AirCuenca is set for an April launch; after months of delays, new airline will increase in-country passenger options

Pending final approval from Ecuador’s Civil Aviation Council, AirCuenca will take to the skies April 12, expanding Cuenca’s air travel options.

Ecuador’s newest airline will offer daily service between Cuenca, Quito and Guayaquil and twice weekly service to Macas and Santa Rosa, near Machala. AirCuenca will operate with Boeing 737-500 aircraft, each with a capacity of 126 passengers.

Marcos Cisneros, AirCuenca manager, says that it has been a difficult two-year process to get the new airline into the sky. He credits the efforts of several business executives for making the dream of a Cuenca-based airline come true. “We have known for a long time that southern Ecuador was under-served in terms of airline travel,” he said. “We are happy that we’re finally able to go airborne.”

In addition to Cisneros, other principals in AirCuenca are Edgar Serrano and Jose Alvarado.

The Civil Aviation Council granted the company a concession to provide passenger, cargo and mail service to Cuenca, Quito, Guayaquil, Macas and Santa Rosa, in April 2009.

Initially, AirCuenca will operate three flights daily, two between Cuenca and Quito, and one between Cuenca and Guayaquil. Flights between Cuenca and Quito to Macas and Santa Rosa will operate twice a week.

According to Cisneros, the airline hopes to expand service in the future with the acquisition of smaller air craft. The airline is considering Cuenca to Loja service but the route has not yet been approved by the civil aviation council.

According to company executives, airfares will be announced in coming weeks. 

AirCuenca’s Boeing aircraft are currently in France where they are being painted and refurbished.

Photo caption: AirCuenca aircraft on the ground in France.