In general, travel agencies indicate that flights from Ecuador to international level are maintained.
Starting February 12, the American airline Spirit will suspend the Fort Lauderdale-Guayaquil-Fort Lauderdale route. The departure of this flight reduces an alternative that passengers had to the United States. Travel agencies are analyzing the state of the market and the problems that arise.
This week, 284 international flights are scheduled, according to the Ministry of Tourism's air connectivity records. The routes and flights of Air Europa, American Airlines, Arajet, Avianca, Copa Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Latam Airlines are listed there. Spirit is no longer listed, having requested the suspension of its operating permit that will apply as of today and will extend until June 12 of this year.
Aeroméxico, the airline that suspended its flights in June, did something similar in 2024. It had a direct route between Mexico City and Quito and the company's representatives requested the suspension of its operations until last December, and asked for an extension to continue with suspended flights until March 30, 2025.
Although there are fewer flights, “there are still plenty of alternatives, new routes that customers can travel on.” There have even been “a number of new routes to South America” says Travelspot’s Counter Manager, Keyla Zurita.
But “we are concerned about the fact that a low-cost North American airline is now withdrawing in February,” says the director of the Ecotel Travel agency, Ramiro Cueva, who indicates that Spirit was flying to daily from Guayaquil to Fort Lauderdale airport in the United States. “We are talking about a reduction of approximately 200 daily seats between Ecuador and the United States.”
He adds that when an airline enters, it always enters to regulate prices, especially if it is a low-cost airline, as is the case with Spirit, because other airlines also try to match prices - to some extent - with low-cost airlines. "In addition to reducing quotas and having fewer frequencies, even if it is an airline, Ecuador, Guayaquil and the south of the country lose, because from El Oro, Loja, Zamora, Cuenca, preferably due to distances, we go to the nearest international airport, which is Guayaquil."
Zurita says there are other airlines, although JetBlue has reduced “its frequencies a little, but they continue to fly normally.”
For Ian Travel general manager Ian Loaiza, airline frequencies have remained the same as last year, although some airlines have stopped flying. JetBlue “is still flying, but I think it will also be leaving that route,” he says.
As for destinations in the south of the continent, Zurita says that Avianca has opened a route that flies directly from Guayaquil to Buenos Aires, with two or three weekly frequencies. The flight also leaves from Quito to the Argentine capital.
He adds that the same airline has a direct route from Quito to Punta Cana. In addition, it has resumed direct flights to Medellín and Cartagena. He says that the Medellín airport is being converted into a hub like the one in Panama. “Most of the flights with Avianca have the option of connecting via Bogotá or Medellín.”
Meanwhile, Cueva maintains that Ecuador's problem is with flights to the south of the continent, where fares are too high. He cites as an example that he bought a ticket to Buenos Aires for US$900, when one to Europe can sometimes be purchased for US$700 or US$800. "That is a concern, because there are few airlines (that go to the south) compared to the north, so the demand to the south does make prices and fares too high."
As for frequencies to Europe, he points out that demand remains the same and airlines such as Air Europa, Iberia, KLM continue to provide direct services, although there is also the possibility of going to Europe via the United States; however, this is restricted for people who do not have a visa.
And despite the different contexts regarding international flights, for Cueva the most serious problem is in the domestic network: although Guayaquil, Quito, Galapagos, and even Cuenca have connections, "what about the rest of the provinces? How difficult it is."
According to Ecuador's international air connectivity data, the highest number of flights is to Panama with 91, followed by Colombia (68) and the United States (47), while the destination with the fewest flights is Curacao, with one for the week of February 10-16.
