Traveller shortage affects new airports

Jumandy airport

Jumandy airport in Tena, has the capacity to receive a plane like a boeing 767 while carrying it’s top capacity of passengers which is 250 people, however, in this air terminal flights depart with an average of five passengers, according to Gustavo Chavez, representative of Tame in Tena.

Tame is the only company operating in its facilities, and since June of last year maintains three frequencies, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Quito-Macas – Tena-Quito, with a total flow of 120 passengers per month, of which less than 20% are tourists, according to Chavez.

While in the Regional airport of Santa Rosa, at El Oro, in which the State invested $53 million for its construction, planes only flight to Quito, with three departures from Monday to Friday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday, also through Tame.

Since the mid of 2012, the three commercial flights to the city of Piura (Peru) are not operational, which were inaugurated in February of the same year, was likewise, the connecting flights to Guayaquil and Piura were also cancelled.

The current routes are carried out on aircrafts type ATR42-500 with capacity for 48 passengers and in each flight travels an average of 30 to 40 passengers.

In the current government, also have been upgraded the airports of Catamayo (Loja) and Manta (for what the airport of Portoviejo was closed).