It has been a record year for Colombia’s civil aviation industry. According to data released by the civil aviation administration (Aeronáutica Civil), the country had over 43.5 million passengers between January and November 2022.
A strong recovery
In 2022, air transport in Colombia saw record numbers in terms of carried passengers. In the first eleven months of the year, the country had 43.58 million passengers, of which 29.86 were domestic travelers and 13.72 million were international travelers.
Compared to the same period in 2019, the country had a 16.2% passenger growth, according to a statement released by Colombia’s Aeronáutica Civil.
Several airlines operate in the Colombian market, including Avianca, LATAM, Viva Colombia, Wingo, and Ultra Air. The international sector has been a highlight in Colombia compared to other countries worldwide, which are hurting from the COVID-19 pandemic. This segment grew 6.1% versus 2019 and 101.2% versus 2021. Colombia’s recovery has been among the strongest –if not the strongest– globally, although that could change next year (we will talk about that shortly).
Bogota leads the pack
Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG) leads the market in carried passengers this year in Colombia. The hub where Avianca and LATAM are based received 32.15 million passengers in 2022, holding on to a 74% market share throughout the country and growing 45.6% compared to 2021.
As of December 2022, Bogota has around 2,845 weekly departure flights and 459,909 seats available operated by 28 carriers (led by Avianca with 1,366 weekly flights and LATAM with 482). Compared to December 2019, Bogota currently offers 5.8% fewer flights but 5.6% more seats. In this span, the airport lost connectivity from two airlines, Venezuela’s Avior and Mexico’s Interjet, but gained eight new players, including Arajet, Volaris, Viva Aerobus, JetSMART, and Sky Airline.
Medellín’s José M. Córdova International Airport (MDE) is the country’s second-largest hub. The airport where Viva is based has been growing rapidly in the last few years, receiving 11.9 million passengers until November 2022. According to data by Cirium, Medellín has 48.8% more flights and 54.7% more seats in December 2022 versus December 2019. Wingo has increased its capacity by a whopping 483.3% at this airport, followed by Spirit (133.3%) and Viva (74.7%).
Colombia’s challenges next year?
Despite these great numbers, Colombia is set to face a complex year in 2023. First of all, on January 1, a government measure to reduce the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 19% to 5% on airfares, and the overall tourism chain is set to expire. This, added to the ongoing inflation in the country, could raise fares by up to 40%, although the Colombian government has pledged to contain the price increase to a maximum of 14%. The Transport Minister in Colombia, Guillermo Reyes, said that Colombia would work to avoid inflation from increasing airfares. Therefore, the only increase would come from the 14% percentage jump due to the end of the measure to reduce the VAT.
Source : SimpleFlying
