x/weekly in March with plans to add a fifth flight on the route in 2015.  These flights are operated with A330-200's.  

The addition of more flights would seem to signal that this is a profitable route for Air Europa meaning that they are more likely to stay for the long run. This is good news for Uruguay as Air Europa flies the only non-stop service to Europe from the South American country.    

Aerolineas Argentinas - Effective 01Jun14

Starting Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Porto Alegre (POA) daily service with 737-700's.   

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140102/avn-140102.html
http://www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2014/01/conviasa-operara-entre-buenos-aires-y-porlamar/
http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/ConViasa.htm
http://www.flightstats.com
http://www.conviasa.aero/2012/site.php
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conviasa
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2014/avn140206/avn-140206.html
http://airlineroute.net/2014/02/06/ar-poa-jun14/ via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATES: Argentina Airline Route Additions & Changes

Several route additions and changes to Argentina have been announced by airlines in recent months.  Those pertaining to Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral have been covered in a recent posting to this blog.  Details regarding service by other carriers are below:

AeroMexico - Effective 02Nov13:  

Increasing Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Mexico City (MEX) service from 7x/weekly to 9x/weekly for the southern hemisphere summer.  The additional flights are morning departures on Saturdays and Sundays operated with 767-200's as are the evening flights.

Sol Lineas Aereas - Effective 13Dec13: 

Operating Rosario (ROS) - Punta del Este (PDP) (Uruguay) summer seasonal service 6x/weekly (every day except Saturdays) with Saab 340's.

TAM Brazilian Airlines - Effective 01Jan14:

Starting Rosario (ROS) - Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) daily service using A320's. 

South African Airways - Effective 30Mar14: 

Cancelling Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Johannesburg (JNB) service.  Flights have been operated 3x/weekly with A340-300's.      

Sources: 
         
http://www.aeromexico.com
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/avn131017/avn-131017.html
http://www.sol.com.ar/site/new/
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/avn131031/avn-131031.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/avn131024/avn-131024.html
http://airlineroute.net/2013/12/03/jj-gruros-jan14/ via Eric Trum
http://airlineroute.net/2013/11/12/sa-eze-ns14cxld/ via Eric Trum

ROUTE UPDATES: Announced First Half 2013

The editor of this blog was traveling between March and June this year.  This airline route update will cover some of the route changes announced in the first half of this year.     

Airline               Routing                             Eff           Equip         Remarks

SOL                   AEP - Viedma (VDM)             09Apr13    Saab 340     2x/week

Andes                AEP - Salta (SLA)                 01May13   MD-80        Reduce 6x to 3x/week

Andes                AEP - Jujuy (JUJ)                  01May13   MD-80        Eliminating daily service 

BQB                   Montevideo (MVD) - EZE        15May13   ATR-72       4x/week

Austral               EZE - Belo Horizonte (CNF)     01Jun13     E190          Daily

Austral               AEP - Cordoba (COR) - Jujuy (JUJ) 02Jun13  E190       3x/week

TAME                 EZE - Quito (UIO)                 07Jun13     A319          Daily

Turkish               EZE - Istanbul (IST)             ??Jul13       A340-300    4x/week to daily 

Aerolineas Arg.     EZE - Brasilia (BSB)              01Aug13     737NG        Daily

Comments on Route Update:

* Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral have been steadily adding destinations in Brazil with Belo Horizonte (CNF) and Brasilia (BSB) being their fifth and sixth destinations after Rio de Janeiro Galeao (GIG), Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU), Porto Alegre (POA) and Florianopolis (FLN) which is operated on a seasonal basis.    

* Andes has reduced service between Buenos Aires and its northwest Argentina base due to increasing competition from Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral and LAN Argentina.

* BQB Lineas Aereas has added service from Montevideo (MVD) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to connect with Aerolineas Argentinas flights to Miami (MIA), Madrid (MAD) and Barcelona (BCN) and Iberia flights to Madrid (MAD) with connections beyond. 

