The Nicaraguan tourism sector received this morning one of the latest good news that they had been waiting for almost two and a half years: American Airlines announced its return to Nicaragua, scheduled for Wednesday, November 30.
Although American Airlines -the largest airline in the world, according to the parameter used to measure- did not explain its reasons for returning to Nicaraguan skies, a statement issued in Miami confirmed its decision to start selling tickets as of Monday 29 August, to resume its flights to Managua as of Wednesday, November 30.
vcome back in 100 days
That day, a Boeing 737-800, with capacity for 172 passengers, will take off from Miami at 10:25 in the morning, to land in Managua at 12:18 noon. Little more than an hour later, the same device will take flight at 1:20, planning to land in Miami at 4:55 in the afternoon. All are local times of the cities mentioned.
Although the cost of the tickets was not announced, the industry expects the greatest availability of chairs to fly to the United States and its multiple connections with the world, will drive down the price of those tickets which, depending on the chosen destination and the selected season, can cost up to three times more than what it costs to travel from other countries, to those same cities.
If that forecast is fulfilled, it could have an impact so that Nicaraguan travelers are not forced to travel to the cities of Liberia and San José in Costa Rica; Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula in Honduras, and Comalapa in El Salvador, to access cheaper tickets.
“With our long-awaited return to Nicaragua, we at American will complete our network in Latin America, further strengthening our presence in the region as the largest North American airline,” said José A. Freig, vice president of International Operations for American.
The expectation of the union is that this greater availability of seats, improve the air connectivity of the country, which benefits the tourism industry in general, which is one of the hardest hit sectors of the national economy. First, due to the effects of the socioeconomic crisis that broke out in April 2018, and then, due to the reverberations of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three tourism entrepreneurs consulted by CONFIDENTIALThey explained that they have already begun to prepare for November 30.
Two years and eight months suspension
Like the rest of the airlines that served destinations in the country, American Airlines announced the suspension of its flights from March 27, 2020, as part of the global confinement strategy to curb the number of COVID-19 infections. A few months later, on September 19, Avianca announced that it would fly to Nicaragua againbut so far, none of the Americans have done the same.
The reason lies in the barriers it imposed on airlines the Government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, among which was the obligation to know the composition of the crews three days in advance, and to require that they present vaccination certificates, a measure that It was always incomprehensible to companies in the sectorbecause they were demanded at the same time that Nicaragua promoted activities that carried with them high possibilities of contagion.
Although companies such as the Panamanian COPA Airlines and the Salvadoran TACA (owned by the Colombian Avianca), did agree to meet these requirements, the American companies American, United and Spirit refrained from choosing a return date. The last two are still in the same situation, while Delta Airlines ‘taken flight’ definitively.
More recently, in June of this year, the Ministry of Health announced the relaxation of those requirementsamong which maintained the requirement to know the boarding list in advanceApparently, to exercise the abusive veto that the Immigration authorities have implemented to prevent Nicaraguans and foreigners who they consider undesirable from entering the country.
In reaction to the news, the former president of the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur), Lucy Valenti, said that “businessmen are excited about this announcement from American. This is what has been insisted on for a long time: the reactivation of the air operation of the American lines to begin to reactivate the tourist industry”.
He also explained that if the airlines could not commit to complying with the requirements so far in advance, it is because it is always possible to buy a plane ticket, a few minutes before the aircraft takes off, but also because every time the Government of Managua rejects a passenger, the airline could be forced to host the stranded traveler, without ruling out the risk of a lawsuit.
