Colombian airline Avianca has added two new routes at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, boosting ties between the country and South Florida.<\/p>\n
The added service will also give more business to FLL at a time when it\u2019s still recovering from the demise of Spirit Airlines. The former Broward-based low-cost carrier was the airport\u2019s biggest source of passengers on an annual basis until it shut down on May 2.<\/p>\n
Avianca\u2019s two daily routes, which began July 15, operate between FLL and Barranquilla and FLL and Cali, the airline told the Miami Herald.<\/p>\n
These additions come on the heels of the carrier increasing service to Colombia\u2019s capital. On June 1, it added a second daily flight between FLL and Bogot\u00e1. Avianca also flies from FLL to Medell\u00edn.<\/p>\n
The new flights reflect \u201cthe airline\u2019s long-term investment in the South Florida market,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cFort Lauderdale is a strategic gateway within Avianca\u2019s U.S. network, and these new routes directly respond to the growing demand for convenient, point-to-point travel between South Florida and Colombia,\u201d Rolando Damas, Avianca\u2019s Sales Director for North America, said in the statement.<\/p>\n
He called the new service to Barranquilla and Cali \u201ca milestone in Avianca\u2019s continued growth at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Avianca now operates more than 400 weekly flights from 14 U.S. cities.<\/p>\n
Other airlines have been looking to step into Spirit\u2019s void at FLL.<\/p>\n
Breeze Airways has expanded service and JetBlue has made a big push, adding dozens of flights. It operates more than 125 daily operations out of FLL, mostly domestic. But this year, it will also add non-stop service to Cali and Barranquilla.<\/p>\n