Flights to the Galapagos Islands – Avianca Ecuador

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Today we will talk about Avianca Ecuador flights to the Galapagos Islands from mainland Ecuador. In a special 3 deliveries, We will review the airlines that currently operate, the daily and weekly frequencies that each of them has to the "Enchanted Islands".

First delivery: LATAM Ecuador.
Third installment: Tame EP.

First of all, must be clarified, For those tourists who want to visit Galapagos from another country, they must, Yes or yes, pass through continental Ecuador, whether the International Airports of Guayaquil or Quito, this as immigration and health control prior to the visit of any person to the Islands. Being a unique and very delicate ecosystem, anyone, plane or boat can go directly to Galapagos without going through the necessary controls, this is why, that there are no direct flights from neighboring or more distant countries to such a sought-after tourist destination and that due to the nature of the tourism business, They should have.

Without these controls, The islands would be exposed to uncontrolled pests or diseases, putting the natural state of the Archipelago at high risk. Even, within the needs of immigration control, authorities recently implemented new requirements to visit the islands which includes having a return ticket, invitation letter and others.

Before talking about specific flights, It should be noted that another measure to control the ecosystem of the islands, is the strict control of the number of annual visitors who can enter the islands by air or sea (It is the other means of transportation to Galapagos, What can you take by boat? 3 Days of travel, but it is not carried out commercially except for the transfer of military personnel or personnel who work in the Islands.).

This control or regulation is applied by the Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos., Its objective is to regulate the number of weekly air frequencies that fly to the Galapagos from Quito or Guayaquil., so every time an airline wants to fly to the islands or increase frequencies, An environmental impact study must be carried out and presented to ensure that the new operation will not affect the ecosystem and will not cause the number of visitors to exceed the maximum permitted. (about 250 thousand tourists a year or about 20 thousand tourists monthly).

Airlines flying to Galapagos

Currently, the Galapagos fly 3 Ecuadorian domestic airlines. These airlines are Avianca Ecuador, LATAM Ecuador and Tame EP, among which they add up to more than 8 daily frequencies at 2 main airports of Baltra and San Cristobal (soon we will talk in a post about these airports), only airports that can receive commercial flights. The third airport is Isabela, where logistical flights from the armed forces and inter-island flights arrive from the others 2 mentioned airports.

All flights to Galapagos start in Quito and most of them go to the Galapagos., They make a technical stopover and more passengers board in Guayaquil. With an increase in demand, Some airlines have implemented direct flights from the capital of Ecuador to Baltra only.

Avianca Ecuador (before Aerogal) First delivery:

Previously known as Galapagos Airlines or Aerogal, was the "flag carrier» of the islands (not officially), so much for his name, as well as for its colors and paint on its planes that alluded to various animals of the Galapagos Islands.. Subsequently, with the change to Avianca, The airline has had to recover its participation in flights to the Archipelago and in recent years it has recovered that ground and is now the airline with the most flights from continental Ecuador.

Avianca Ecuador itineraries and flights to Galapagos

Like the others 2 airlines, Avianca Ecuador operates to Baltra and San Cristóbal with the following schedules and frequencies:

Quito – Baltra – Quito direct

 

Direct flights do not operate daily, but if, until 2 daily flights on Sundays generally on Airbus A319 aircraft. Those days when there are no direct flights between one direction or the other, the flight returns or is generated in Guayaquil.

Guayaquil – Baltra – Guayaquil

Between Guayaquil and Baltra, operate until 3 daily flights on Saturdays and there are at least 1 daily flight between both destinations, operated with Airbus A320 aircraft.

Quito – Guayaquil – San Cristobal

All flights to San Cristobal, They are generated in Quito with a stopover in Guayaquil, operating as follows:

 

Avianca operates 1 daily flight to San Cristóbal from Quito with a stopover in Guayaquil, generally with Airbus A319 aircraft.

The 22 of September, Avianca Ecuador's intention to increase the number of weekly flights to San Cristóbal Island in this way was known:

Aerolínea @Avianca_ec requests to increase 14 weekly flights on the route #Quito – #Guayaquil – #SanCristobal, #Galapagos ✈ pic.twitter.com/y2cgfBMeqp

— Nicholas Larenas ✈️ (@n_larenas) September 22, 2017

with this order, Galapagos Airlines S.A. Aerogal (Avianca Ecuador) seeks to operate 5 additional flights between Quito and/or Guayaquil – San Cristobal – Guayaquil and/or Quito, what it would imply 1 additional daily flights to reach the 2 diaries.

Currently, Avianca Ecuador also operates additional flights to the Islands according to demand and season., which makes it the airline with the most flights, totaling a total of 26 weekly flights on one way or 52 round trip (this number may vary by season).

Statistics

During the 2015, Avianca Ecuador occupied the 37% of market share, following in first place, but LATAM Ecuador follows very closely. During the 2016 the trend has been similar.

In the year 2015, Avianca Ecuador transported 4.781 more tourists on their flights, what a represents 6% more compared to the 2014. For the year 2016, due to the earthquake 16 April in Manabí, tourism to the Galapagos was also affected, with a drop of up to 15% for all tour operators.

 

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