Colombia: Avianca-United Airlines pact, latest in Latin American airline shake-up

Colombian airline Avianca (owned by businessman German Efromovich), has entered the final stages of striking a joint venture deal with the US’ United Airlines, contributing to a vast shakeup of Latin America’s airline industry after a period of hardship caused by currency devaluations and slow growth.

The Avianca-United alliance would seem to be the final piece in the chessboard of Latin America’s airline sector. Avianca Holdings would join a major global competitor, moving over 140 million passengers last year, with 1,231 active aircraft performing over 4,500 flights per day.

Meanwhile, last December saw the successful sale of 10% of LatAm Airlines’ shares to Qatar Airways. LatAm is Latin America’s largest airline, with 67.5 million passengers in 2016, serving 125 destinations and national routes in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Colombia.

The final heavyweight in the Latin American airline ring is Aeromexico, armed with a fresh deal struck with Delta Airlines, which will purchase up to 49% of Mexico’s flagship airline sometime before August 2017.

Full Content: El Tiempo

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