Exclusive interview in ALTA AGM 2026. Stuart Ortiz, CEO of JetSMART who analyzes the new Aviation Law of Ecuador, cabotage and its routes in the region.
«Opening cabotage in Ecuador is a step forward, "We are reviewing it.": Stuart Ortiz from JetSMART
In what was the coverage of the ALTA AGM & Airline Leaders Forum 2026 in City of Mexico, We spoke exclusively with Stuart Ortiz, CEO of JetSMART, on the regulatory evolution in Latin America and the expansion plans of the ultra-low-cost airline in the Ecuadorian market.
One year after our last meeting in Lima, where the executive subordinated a possible interest in the Ecuadorian domestic market to the updating of its legal framework, the approval of the new Organic Law of Civil Aviation (LOAC) —which enables cabotage for international operators— once again puts Ecuador on the company's strategic radar.
The new Aviation Law in Ecuador and the interest of JetSMART
When asked about the impact of the new Ecuadorian legislation and the possibility of flying internal routes, Stuart Ortiz positively valued the regulatory openness, although he emphasized that any decision will be analyzed based on the industry context:
«At a regulatory level, good question. Sight, Yes, I think that the regulatory framework that Ecuador created is very good. It is certainly a step forward. We are reviewing it. I seem to repeat the same thing, but the truth is that the context is what must be understood now. "I think it is an excellent advance.", stated Stuart Ortiz.
The CEO of JetSMART compared the regulatory progress of Ecuador with the opening and deregulation processes that other key markets in the Southern Cone are going through:
«Argentina took an enormous step some time ago and imminent recently as well. Now with the new rate regulation that was published in Argentina there is a couple of good news, in addition to the signing of open skies agreements. I see good progress, I value it as something positive and we will review it in due time. (in due time)».
When delving into whether there is an estimated deadline or a defined roadmap to disembark in the domestic market of Ecuador, Ortiz was blunt about the flexibility that the model requires Ultra Low Cost:
«I really can't tell you., because suddenly I tell you three years and suddenly we do it in one year, or I tell you a year and it takes us three. It's impossible to know what will happen; The only thing we have to do is adapt quickly to what happens. That's what we do at JetSMART: keep options, move fast, and one option could be Ecuador, but it is not defined".
The performance of the Lima route – Quito
Regarding the international operation that the airline currently maintains in the country, linking the Ecuadorian capital with its hub in Peru, the directive of JetSMART confirmed a favorable commercial balance and the consolidation of the link:
«The Quito route – Lima is good. “We liked how it has been operating and how demand has been increasing”, concluded the executive, highlighting the gradual increase in frequencies in this key connection for the company's intra-regional network.
We will be attentive to new opportunities that JetSMART can present in Ecuador in the future, being the only market in the western Pacific of South America in which regular flights do not yet operate.
✈️ Exclusive Benefits for Readers
Search here for hotels ALL over the world at the best price.
