Bolivia’s government has ruled out privatising state-owned carrier BoA - Boliviana de Aviación (OB, La Paz El Alto) and instead plans to modernise its ageing fleet as part of a broader effort to improve the airline’s competitiveness while opening up the country’s aviation market to greater competition.

Public works minister Mauricio Zamora said the government was preparing a fleet renewal programme and had already begun discussions with Embraer regarding potential aircraft acquisitions.

"I am already working on an executive vision. I am in contact with Embraer in Brazil because my plan is to renew the airline's fleet," Zamora said in an interview with local broadcaster Radio Fides.

The minister acknowledged that many of BoA's aircraft had become increasingly unreliable due to age. He said that although the airline currently has a fleet of around 20 aircraft, only half are in operation while the remainder are undergoing maintenance. The airline’s fleet comprises three A330-200s, three B737-300s, three B737-700s, seven B737-800s, and two CRJ200s, according to ch-aviation data, with half that number currently inactive.

"There were 20 years of damage through protectionism. My mission is to make Boliviana competitive again, with new aircraft and as few delays as possible, while at the same time promoting open skies," Zamora declared, adding that the airline "will not be privatised".

Over the last year, the state-owned carrier has transitioned through three chief executive officers, as the government has mulled adding widebodies and freighters in plans that have not yet come to fruition.