Colombian airlines were on standby due to fuel shortages, which led to the cancellation of at least 100 Flights and the restriction of ticket sales. In the case of Avianca, it cancelled 26 operations on Monday, while Latam announced that it would stop operating 36 Flights until Tuesday.
Airlines were also considering loading extra jet fuel outside the country. However, they announced in the last few hours that the main supplier had announced the elimination of the restrictions imposed and the normalization of the supply of jet fuel.
With this, Avianca reopened all routes and maintains the published itineraries. “We received positively and with surprise the notification from the main distributor of aviation fuel, informing us of the normalization of fuel supply in all airports in the country. This allows us to operate our Flights regularly starting tomorrow and fulfill the plans of thousands of customers. However, this situation undoubtedly highlights the need for the actors in the supply chain to anticipate and coordinate better to have clarity on fuel inventories and availability,” said Frederico Pedreira, CEO of Grupo Avianca.
Previously, Avianca had indicated that distributors would limit the delivery of jet fuel throughout the country for the rest of the month. “Now, our priority is to protect travelers, their Flight plans and preserve connectivity. That is why we have sought mechanisms to minimize the impact of this situation on operations. This situation highlights the need for actors in the supply chain to anticipate and coordinate better to have clarity on fuel inventories and availability,” Pedreira said at the time.
For its part, Latam also indicated that it received communication from distributors “with which Latam Airlines will be able to resume its normal operations for the remainder of the month starting Wednesday, August 28. In any case, the company will continue monitoring the inventory status of its distributors in each of the airports where it operates until we have a completely clear report,” said Santiago Álvarez, executive director of Latam Airlines Colombia.
Latam had reported that of the four airports that declared a shortage for Latam Colombia, on Monday the airports of Pasto and Leticia already had supplies to cover the remainder of the month, as reported by the distributor. “Readjusting our operation is necessary to avoid generating a snowball effect at the end of the month that would cause massive impacts to our passengers. At Latam Airlines we will continue to monitor our operation and the availability of fuel declared to us by the distributors to make the necessary adjustments,” said Álvarez at the time.
To deal with this contingency, Avianca and Latam had announced several measures to mitigate the impact on passengers. Avianca had arranged for adjustments to itineraries, changes without penalty, temporary closure of some Flights for sale, extra fuel loading at international airports where there is availability, and finally, technical refueling stops at airports outside Colombia.
Latam informed passengers with cancelled Flights on Monday that they will be rescheduled or can opt for changes within a maximum period of one year or a refund. “Since the beginning of the week, Latam has been implementing a contingency plan to manage fuel consumption and protect compliance with its itineraries. This includes, among other measures, carrying out extra fuel loading outside of Colombia for Latam Airlines international Flights, adjustments in operational processes and monitoring Flight-by-Flight consumption for each airport in the country,” they said at the time.
As reported by REPORTUR.coLatam in its financial results for the second quarter of the year recorded a drop in profits compared to the same period last year, partly due to the increase in the price of aviation fuel by 16.7% compared to the same quarter of 2023. (Latam lowers profits due to rise in fuel prices).
