COSTA RICA NEWS — The Salvadoran airline, Vuelos Económicos de Centroamérica (VECA), (translates in English to “cheap flights to Central America”), on Friday began its charter flight service to Costa Rica, flying into the Juan Santamaria international airport (SJO), with connecting fights to Panama.
The airline has permission for three more flights to Costa Rica, on December 1, 5 and 8, confirmed the director of Aviación Civil (Civil Aviation), Alvaro Vargas.
Silvia Chaves, spokesperson for Aeris the manager of the San José airport, confirmed that the flight is being operated by Air Panama, the airline authorized to land at the Juan Santamaria and perfectly normal for an airline to market flights and then lease aircraft from another with landing rights.
VECA, is one two regional airlines looking to provide cheap flights in the region and battle Panama’s COPA and Colombia’s AVIANCA for customers. VECA, with two Airbus 319, plans to offer flights between El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. It is also seeking permission for flights to the United States.
The other is Air Costa Rica.
According to Vargas, VECA has applied for permission to operate directly with its own flights starting February 15, 2015. The application is pending approval by Aviación.
Meanwhile, the Costa Rican airline, Air Costa Rica, whose registration application request was closed two months because the company did not meet all the requirements of law, is continuing with its process of certification.
Vargas said that the company, that first applied as Ticos Air, later changing its name to Air Costa Rica, has pilots in training in Miami and could start operations in the first half of 2015.
Both VECA and Air Costa Rica could force regional carriers COPA and AVIANCA to reduce air fares.
Last week, local carrier Nature Air, announced flights between Tortuguero, Limón and San José, responding to an increase in the demand for flights to the Caribbean coast. The Nature Air means travel between San José and Limón can be in less than an hour, in contrast to the more than 3 hour drive.
Source: Nacion.com; Soy502.com