Domestic traffic marches between ups and downs and recovery is still distant

Only at the Guayaquil airport the fall of national passengers was 66.29%

Airlines that fly within the Ecuadorian territory still maintain limited levels of operation. In these first four months of the year the airlines have had between 20% and 28% operation of the domestic flights they had before the pandemic.

The level of passenger recovery in the domestic market has marched between ups and downs in these months. Hence, airlines have managed their flights based on how that demand has moved.

The figures still show a scenario contracted, distant from the normal months of 2019. At the José Joaquín de Olmedo airport in Guayaquil, the second of importance in the country,The number of national passengers mobilized in the first quarter reached 126,106, that is, 248,051 less passengers (-66.29%) than in 2020, according to data from theAirports Council International.

Before the pandemic, in the first quarter of 2019, the terminal managed between 141,000 and 158,000 monthly passengers in the domestic market. In the first three months of this year they fluctuated between 37,000 and 51,000.

Tourism agencies and operators indicate that the downturn is linked to the fact that this market was nourished by corporate trips on the route between Guayaquil and Quito, and companies have reduced the displacements of their employees during the pandemic. Many opt for appointments through digital tools.

Besides,Traffic to the Galapagos Islands, one of the important domestic market routes, is not yet recovered as expectedAlthough Ecuador has open flights since last year and the entry of tourists is carried out after presenting a PCR test with a negative result. Publicity

The operators indicate that the problems that some countries still have, due to new waves of infections, stop part of the arrival of foreign visitors to the archipelago.

Even Galapagos arrived 15,585 tourists in the first quarter of 2021, 73.12% less than in the same 2020 periodWhen 58,000 arrived. Most of those who have traveled this year have been Ecuadorians.

Andrés Ordonez, executive director of the Galapagos Chamber of Tourism, He pointed out that the expectation focuses on the vaccination of the population to generate greater confidence to international markets.

"We hope that as of June the trend is greater, as long as the control and security levels are maintained," said Ordonez, whose guild has been working in recent months a campaign to attract visitors.

For this month of April, Latam Ecuador projected only a 20% operation compared to the same period of 2019. The airline maintains six domestic routes equivalent to 14 daily and 3 international flights.

WhileAviancaHe hoped to recover in April 28% of his capacity in the domestic operation.

Weeks ago,María Beatriz González, commercial manager of Avianca in Ecuador,He commented that agencies such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have stated that returning to Pre-Covid levels will take between 4 and 6 years.

The international operations of this airline had until March 14 weekly flights from Quito and Guayaquil to Bogotá, from where passengers can connect with 74 routes operated by Avianca.