The General Directorate of Civil Aviation modified the Regulation on Operating Permits for the Provision of Commercial Air Transport Services.

Ecuador can approve, within a maximum period of one month, Air Operator Certificates (AOCs) issued by aeronautical authorities of other countries, provided that they comply with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

This, after the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), on February 21, through Resolution No. 003/2025, introduced modifications to the 'Regulation of Operating Permits for the Provision of Commercial Air Transport Services'.

This measure reduces the duplication of procedures, facilitates the entry of new airlines and improves the operational efficiency of the sector, aligning with international best practices; and was welcomed by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), an organization that represents 184 companies in the airline sector.

José Ricardo Botelho, CEO of ALTA, explained that currently, international air transport in Latin America and the Caribbean faces regulatory barriers that limit its expansion and that one of the main challenges lies in the requirement that foreign airlines complete local AOC processes, despite the fact that all countries in the region are governed by the standards established by ICAO.

According to Botelho, these regulatory redundancies increase bureaucracy and operating costs, hindering the competitiveness and development of the sector. “Instead, Ecuador is taking a step forward with this model of mutual recognition of Air Operation Certificates,” the executive said.

He added that the measure adopted by Ecuador will allow for a significant reduction in authorization times and certification costs, in addition to promoting operational agility for airlines and, therefore, in the provision of an essential service to users.

“This is a crucial measure in a region where connectivity is still limited, with a per capita travel rate of only 0.64. By facilitating the entry of new airlines and the expansion of operations, Ecuador is promoting a greater supply of flights, which can translate into more competitive fares and greater access to air transport for passengers,” underlines ALTA’s CEO.

According to ALTA data, aviation in Ecuador generates more than 330,000 jobs and contributes more than US$ 4.6 billion annually to the national economy, considering direct, indirect, induced and catalytic effects. Botelho said that this decision by Ecuador establishes a key precedent for air integration in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting greater operational efficiency, strengthening regional and global connectivity, and encouraging the sustainable development of aviation.

“We congratulate the Director General of the DGAC of Ecuador for this step and we appreciate his welcome to develop meetings around the topic. We also recognize the Ministry of Tourism, whose Minister Mateo Estrella shared the importance of the homologation of the AOCs during the ALTA AGM & Airline Leaders Forum 2024 in the Bahamas,” Botelho concluded.

During the forum, the minister explained that Ecuador proposed two specific initiatives to the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), an integration bloc that includes Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. “We find it very interesting that aviation authorities can standardize their airline certification processes when issuing an AOC, so that any airline that has an AOC in these Andean countries can operate domestically in another Andean country,” Estrella said.

He said that this is a liberalisation measure that has occurred in the European Union on many occasions and also in other economic integration blocks and that it is a determining factor when evaluating certain operating costs, since certification in any country is expensive for companies.

“If an airline already complies with regulations in Peru, Colombia or Ecuador, and this rule is approved in the other country, why duplicate efforts when we could greatly boost the market? To do so, it is also important to have the support of the industry to study the cost impact that this measure could have,” said Estrella.