Colombian Startup Ultra Air Takes Its First Flight
Today, the Colombian startup Ultra Air began flying in the South American country. Ultra Air held its first flight departing from Medellín’s José María Córdova International Airport (MDE), and it aims to become the newest low-cost success in South America. Let’s investigate further.
The new carrier in South America
Ultra Air is an airline that has been two years in the making. Directed by former Interjet CEO, William Shaw, the airline is looking to operate domestic and international flights in Colombia and Latin America, using an Airbus A320 family fleet.
According to FlightRadar24.com, Ultra Air operated today its first flight, introducing the airline to the Colombian public. The airline departed and landed in Medellín, Colombia, on a flight that lasted only 24 minutes.
William Shaw said,
“Ultra Air has arrived to fly with you and for you. We are here to dynamize the market, create jobs, democratize the commercial air transport and bring more value to the tourism chain value. Ultra Air expects to have up to 2.5 million passengers in its first year of operations.”
According to its website, Ultra Air will formally begin flying on Wednesday, February 23. The new airline is already selling tickets on its official website.
The newcomer
Being a new airline in Colombia will not be an easy job for Ultra Air. The South American carrier has to compete directly with established brands such as Avianca, LATAM, and low-cost carriers like Viva. Nonetheless, Ultra Air expects to compete directly in the low-cost market and earn a market share of up to 22%, according to William Shaw.
Starting next week, Ultra Air will start flying the following routes: Bogotá-Medellín, Bogotá-Cali, Bogotá-Cartagena, Bogotá-Santa Marta, Bogotá-San Andrés, Medellín-Cartagena, Medellín-Santa Marta, Santa Marta-Pereira, and Cartagena-Pereira. Since putting up its tickets for sale, Ultra Air says it has already sold 65,000 tickets.
Let's do a quick fare comparison for Ultra Air's first week flying. For example, a flight between Medellín and Bogotá, Colombia’s two main cities, has a minimum price of US$27, according to Ultra Air’s website, traveling between March 1 and 3. A similar flight with Ultra Air’s competition, Viva, has a minimum fare of US$52. Both are the most basic fares provided by these low-cost operators.
Following Ultra Air’s first flight, Airbus welcomed the airline. The European OEM said Ultra Air will initially fly with five A320ceo aircraft in domestic routes across the country. Moreover, Ultra Air plans to increase its fleet size to open up more routes in the coming years. Ultra Air is already eyeing several international destinations, from Curaçao to Mexico City.
Ultra Air’s Airbus A320 aircraft will be able to carry up to 180 passengers, said Airbus. In Latin America and the Caribbean, Airbus has sold over 1,100 aircraft and has unfilled orders for more than 500 units. Currently, there are over 700 Airbus active aircraft in the region, meaning the European OEM has nearly 60% of the market share in the area.
The Colombian market
In 2021, the Colombian aviation market had 30.5 million passengers, according to data provided by Colombia’s Aerocivil.
These numbers are 26% below Colombia’s pre-pandemic traffic levels, as the country still felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, Colombia started 2021 with half the passengers it had in 2019 and rallied, bouncing back to its pre-pandemic levels. In November and December 2021, Colombia already had 3.0% and 5.8% more passengers than in 2019, an unbelievable recovery unique to this country across Latin America.
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