Grounded Cuenca airline hopes to resume service in March, while a new airline announces Cuenca flights

Seven months after it suspended flights between Cuenca and Guayaquil and three months after it suspended Quito to Loja service, the Cuenca-based Linea Aerea Cuencana (LAC) says it will resume service in March. In a major change, however, it said it will fly into and out of the new Latacunga airport, south of Quito.

The airline said it would offer roundtrip service from Latacunga to Cuenca, Manta and Loja. The application process for the new routesis currently underway should be completed in late February. The airline operates a 70-passenger Embraer 145 jet and says it is purchasing a second aircraft.

Meanwhile, a second start-up start-up airline, Aerolinea Sudamericana, has announced it will also offer Cuenca to Latacunga flights although an operational start date has not been announced. Sudamericana said that Latacunga is a convenient alternative to the new Quito airport in Tababela. “For many travelers, it means less driving time to their locations in Quito,” said Sudamericana press release. “In addition, the airport is less crowded and easier to navigate.”

Sudamericana, which will also fly to Guayaquil and Manta, said that all flights will cost $66.
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Photo caption: LAC says it will resume service out of the new Latacunga airport.