Wingo, new low-cost airline arriving in Panama

Will use four Boeing 737-700 aircraft

Traveling at less cost is the best option for those who need to take an airplane urgently for business or for those who prefer to spend more on the destination than on the transport.

Low-cost aeronautical services are proliferating globally, and Panama is no exception.

This time the Panamanians will have a new option of low cost flight as of December 1 of this year, this is the start of operations of the airline Wingo, a subsidiary of Panamanian Copa Holdings, which starts operations with an investment $ 6 million.

According to Catalina Breton, general leader of Wingo, from December 1 the airline will fly to 16 cities in 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Among the destinations to which it will fly are: Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, San José and Guatemala City.

 “We think there was a market segment that wanted to fly, many of us had a journey saved in the dreams that was postponed, but now there will be no more excuses,” said Breton.

 “We want to transport those travelers who want to discover Panama, but who could not travel because they did not have the money,” said Bretón.

With an initial fleet of four Boeing 737-700 aircraft with a capacity for 142 passengers each and with a single cabin, Wingo will travel from Panama to Bogotá, Cali and Medellin, as well as to Guatemala City departing from San José, Costa Rica .

It will also travel from Bogotá to Cartagena, San Andres, Aruba, Cancun, Punta Cana, Havana, Mexico City, Panama City, Quito and Caracas.

“From Bogota they will be able to connect to the destinations mentioned above and they can also fly from the city of Panama to Cali and from Cali to San Andres,” he detailed.

Wingo will have to compete with the also low-cost airline VivaColombia.

“More than two years ago we started operations in Panama with the Panama-Bogotá-Panama and Panama-Medellín-Panama routes, and more and more Panamanians, Colombians and travelers from neighboring countries have the opportunity to realize their dreams by traveling at low cost, Said William Shaw, president of the airline.

He assured that VivaColombia understands the importance of tourism, so he celebrates that rates on the Panama-Bogotá-Panama and Panama-Medellin-Panama routes have decreased 80%.

On the other hand, since December of 2015, Laser Airlines, Venezuelan airline, began to cover the route Caracas-Panama with special flights.

Currently, it offers a daily frequency and an itinerary of departure of Caracas at 10:45 am, local time, arriving at 12:00 noon to the city of Panama. The return is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Local time to arrive at 4:45 p.m. To Caracas, Venezuela time.

In addition to Panama, the international offer of the Venezuelan airline includes Santo Domingo and Aruba, with the objective of incorporating new routes in Latin America in the short term.

“Panama is one of the international destinations that Laser Airlines covers in its strategy of growth and projection in the region and we are grateful to be able to serve this market,” said René Cortés, Executive Vice President of Laser Airlines.

“We are motivated to serve Venezuelan and Panamanian travelers as an air link between both markets, especially as a business partner for those who have to travel constantly for business reasons,” he said.

Source: Capital Financiero