New airline takes flight on Monday

Aeroregional has been cleared by the civil aviation authority to begin service to Quito Monday, August 5. The airline announced Thursday that it will offer special introductory rates during its first weeks of operation.

An Aeroregional jet at the Quito airport.

Airline representative Jaime León says connecting service through Quito to Guayaquil will be offered if the demand supports it.

Deputy Director of Civil Aviation Marcelo Jácome said that Aeroregional, which operates Boeing 737-500 jet aircraft, is considering direct Cuenca-to-Guayaquil flights as well as service to Santa Rosa-Machala and Loja and is assessing the need.

Previous attempts to reestablish the Cuenca-Guayaquil route have failed, he says, because of a lack of demand. “There is an average of 50 mini-bus and van trips daily between the cities and this has satisfied the need in recent years,” he says. “The trip is only three hours and because of the short distance, less than 100 miles between the cities, this makes it a marginally profitable air route at best.”

Aeroregional will operate daily Cuenca-Quito flights Monday to Friday, leaving Cuenca at 6:15 a.m. with return service at 8 p.m. Passengers continuing to Guayaquil will arrive in that city at 9:30 a.m.

The airline will offer an additional Friday flight to Quito, departing at 9:30 p.m. On Saturday, Aeroregional offers a Quito-Cuenca flight at 8 p.m. and, on Sunday, a Cuenca-Quito flight at 10 a.m. with a return flight departing Quito at 8 p.m.

León said that ticket prices would be announced Friday and that the Aeroregional website will go live this weekend.