Statistics 2018: Cuenca Airport grows again

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After 6 years of falls, the number of passengers in the Cuenca Airport grow back and show good signs of recovery.

These signs that are minor for now, are important for the growth aspirations of the Mariscal La Mar Airport in Cuenca, the fourth in importance of Ecuador behind Baltra in Galapagos.

We recently reviewed the expansion plans that the Cuenca Airport Authority has towards the 2062, year in which the construction of a new airport in an area not yet specified would be completed, but for this to materialize, the airport must grow and enough to support an investment of more than $600 millions of dollars.

To make it, the airport must resume the highest growth that it presented the year 2011 and for this both domestic flights, What international potentials will be key to achieving.

Statistics by year

A city that is so important for tourism, should handle a very high number of annual passengers, as is the case, for example, Cusco, but in recent years its connectivity has been limited by various situations such as departure of airlines or cancellation of frequencies.

The great growth of the Cuenca Airport occurred from the 2009, when they arrived at the airport to operate 4 airlines at the same time, these airlines were AeroGal, LAN Ecuador, Tame and Icaro and together they came to operate until 10 daily frequencies from Quito and to 3 daily frequencies from Guayaquil.

After this great growth of the 2011, demand began to decline and affected all operators, that same year Icaro Air closed its operations throughout the country, subsequently LAN Ecuador and AeroGal stopped flying between Cuenca and Guayaquil until the 14 of January of 2015 due to oversupply on the Quito route – Cuenca, the then AeroGal-Avianca closes the route and the market remains only for LAN and Tame.

Since the definitive departure of AeroGal from Cuenca and more factor Tame that from the 2016 began to see affected its domestic operation, the Airport suffered its most important drop in the flow of passengers, but finally the 2018 managed to recover.

Statistics 2018

Even though he 2018 achieved an increase of 60 thousand passengers, these numbers could be higher since they were affected by the comings and goings of the Guayaquil route – Tame Basin, that finally the airline closed in the middle of the year due to low profitability, but that at the time even, came to operate with 3 daily flights on ATR42-500 aircraft.

Passengers Quito – Cuenca

Cuenca Passengers – Quito

The 2018 it is a better year and even surpasses the 2016 for 11 thousand passengers. This growth has been achieved mainly thanks to the positioning of LATAM Ecuador in Cuenca during the 2018 and operated until 4 daily flights between Quito and Cuenca.

This positioning and growth of LATAM Ecuador allowed the airline to widely surpass Tame EP (only airlines currently operating) in market share, more than twice as many passengers transported, occupancy and frequencies.

The market managed to stabilize 15.000 monthly passengers and 80% average occupancy. Growth is held back by lack of supply, so the arrival of new operators would be a great incentive for the entire Cuencan market, To over more affordable rates.

The administration of the Cuenca Airport is looking for the aeronautical authority to allow the entry of non-regular airlines such as Aeroregional O Airplanes, for these to operate by 6 months, test the market and after that period regularize their operation, with which a growth of the 20% during the 2019.

Also in the short term, the start of flights under the modality of air taxi from West Airways to Quito and Guayaquil.

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