:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/MMCF7U2LQBEJVGXPPEEOQNJWIY.jpg "The integration of Avianca and Viva Air could be complicated: objections to the proposal have arisen")
live air, the Colombian low-cost airline that ceased operations on the night of Monday February 27 and left thousands of passengers in complete uncertainty, still does not see such a clear future. After the Civil aeronautics received the final comments regarding the process of Integration between Avianca and the aforementioned Viva Air.
Precisely: Latam, Wingo, JetSmart, Ultra Air and Aerolíneas Argentinas, were able to see the document in which the airlines to join indicate what they would be ready to give up. The document, instead of responding, generated more doubts about the interested third parties who have reported alleged irregularities.
One of the most critical points is the issue of flight reservation slots or better known as “slots”; Although Avianca and Viva intend to make around 150 slots available, part of the airline industry has indicated that best assignment times for take-off and landing have not been considered for interested third-party airlines.
“Of the time slots they want to return, around 98 or 99 are non-commercial hours; and in the best slots, which are those between five and eight in the morning, or six in the afternoon and ten in the evening, or even from eleven to noon, they will continue to have about 69%“, was revealed by The Colombian.
The third interested airline indicated that Avianca and Viva plan to maintain the best morning and evening schedules:We think 97% or 98% of what they offer to deliver is not attractive”.
Among the arguments of various sectors to avoid an integration between Avianca and Viva, they underline the possibility of a monopoly between the two airlines, in this regard the head of operations of Avianca indicated that monopolies occur in cities that are not the capital because other airlines there are poorly served:
“But obviously based on what Aerocivil tells us we are ready to see it again (…) we have talked a lot about monopoly but it is good to keep in mind that Colombia is the most competitive country in its policy of open sky“, specified Frederico Pedreira with the media of Antioquia.
He Guillermo Reyes, Minister of Transportannounced that he was asking the Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) an urgent decision on the airline, either to refuse or to approve the integration with Avianca.
in dialogue with W Radiothe head of the Transport portfolio recalled that in recent days the The superintendence of transport has subjected the airline Viva Air to controlwith the end of “protect the rights of passengers and travel agencies”.
According to the senior official, with these measures, the evaluation of which will take between 1 and 3 days, they will seek to determine “If there should be a intervention in the administration of the companywhich is added to a request made by the Superintendence to start the process of reorganizing the activities of Viva”.
In accordance with the above, Minister Reyes supported W Radio that the low cost situation right now is only two ways: “Either the integration is accepted, or it goes definitively into liquidation, which is already imminent. I believe that a decision from Aeronautics, one way or the other, is imperative, the The state does not have the capacity to enter into service and answer for the debts she has and leaves alive..
As a final point of his interview with the same radio station, the Minister of Transport criticized the low-cost company for not having offices where its passengers can make their respective complaints. “What the decision of the Superintendency says is that Viva must show its face, set up offices where it responds to people”concluded the senior official.