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

FLEET UPDATE: Alas Uruguay about to receive 2nd 737-300, CX-OAB, entering Fourth Phase of Certification Process

Alas Uruguay's second 737-300, CX-OAB (c/n 28869) will soon fly to the airline's Montevideo (MVD) base after it has been painted in the carrier's colors in Porto Alegre (POA).  

When the aircraft arrives, it will join the first 737-300 delivered to Alas Uruguay, CX-OAA, as the new airline enters the "Demonstration" phase of its certification process by the DINACIA Uruguayan aviation authorities, which will consist of verifying flight crew training, maintenance capabilities and other necessary infrastructure to operate a safe, and regulation-compliant service.

The carrier is expected to start operations flying charters followed by scheduled service in the coming months. 

Sources:

http://www.portaldeamerica.com/index.php/pda/otras-noticias/item/20903-segundo-avi%C3%B3n-de-alas-uruguay-muy-pronto-en-uruguay
http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Alas%20Uruguay-active-b737.htm

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

ROUTE UPDATE: Air Europa will reportedly lease a 787 to fly between Madrid (MAD) and Montevideo (MVD) effective April 2015

Airliner World magazine reported in its January 2015 issue that Air Europa will reportedly lease a single 787 from an undisclosed European carrier for use on its Madrid (MAD) - Montevideo (MVD) route starting in April 2015.  However, a quick check of www.flightstats.com and www.orbitz.com shows Air Europa still operating A330-200's on the route through May 2015.    

Air Europa will start receiving its own 787's in 2016.   

Source:

Airliner World - January 2015 

ROUTE UPDATE: Aerolineas Argentinas to introduce Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Quito (UIO) - Guayaquil (GYE) service on 01Dec15

Aerolineas Argentinas will introduce daily service on a Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) - Quito (UIO) - Guayaquil (GYE) - Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) "triangle" route effective 01Dec15 using 737-800's. Flights between Argentina and Ecuador are currently operated by TAME Ecuador using Embraer 170's. 

Sources:

http://airlineroute.net/2015/01/28/ar-uiogye-dec15/ via Eric Trum

www.flightstats.com

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

   

ROUTE UPDATE: Amaszonas increased Santa Cruz Viru Viru (VVI) - Asuncion (ASU) - Montevideo (MVD) services

Lineas Aereas Amaszonas of Bolivia recently increased its Santa Cruz Viru Viru (VVI) - Asuncion (ASU) - Montevideo (MVD) CRJ-200 service from 3x/weekly to 5x/weekly as a prelude to is acquisition of BQB Lineas Aereas' Uruguayan Air Operator Certificate (see next posting).  

Source:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150129/avn-150129.html

PHOTO GALLERY: Argentine Fairchild Metros - #9 of 20+ - LV-WAG (c/n AC-543B)

Alas Rionegrinas Fairchild Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III, LV-WAG (c/n AC-543B) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) in May 1996. (Phil Perry Collection)  

LV-WAG was originally built as a Merlin in 1982 and converted to Metro standard in 1987.  

Originally delivered to Volkswagen in 1983 as a corporate aircraft registered as D-CKVW, the aircraft went on to fly for German regional airlines Bat-Air Flugdienst, Nurnberger Flugdienst and Eurowings before finding its way to Argentina in 1993 where it was registered as LV-WAG flying for SAPSE (Servicios Aereos Patagonicos) dba Alas Rionegrinas until the airline's demise in 1997.    
The aircraft was stored along with the rest of the Alas Rionegrinas fleet in a hangar at Viedma (VDM), Rio Negro in Patagonia along the Atlantic coast where it still stands today in a state of disrepair as seen in this photo from Linea ALA & Rollout:

http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2014/12/abandonadas-alas-rionegrinas.html       

Sources:

http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/2010/11/lv-wag-fairchildswearingen-sa-226-metro.html
http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2014/12/abandonadas-alas-rionegrinas.html
http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/pretenden-recuperar-la-flota-de-sapse.html

ROUTE UPDATE: LAN Airlines has been flying the 787-9 between Santiago (SCL) and Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) since 01Apr15

LAN Airlines reportedly put the first two 787-9's that it has taken delivery of so far, CC-BGA (c/n 35317/259) on 05Feb15 and CC-BGB (c/n 35318/276) on 25Mar15, into service on 01Apr15 from Santiago (SCL) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) and Lima (LIM), both routes with one daily round trip. Los Angeles (LAX) is due to start on 15Apr15 with Ezeiza flights being reduced to 3x/weekly in July. Additional routes for the 787-9 will include Sao Paulo Guarulhos (GRU), Easter Island (IPC), New York Kennedy (JFK), Madrid (MAD), and Frankfurt (FRA) by the end of the year.   

Photos of CC-BGA and CC-BGB:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/LAN-Airlines/Boeing-787-9-Dreamliner/2600261/M/&sid=77b2727aec652a281e20c9510cc343e6

http://www.airliners.net/photo/LAN-Airlines/Boeing-787-9-Dreamliner/2606364/&sid=4ef29efc5f4491f8e8e2a7290cd518f9

Sources

www.flightstats.com

http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/LAN%20Airlines-active-b787.htm

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2015/avn150129/avn-150129.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