:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/P7ZVBWINLHMQQ4FBKS227D3OEY.jpg "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks Colombians abroad affected by Viva to contact the nearest consulate")
The crisis that caused the suspension of operations of the low-cost company Viva Air seems far from over. According to the Transport Superintendency, only on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at least 80 flights ceased to be operated by Viva, for this reason the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites Colombians who are abroad and who have been affected by cancellation of flights to contact the nearest Colombian consulate.
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According to information shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Directorate of Immigration, Consular Affairs and Citizen Services In collaboration with Colombia Migration, it is planned to determine in which countries a certain type of assignment has occurred due to the cancellation of Viva flights; as well as, there are Colombians affected by this situation.
To date, according to the statement, the consulates in Miami, Santiago de Chile, Sao Paulo, Lima and Buenos Aires have activated assistance mechanisms for Colombians affected by the cessation of operations.
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In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the affected Colombians have been shipped gradually depending on the availability of the airlines that operate in the different countries.
For these reasons, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on Colombians who are abroad and who have been harmed by the decision of the airline Viva, to communicate with the nearest Colombian consulate.
The Attorney General summoned the Aerocivil and the Superintendencies of Transport and Industry and Commerce to analyze the Viva Air crisis
The meeting will be attended by the director of Aerocivil, Sergio París; Superintendent of Industry and Commerce, Juan Camilo Durán and Superintendent of Transport, Ayda Lucy Ospina
To consult the directory of Colombian Consulates around the world, you can search here.
On the night of Monday, February 27, 2023, social networks like Twitter exploded with videos and allegations that the Viva Air airline had canceled its domestic and international flights without notice.
That night, and in an attempt to explain what happened, the airline shared a public opinion statement on the reasons that led it to suspend its operations in Colombia and stop covering certain international connections to Buenos Aires and Peru.
According to information shared by Viva, the suspension of operations was due to the Lack of response speak Civil aeronauticswhich is the state body responsible for the control and regulation of civil aviation, upon approval by the alliance Avianca Vivawhich, according to the low-cost airline, would be the only way out to continue operating.
“Unfortunately, we are at this point due to repeated delays by Civil Aeronautics and their failure to recognize that what is best for Viva is also best for all Colombians,” Viva said in the statement.
In an attempt to mitigate the effects of the crisis that caused Viva to halt operations, President Gustavo Petro asked the airline Satinproperty of the Colombian State, to cover the routes that Viva has ceased to operate and thus serve the passengers concerned.
“You all woke up today to a report on television, the subject of Viva, a company that goes bankrupt, leaves people at the airport with tickets sold out, then we say right away, well, here , it should work immediately, at least for Satena users, which today is the airline that manages the Colombian Air Force, ”assured the president.
On Tuesday, February 28, after a meeting between Transport Minister Guillermo Reyes and Civil Aeronautics Director Sergio París, it was determined that no decision would be made by the national government. under pressure by Viva.
On the first of March, the transport superintendence confirmed that it has opened an investigation and filed a complaint against Viva for allegedly not guaranteeing the provision of transport service to passengers affected by the suspension of operations.
According to SuperTransporte, “they were around 466.604 users who have confirmed their reservations by February 27, the date of the suspension of Viva operations. In addition, SuperTransporte was able to verify via the airline’s website that tickets continued to be sold and that, for the same date, 5,750 reservations had already been sold.