Sources: 
http://airlineroute.net/2013/03/21/ar-cnf-jun13/ via Eric Trum
http://www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2013/03/desde-el-8-de-abril-sol-operara-entre-bs-as-y-viedma/
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/aviacion050213/aviacion050213.html
http://www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2013/04/andes-suspende-desde-mayo-sus-operaciones-en-jujuy/
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/aviacion050913/aviacion050913.html
http://www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2013/04/bqb-volara-entre-carrasco-y-ezeiza-desde-el-15-de-mayo/
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/aviacion051613/aviacion051613.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/aviacion061313/aviacion061313.html
http://www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2013/06/austral-inauguro-ayer-sus-vuelos-entre-cordoba-y-jujuy/
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/aviacion080813/aviacion080813.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/aviacion041113/aviacion041113.html    

Sol Lineas Aereas looking to receive ex-Air Nostrum CRJ-200's

Sol Lineas Aereas of Rosario, Argentina is reportedly about to lease 3-6 CRJ-200's of the Spanish commuter airline Air Nostrum.  These aircraft have become available because Air Nostrum's feeder contract with Iberia has been cancelled due to Iberia parent company IAG's strategic plans changing. 

Sol will use the aircraft on longer sectors of its existing route network, most of which are to the Patagonia region of southern Argentina where the airline serves 10 different airports.  Some of these sectors are quite long for the carrier's existing fleet of four Saab 340A's and two Saab 340B's.  The faster jet-powered CRJ's will reduce flying time on some legs by as much as an hour.

While some reports indicate that the CRJ-200's will complement the Saabs, others claim that they will gradually replace Sol's older and less-efficient A models.  The Air Nostrum CRJ's that Sol will acquire are on average 12 years old vs. 24 years for the Sol Saabs.     

If the lease goes through, Sol will become the third Argentine airline to operate aircraft of the Canadair CR family with Southern Winds having operated 10 different CRJ-200's in the late 1990's / early 2000's and Andes Lineas Aereas having flown two CRJ-900's in 2010-2011.   

Sources:  Aviacion News 18Jul13
              http://www.sol.com.ar/site/new/index.php/home.php
              http://todalaaviacion.blogspot.com.ar/2013/07/novedades-de-sol-
              lineas-aereas.html
                 http://www.sirchandler.com.ar/2013/07/sol-traeria-aviones-
              bombardier-para-su-flota/
                 http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Sol%20Lineas%20Aereas-active-
              sf3.htm
                 http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Southern%20Winds.htm         

FLEET UPDATE: SOL Lineas Aereas to Add Two Saab 340's for New Routes & Increased Frequencies

SOL Lineas Aereas Saab 340A, LV-BEX, c/n 14, presently stored, is pictured at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 20Sep10.  (Phil Perry photo)   

SOL is planning to add two Saab 340's to its existing fleet of four 340A's and two 340B's in the second half of this year.  The airline lost a 340 in an accident in 2011 and has another one, LV-BEX, in storage per airfleets.net 

The Rosario-based regional airline reports 20% growth recently, presumably partly due to its codeshare agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas on certain key routes.  SOL flies to Buenos Aires Aeropaqrue (AEP) plus several secondary routes in Argentina, including non-stop flights between cities that would otherwise require flying east to Buenos Aires to make a connection.  

Among the carrier's route plans are strengthening its presence in Patagonia through mini-hubs in Comodoro Rivadavia (CRD) and Neuquen (NQN), restarting its Rosario (ROS) - Cordoba (COR) - Tucuman (TUC) and Rosario (ROS) - Montevideo (MVD) routes (3x/weekly) plus adding a frequency between Cordoba (COR) and Montevideo (MVD).     

Sources:

Aviacion News 20Jun13:
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2013/aviacion062013/aviacion062013.html
http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Sol%20Lineas%20Aereas.htm