STORAGE - ULTRA AIR / A320-200 / M-ABSA

Ton Jochems - MPL
 

Ultra Air faces bankruptcy; JetSMART pulls out

Ultra Air is in dire financial difficulties and has suspended the sales of tickets until at least the end of April as lessors are in the process of repossessing five of the airline's six Airbus A320s. Due to the lack of aircraft the airline is forced to drastically reduce its operations and the outlook for Ultra Air is bleak.

As a result of these issues, Chilean low-cost carrier JetSMART is pulling out of its intention to acquire Ultra Air. This deal was just announced this week and JetSMART was in the process of doing due diligence to assess the financial position of Ultra Air.

If Ultra Air collapses, it would be the second carrier in Colombia to go into bankruptcy in a short time as on 27 February 2023 , Viva Air ceased all operations.
Photo by Ultra Air.
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Colombia's Ultra Air eyes int'l ops in 2Q23

 Ultra Air (U0, Medellín José Maria Córdova) has applied for various international traffic rights for flights out of both Bogotá and Medellín José Maria Córdova effective April 1, 2023.

According to a recent disclosure by the Colombian civil aviation authority (Aeronáutica Civil de Colombia - Aerocivil), the ultra-low-cost carrier plans to operate the following routes:

out of Bogotà: Punta Cana (5x weekly starting on April 1), Caracas Simón Bolivar (5x weekly starting on April 15), Porlamar, Valencia Arturo Michelena Int'l, Quito Int'l (4x weekly starting from June 1 each), San José Juan Santamaría (daily from November 1), and Guayaquil (4x weekly from November 1), and

out of Medellín: Quito, Caracas (both 4x weekly starting from April 1), Valencia (4x weekly from November 1), Porlamar, and San José (both 3x weekly from November 1).

All flights will be operated with A320-200s, Ultra Air's only aircraft type. The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows that Ultra Air currently operates six mid-life A320s.

The ULCC's chief executive, William Shaw, told ch-aviation recently that Colombian law limits start-ups to domestic routes for a year after obtaining their air operator's certificate. Ultra Air was certified in late February 2022.

Ch Aviation

Ultra Air is preparing to fly Colombia’s skies. The new low-cost airline has already received its first Airbus A320, a major step towards the start of operations.

N712AV / Airbus A320-214
Medellín Rionegro José María Córdova - SKRG
Colombia
Photo:Jorge Saenz

The A320 landed on December 7 at José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) displaying the company’s official livery. Over the next few weeks, four more aircraft of the same model will arrive to complete Ultra Air’s fleet.

In the first phase, Ultra Air will operate domestic flights, then it will extend its services to international operations to Peru, Mexico, and the United States.
See also: Colombia: Aerocivil approved Ultra Air’s project and will soon be operating in Colombia.

Ultra Air’s first Airbus A320-200 was delivered registered as N712AV and will receive the Colombian registration HK-5393. It has a capacity of 180 seats in a single configuration, and left the manufacturer in 2006 intended for Air Arabia and then transferred to IndiGo and Viajet.

Ultra Air (Colombia) took delivery of its first aircraft, a leased A320, serial 2712, ahead of planned operations

 

Ultra Air secures first aircraft

 

Ultra Air, a new LCC start-up in Colombia, has secured its first two aircraft. The aircraft in question are A320s N304AV (3044) and OE-LMM (2712). Both are owned by lessor Avolon and are currently being prepared at Tucson-International (AZ).

The airline is in the process of obtaining its AOC but has received approval from the civil aviation authority to serve both domestic and international destinations out of its base at Medellín. Domestically, it plans to serve Leticia, Pasto, Cali, Pereira, Bogota, Medellin, Bucaramanga, Arauca, Cucuta, Monteria, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Riohacha, and San Andres island. Internationally, Ultra Air plans to fly to New York (NY), Miami (FL), Mexico City, Cancun, Punta Cana Quito, Lima, Peru, Aruba, and Curacao.

Ultra Air has been founded by a former CEO of Interjet in Mexico and has, reportedly, secured a lease-agreement with Airbus for up to forty A320s, including A320neos. It hopes to grow the fleet with eight aircraft per year.

Illustration by Ultra Air.

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