Eastern Airlines (2D, Miami International) is planning to launch scheduled passenger flights on December 5, 2019, operating from New York JFK to Guayaquil in Ecuador, subject to government approval, the carrier said in a press release.
The airline plans to operate the service 2x weekly using a B767-300(ER) equipped with 242 passenger seats, including 30 in premium class and 212 in economy. Eastern Airlines will announce exact schedules and fares shortly.
On October 11, the airline also petitioned the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for an extension of time to start service between JFK and Guayaquil until January 15, 2020. The current permission to launch up to seven flights weekly between the cities expires on October 25, 2019.
"This extension will allow Eastern to more efficiently plan, market, and implement its services to Guayaquil, and will have no impact on the long-term benefits this new service will provide. In this connection, we note the Ecuador government has imposed a state of emergency caused by civil unrest related to the recent elimination of gasoline subsidies. The short extension requested will give time for this issue to be resolved," the carrier said.
Last year, the carrier's application to launch scheduled flights to Georgetown Cheddi Jagan was denied due to debts left by Eastern's predecessor, Dynamic International Airways (Greensboro Piedmont Triad International). The airline also applied for route authority to Jinan and Anchorage Ted Stevens from New York JFK.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Eastern Airlines currently operates one B767-200, three -200(ER)s, and five B767-300(ER)s, which are available for ACMI and charter flights. Currently, none of them is active. Eastern Airlines is also in the process of adding its first B777-200(ER).
