Flybondi

Background

Speculation about the creation of a new airline began in the first half of 2016, shortly after the inauguration of President Mauricio Macri, who promised to open up Argentina's skies with the implementation of more modern laws and the reduction of bureaucracy to facilitate the creation of new airlines, since until then, the South American country was one of the most bureaucratic and restrictive in the world in terms of air transport policy. In this context, speculation indicated that the Irish ultra low-cost carrier Ryanair was working to create a subsidiary in Argentina through Declan Ryan and the Irelandia Aviation group, which was behind the creation of two other low-cost airlines in Latin America, VivaAerobus in Mexico and Viva Air in Colombia.[1][2][3]

In June 2016, the Argentine newspaper La Nación, citing sources close to Irelandia Aviation, mentioned the possibility of acquiring the airline Andes Líneas Aéreas to transform it into the ultra-low-cost airline planned by the group, just as the Brazilian group Synergy Aerospace, controlling shareholder of Avianca Holdings and owner of Avianca Brasil (Oceanair), did with Macair Jet, which became Avianca Argentina.[4][5][6]

Establishment

The creation of Flybondi, Argentina's first ultra-low-cost airline (ULCC), was announced in September 2016 by a group of Argentine businessmen, supported by funds from big names in the aviation industry, such as Michael Cawley, member of the board of Ryanair, Montie Brewer, former CEO of Air Canada and Robert Wright, founder of British Airways Citiflyer Express and shareholder and former non-executive director at Wizz Air, as well as Argentine Gastón Parisier and Swiss Julian Cook, founder and former CEO of Switzerland's FlyBaboo. Together, the investors would have contributed US$ 75 million with the aim of starting operations in 2017.[7][8][9][10]

Bondi is the informal name given in to urban public transport buses in Argentina. As an ultra-low-cost airline, the company's intention was to make it as popular and accessible as a bus. Therefore, Flybondi literally means flying bus. The initial idea was to call it Air Bondi, but on the recommendation of an advertising agency, due to the risk of conflict with the name of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, it was decided to use the prefix fly instead of air.[11]

In October 2016, the airline revealed its initial plans, intending to fly to Comodoro Rivadavia, Córdoba, El Calafate, Mendoza, Neuquén, Resistencia, Puerto Iguazú, Río Gallegos, Salta, San Carlos de Bariloche, Tucumán and Ushuaia with a fleet of six aircraft. And although it was considering both Airbus and Boeing narrow-body models, according to co-founder Julian Cook, Flybondi's preference would be the Boeing 737-800.[12]

On December 5, 2016, during the first public hearing held in 11 years by the Argentine Ministry of Economy for airlines to request new routes, Flybondi defined as its main base of operations El Palomar Airport, located 18 kilometers from Buenos Aires, requesting to fly to and from the aerodrome that, until then, served as an air base for the Argentine Air Force.[13][14][15]

On March 16, 2017, Flybondi co-founder and CEO Julian Cook officially announced the choice of the Boeing 737 for the new Argentine airline's fleet, announcing that they would be configured with 189 seats in a single-class layout.[16] And in May of the same year, he announced the signing of the lease agreement with SMBC Aviation Capital for his first aircraft, with plans to lease nine more later that year.[17]

Flybondi's first aircraft, the Boeing 737-800 registration LV-HKS (MSN 33821) named Nelson, was officially delivered on December 2.[18][19][20]

Operations

The airline's inaugural flight from Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport in Córdoba to Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport in Puerto Iguazu took place 26 January 2018.[21]

The first routes were launched from its base at Córdoba International Airport in January 2018, to the cities of Mendoza, Bariloche and Puerto Iguazú. In February 2018, the airline was the first civilian airline to operate from El Palomar Airport near Buenos Aires, where it established a new base and began flights to Salta, Neuquén, and Tucumán.[22]

Flybondi went international on December 17, 2018, with flights between El Palomar in the Greater Buenos Aires area and the Paraguayan capital Asunción.[23]

In July 2019, the airline announced that it would start flights between Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. The flights started operating 11 October 2019, departing from the airline's main base at Buenos Aires' El Palomar Airport to Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro.[24]

On December 5, 2024, Flybondi received an ultimatum from the National Civil Aviation Administration of Argentina to present a plan to reduce cancellations after 70 flights were canceled that past weekend, leaving over 12,000 stranded, compounded with years of frequent cancellations.[25] This came across much larger criticisms for Flybondi's tendency for large, unannounced delays, being ranked the 3rd worst in the world for delays by FlightAware.[26]

Former fleet

The following aircraft were formerly operated by Flybondi: