This Tuesday is mostly uncertainty and resentment Colombian airports due to the cancellation of flights by the low-cost airline Viva Air, which has grounded thousands of passengers who are protesting at air terminals demanding solutions.
Hundreds of people sitting on the ground at Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport and many more queuing in front of an empty Viva counter are waiting for the company to make a decision on possible compensatory measures.
On Monday evening, Viva announced the cessation of work due to the refusal of the Colombian authorities approve the integration with Avianca, which he tried to alleviate the financial crisis he is going through.
Samuel Ramos had a flight to Cartagena de Indias with his mother, but he learned of the airline’s decision when he arrived at the airport.
“We started calling, but the line has an answering machine where they don’t say anything,” he explained to EFE, adding that civil aeronautics Colombia He (Aerocivil) did not answer them either.
Frustrated from the beginning, the protest closed the international entrance and exit, as well as the national one, but “it didn’t work at all”, he complained.
“We already have a hotel paid for and a plan purchased, so I think I’ll stay here until it’s resolved because I asked for a week off so my mom could see the sea,” added Ramos, who bought the flights in December .. and they’re already changed twice, from what he said.
No answer
In the case of Sandra Prieto, she was accompanied by her 14-year-old granddaughter who had to board a flight to Argentina to meet her mother and start classes, but they did not hear back from the airline or aviation authorities. Both of them slept at the airport, where they arrived at noon on Monday.
Those affected assure that the airline Latam has opened the space to “provide a solution to some passengers”, but for now it will serve only domestic flights.
At the José María Córdova Airport in Medellín, passengers affected by the cancellation of Viva Air flights are blocking entry to the international area of the facilities, the airport reported via its social networks.
“We call for calm and an agreed solution, not for de facto measures that affect other passengers. We understand how difficult this situation is, but please do not obstruct the passage of other passengers,” the airport said.
The picture is repeated in airports such as Cartagena or Barranquilla, where hundreds of affected people wait in front of the Viva counter for someone to tell them what steps they need to follow to reach their destination or get the value of their tickets back.
Viva Air, which was founded in 2009, is based at the José María Córdova International Airport in Medellín and has 35 domestic routes to Argentina, Brazil and Peru, among other countries.
According to the company, the aviation authorities’ delay in making the decision to integrate with Avianca led it to present numerous evidence to the Colombian government to show that “is in a critical financial situation” and the only way it can continue to fly is the integration it requires.
After learning of the cancellation of operations, Aerocivil issued a statement guaranteeing that it would ensure “special respect for the rights of affected users”.
Source: Panama America
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
