Travel restrictions force Avianca to suspend several international routes

Avianca temporarily suspended 25 international routes since March 1 due to the new COVID-19 travel restrictions in many countries. The South American carrier closed 12 international routes from Bogotá, four from San Salvador, four from Quito, three from Guatemala, and one from Cali and Medellín. In a statement, Avianca said, “Due to the new travel restrictions in some countries and the uncertainty from our travelers in the current COVID-19 environment, we have adjusted our schedules.” Story lists routes. The carrier said that it will look carefully at each market to see when it will restart these routes. For instance, it expects that some routes may be reopened before the first quarter ends but will not operate others until April and June. In January 2021, Avianca transported 7.67m passengers on all its routes. This number was an increase from the 7.61m it had in December 2020. Nevertheless, the international market suffered a decrease, going from 2.09m at the end of last year to 1.91m. The new travel restrictions worldwide came at a time when Avianca was taking off after months of inactivity. Avianca was fully grounded between April and August, restarting operations in September, when it transported 1.65m passengers.<br/>