Above: a new ATR

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Avianca has taken delivery of a new ATR 72-600 plane for service in Central America.

The turboprop plane is the first to enter the Central American region, and will begin operations on Aug. 15 servicing routes from Guatemala City and Flores and between Guatemala City and San Pedro Sula in Honduras.

The new plane can carry up to 68 passengers, which means a 40 percent increase in capacity over the existing ATR 42.

The plane is part of an order of 15 aircraft to operate within Central America and the country’s Colombia home at a total investment of $700 million.

The new plane is the start of a process to gradually replace the carrier’s ATR 42 planes currently operating in the region.

“With the addition of the new ATR 72-600 aircraft, we reaffirm our commitment to connectivity,” said Fabio Villeags, CEO of Avianca Holdings. “This equipment will allow us to increase our standard of care, our capacity in short-range routes and make our operations more efficient.”

Avianca Holdings’ total fleet includes 151 planes, the second-largest fleet in Latin America.