Avianca Argentina suspends service

Avianca Argentina has suspended operations, becoming the second airline owned by Avianca majority shareholder German Efromovich to cease service in recent weeks. The financially distressed airline requested to halt scheduled service for 90 days from 9 June, says Argentina's civil aviation authority ANAC. However, the airline's flights scheduled for Friday have been cancelled, according to Cirium flight tracking data. "The request is based on the start of a process of restructuring the company with the re-engineering of the regular route plan and the company's business model," says ANAC of the airline's request. The 90-day extension may be extended for another 90 days upon expiration, adds the regulator. The airline was not immediately contactable for comment, and its website appeared to be offline. Avianca Argentina was operating two ATR 72-600s on just two routes before it suspended service. The airline was offering service to Mar Del Plata and Santa Fe from Buenos Aires Aeroparque. The suspension of Avianca Argentina's flights is the latest in a long string of woes for Efromovich, whose wholly-owned Avianca Brazil was grounded by Brazilian regulators in late-May after it whittled down its fleet and network following a filing for bankruptcy protection in December 2018.<br/>