Summary
- Two recent Ecuadorian startup airlines, EQUAIR and Ecuatoriana Airlines, were announced in 2021
- EQUAIR recently ceased operations, while Ecuatoriana Airlines has yet to take off as a consequence of funding issues and investor nervousness.
- Ecuatoriana Airlines planned to reconnect the country under a brand new brand and compete against Avianca Ecuador and LATAM Ecuador. The airline aimed to be accessible and never a high-cost legacy carrier.
In 2021, two recent Ecuadorian startup airlines were announced: EQUAIR and Ecuatoriana Airlines. The primary launched operations and flew with a fleet of Boeing 737-700 aircraft, flying domestically across the South American country, but unfortunately ceased operations a number of days ago. The second has yet to operate its first flight and will never take off the bottom. What happened to it? Let’s discover.
What was speculated to be
In April 2021, we published a story about Ecuatoriana Airlines, a brand new startup in Ecuador planning to launch operations from Quito International Airport (UIO) using a fleet of Boeing 717-200 and Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. A 12 months later, the airline announced the acquisition of two Dash 8s from US-Bangla Airlines.
Furthermore, this recent startup would revive the brand name of the previous Ecuatoriana de Aviación, a famous carrier in Ecuador that ceased operations in 2006. The brand new company even released the branding and livery of the corporate.
In interviews, Eduardo Delgado, the Chief Executive Officer and founding father of Ecuatoriana Airlines said the corporate can be a really accessible airline, not a legacy carrier with high costs. The plan was to reconnect the country under a brand new brand company of Ecuadorian origins, a transparent message directed against the country’s two top corporations, Avianca Ecuador and LATAM Ecuador, which are usually not of Ecuadorian origin.
The primary flights for the corporate were planned to attach Quito with Guayaquil International Airport (GYE), probably the most sought-after route within the country. You’ll be able to see within the two maps above the proposed routes by the airline.
But what has happened?
Despite the announcements in 2021 and 2022, Ecuatoriana Airlines has not yet taken off. It doesn’t also have a fleet as of October 2023.
In a recent interview, Ecuador Delgado make clear the present state of Ecuatoriana Airlines. He said the project continues to be ongoing and almost ready but hasn’t been capable of secure enough funding to launch it officially. In response to him, the economic issues globally and the political uncertainty in Ecuador have made investors nervous. The recent bankruptcy of EQUAIR may not help to instill confidence in possible investors since that company was unable to ascertain itself instead within the country.
Delgado said in an interview with El Universo that an airline requires plenty of investment, and there are plenty of risks. Establishing a carrier within the Latin American region is especially dangerous, as seen by the 11 corporations which have folded since 2020.
But Ecuatoriana Airlines could still fly in the longer term. The chief said the management is working to secure the fleet and support from an undisclosed US carrier. Ecuatoriana Airlines believes the Q400s are perfect for the Ecuadorian geography and would allow them to fly to other destinations equivalent to Esmeraldas, Loja, Lago Agrio, and Salinas, which don’t normally have enough business service.
Ecuador lost an airline
A number of days ago, the Ecuadorian aviation market lost its second airline in 4 years. EQUAIR, an organization flying with a fleet of Boeing 737-700s, unexpectedly ceased operations, calling it The country stays served by Avianca Ecuador and LATAM Ecuador.
Why do you’re thinking that Ecuadorian airlines have a lot trouble taking off? Tell us within the comments below.
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