Palmerola increased air traffic in Central area by 46%

Date 31-05-2022 11:21:43 | News

Palmerola International Airport has managed to revive and recover air traffic in the central part of Honduras, which has increased by 46% with the new terminal compared to the previous year.

The arrival of the new Spirit Airlines and Aeroméxico airlines, added to the increase of the operations of the already existing companies: United, Copa, American and Avianca managed to generate a significant movement of over 230,000 passengers, entering and leaving the country only in the first months of activity.

"Only in the first quarter of this year, compared to the previous year with Toncontín, Palmerola has already managed to move 46% more passengers from the Central area. This is very important, because we have managed to become internationally attractive and continue to add airlines, ”said Peter Fleming, Executive Chairman of the Emco Group Airports Division.

The destinations that had the most movement are Houston, Miami, Fort Lauderdale. Other growing destinations are Panama, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Fleming explained that low airfare and the arrival of low-cost airlines; that is, a higher supply and more timetables were key to increasing passenger traffic.

"With Palmerola we have managed to lower the prices of plane tickets and this is a bigger opportunity for people to travel. We have tickets to travel to the United States, from $ 149 to $ 230 on various airlines. Previously, a passenger had to pay Toncontín up to $ 900 for a ticket to Miami, Houston or Fort Lauderdale; and this limited the Hondurans in the Central area to travel. Now, with Palmerola, we are able to reduce passenger costs, "said Fleming.

He said they currently have between 16 and 18 operations a day, 50% more than in Toncontín.

"The airlines that were already there increased their frequencies and switched to larger planes. We have a wider runway, seven boarding bridges and passenger safety is guaranteed. "

He said they were already in talks with other airlines and hoped to reach agreements and announce new operations before the end of the year.

night flights

Palmerola's air operations will continue to grow, with Avianca announcing that it will have nine additional flights starting in June, which will improve the Central Zone's connectivity with South America and Europe.

Avianca flights will be received at night and will allow passengers to have more connection options.

"We are conducting nine additional transactions with Avianca for June. This is very important because it will help us improve our connectivity with South America and Europe, the United States, Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico, ”said Marlon Amador, Avianca's CEO in Honduras.

The executive said that the tickets for the night flights are already on sale on the Avianca.com platform and on the various distribution channels.

Copa has also announced that it will start its night operations on 1 July.

Palmerola International Airport has state-of-the-art lighting and equipment to enable night operations and increase passenger traffic.

Safety
Gerardo Guifarro, executive director of the Honduran Civil Aviation Agency (AHAC), said that with the start of night operations, Honduras is positioning itself in international air trade.

"This will help attract new airlines and grow the local economy," he said.

One of the most important aspects of Palmerola is that it offers operational safety conditions, due to its infrastructure and strategic position.

The new air terminal has almost 40,000 square meters, being the largest in Honduras.