BOGOTA, Colombia—Avianca and Latam Colombia announced late Monday that they would be resuming most of their flights on Tuesday and returning to full schedules on Wednesday. This comes after earlier warnings of flight cancellations due to jet fuel shortages.
Avianca confirmed that the main supplier of jet fuel in the country had lifted restrictions on fuel supply to airlines. This allowed Avianca to resume ticket sales for all routes and operate its planned flights.
Latam Colombia also stated that normal operations would resume on Wednesday. Passengers affected by the Tuesday flight cancellations were accommodated on other flights the same day. Earlier on Monday, Latam had announced 36 flight cancellations for Tuesday due to the fuel shortages.
These developments followed a challenging day for Colombia’s aviation sector, with hundreds of passengers grounded and facing rebooking difficulties.
Ecopetrol, Colombia’s national oil company, imported 100,000 barrels of jet fuel to support domestic airlines after disruptions in local fuel production due to a power shortage on August 16 at an Ecopetrol refinery in Cartagena. In response, local fuel supplier Terpel notified airlines on August 21 of reduced fuel availability at airports nationwide.
On Monday, Ecopetrol’s President Ricardo Roa announced the restoration of jet fuel production and criticized fuel distributors for insufficient imports to meet demand.
President Gustavo Petro and Transportation Minister María Constanza García reassured the public that there was no jet fuel shortage in the country but acknowledged logistical challenges at airports.
The civil aviation authority initially issued an ordinance allowing flight cancellations if fuel was unavailable between August 28 and September 4. However, the ordinance was later revoked as there was now sufficient jet fuel for all scheduled flights.
Avianca CEO Federico Pedreira expressed surprise and relief at the normalization of jet fuel supplies, emphasizing the importance of supply chain coordination to prevent future issues.
By Manuel Rueda
