Avianca Airlines announced on Friday the restart of North American operations with service between San Salvador and Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and New York from September 19, 2020.
On Friday (September 17, 2020), Avianca Airlines announced the resumption of service to North America with flights between San Salvador and Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and New York. Starting September 19th, the carrier will offer flights to five of the most popular U.S. gateways utilizing Airbus A319/320 aircraft with a capacity for 120 and 150 passengers, respectively. Avianca will resume flights to additional destinations based on demand and the lifting of travel restrictions. For the health and well-being of guests and team members, the airline has implemented the ‘Avianca BioCare’ program which includes strict biosafety protocols that have been endorsed by authorities in Colombia and El Salvador. In Friday’s announcement, Avianca’s Managing Director for North America, Rolando Damas said,
“We are very happy to be back in the region. Our mission for 100 years has been to connect families, dreams, and businesses. This is another step in the revival of the region's economy and tourism. Our return will be done under the strictest biosecurity protocols, which have already been endorsed by the authorities in Colombia and El Salvador, allowing us to give our passengers the confidence that they will have a safer trip. We hope to continue progressively resuming our operation not only with Central America but also with South America."
From the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Avianca has been advancing biosafety protocols with the highest standards to restore passenger confidence in flying again. Over the last few months, the protocols were enforced on more than 330 special flights carrying over 34,000 passengers. As they return to flying, Avianca reminds guests to use digital tools to minimize contact, respect social distancing, use of a facemask throughout their journey, wash hands constantly and use hand sanitizer regularly. Additionally, the carrier asks customers to arrive for international flights three hours prior to departure as social distancing has increased security processing times. All Avianca aircraft have also been equipped with hospital operating theater grade HEPA filters which remove 99.97% of airborne microbes as the cabin air is refreshed and recirculated.
Source: Avianca