Colombia and Argentina signed a memorandum of understanding that seeks to transform air connectivity between the two countries, allowing the creation of new routes, more competitive rates and an improvement in the quality of the service for passengers.
According to the Colombian government, This agreement will also facilitate cargo and mail transportstrengthening trade, tourism and cultural ties between both nations.
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According to the minister of Transportation of Colombia, María Fernanda Rojas, this bilateral instrument marks a significant change in the air transport model between the two countries, moving from a more controlled scheme to one that offers greater possibilities.
“We have just signed a bilateral instrument with Argentina that will allow strengthening our commercial relations in air transport. We are going from a model that was more controlled to another that allows more possibilities”declared the head of the transport portfolio.
The agreement includes the liberalization of the air market to the sixth freedom of the air, which will allow airlines to operate routes jointly without restrictions in terms of operators or frequencies.
This opens new opportunities for commercial aviation companies in Colombia, while benefiting users with a greater offer and better service conditions.
“It will bring many benefits to users and users of air transport in supply and also, of course, of conditions for the service”the minister added.
The official stressed that this agreement positions Colombia as a strategic axis for air exchange in Latin America.
“For our country this agreement is especially important because it consolidates us as an axis in Latin America for exchange, in this case, in terms of air transport”said the minister.
In addition, he stressed that The agreement will foster competitiveness and allow establishing direct connections between Argentine and Colombian cities that currently do not have flights to each other.
At present, several airlines already operate flights between Colombia and Argentina, including Avianca, Aerolineas Argentinas, Latam Airlines, Jetsmart and Copa Airlines. Recently, Wingo received authorization from the Argentine government to operate international flights from three cities in that country – Córdoba, Mendoza and Rosario – to Colombian destinations such as Medellín, Cali, Cartagena, Barranquilla, San Andrés, Pereira and Bucaramanga, in addition to Panama.
This represents a significant advance in the diversification of routes and connectivity between the two countries.
Minister Rojas also stressed that this agreement reflects the Colombian government’s commitment to improve mobility and connectivity in the air sector.
“We are very optimistic with this step we have taken”he concluded. This memorandum not only seeks to strengthen bilateral relations, but also consolidate Colombia as a key actor in regional integration through air transport.
The sixth freedom of air refers to a key concept within international aviation agreements, which Allows airlines to operate more flexibly on international routes.
This freedom combines elements of the third and fourth freedom of air, granting airlines the ability to collect passengers or load in a foreign country and transport them to another nationwithout the point of origin or final destination being the country of the operating airline.
A practical example of this freedom would be a flight that starts from Bogotá, makes a scale in Lima to collect passengers and continues its journey to Buenos Aires.
This type of operation significantly expands the commercial possibilities of airlines, since it allows them to connect international markets more efficiently and competitively, without limiting themselves to direct routes between their country of origin and a foreign destination.
Sixth freedom is one of the nine liberties of air recognized by international aviation agreements, which Regulate the operations of airlines in global airspace.
These freedoms are essential to guarantee connectivity between countries and foster international trade and tourism.
