Viva Air: passengers stranded after suspension of operations (La República [Spanish] - 2/28/2023)

Viva Air: passengers stranded after suspension of operations (Spanish)

Without notice to its customers, Viva Air announced cessation of its operations. Peruvians stranded in Colombia requested humanitarian flights. Latam has announced that it will provide seats to those affected.

Viva Air suspended its operations due to financial problems.

The Colombian airline Viva Air has suspended all its operations indefinitely since last night, February 27th. This was done without any communication or emails to its passengers. Many passengers have been stranded at Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM), and many Peruvians are reported stranded in Colombia. Caos, including protests and blockades by stranded passengers, was reported at a number of airports in Colombia. 

"We are stranded, our flight was going directly to Medellín. We are approximately 50 to 60 people stranded here since two in the morning and others since 6:30 the day before. We have had no response from Viva Air, their screens are all disabled," one stranded passenger told Latina Noticias.

On Monday, travelers from various parts of the world were astonished after learning that the low-cost Colombian airline had announced the cessation of operations until it can resolve its internal problems. That is, the fleet of aircraft are on 'stand by' until further notice.

In Peru, the Ministry of Transport and Communications opened an administrative process against Viva Air after some 300 passengers were affected at airports in Lima and Cusco.

What happened?

This situation occurred after Colombia's Agencia Aeronáutica Civil (Civil Aeronautics Agency) decided to delay a merger between Viva and Grupo Avianca, another Colombian airline group, requesting participation by other airlines. Viva Airlines maintains that, if the merger is not approved by the Agency, more than 5,000 employees will be laid off.

According to the Colombian newspaper El País, a series of events last week foreshadowed the carrier’s move to cease its operations: the company’s president Félix Antelo resigned, and Viva Air grounded thirteen planes. Chilean carrier Latam, the largest in the region, and JetSmart, also a low-cost airline have expressed interest in acquiring Viva, however the airline reportedly had refused to consider those offers.

What can passengers do?

According to Aeronáutica Civil, the following airlines are offering free transport to stranded passengers:

  • Latam
  • Avianca
  • Wingo
  • Volaris

Passengers are being accommodated by these airlines on a space available, standby, basis.

For Peruvians stranded in Colombia, Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a letter stating: "Affected Peruvian citizens in Colombia may contact the Consulate General of the city where they are located and proceed to follow the instructions given on their social networks." The General Consulate of Peru in Bogotá may be contacted at conperbogota@consuladodelperu.org.co and the Consulate General of Peru in Medellin may be contacted at info@conpermedellin.com.co.

Finally, passengers who purchased their tickets with a credit card can contact the issuing bank to dispute charges.

Tags: #Travel #VivaAir #LIMAirport



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