Above: Cartagena (CJ photo: KU)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Avianca has officially begun direct service between New York and the city of Cartagena on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

The service, which began last month, operates flights from New York to Cartagena on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with flights from Cartagena to New York on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Colombia-based Avianca will operate the service on Airbus A319 planes with capacity for 119 passengers.

“With this new flight option we are meeting the travel needs of our passengers traveling from New York and neighboring states (New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania) towards tourist destinations such as Cartagena, Santa Marta, and Barranquilla,” said Rolando Damas, Avianca’s Commercial Director for North America and Asia. “The cities in the Colombian coffee belt offer multiple business and leisure possibilities as well.”

The flights will also include final legs to the city of Pereira, from which the departing Colombia flights will also originate.

The service is the latest connectivity from the US to Cartagena, which will soon receive flights from Fort Lauderdale via JetBlue.

Cartagena has been in the midst of a tourism development boom, as Caribbean Journal reported.