Spirit Airlines (NK, Fort Lauderdale International) will provide Bucaramanga with its first direct scheduled intercontinental service, when it launches a 3x weekly route from Fort Lauderdale International on April 22, a press release said. The eastern Colombian airport's existing network is currently limited to domestic flights and a service to Panamá City Tocumen International with Copa Airlines.
The Floridian ULCC will also link the US airport with Barranquilla from April 23, and both routes join its existing Colombian services from Fort Lauderdale to Cartagena Rafael Núñez International, Bogotá, Medellín José Maria Córdova, Armenia, and Cali. In addition, Spirit also flies to Cartagena, Bogota, and Medellin from Orlando International.
“We are very proud of our service growth in Colombia, connecting many Colombian cities to multiple US gateways over the last 10-plus years. Colombia is considered home to many in Florida and it is also a destination that has gained so much interest in the past years from the leisure traveller. We are very excited to add Bucaramanga and Barranquilla to our Spirit Family and continue with our mission to offer the best value in the sky to those looking to visit family and friends and those looking for their next adventure,” said Ted Christie, President and Chief Executive Officer at Spirit Airlines.
Both new 3x weekly routes will be flown by the ULCC's A319-100 fleet, which according to the ch-aviation fleets module, currently numbers 31 units. It also operates sixty-four A320-200s, twenty-one A320-200neo and thirty A321-200s.
Spirit flew its first flight to Colombia in May 2008, connecting Fort Lauderdale to Cartagena. The addition of Bucaramanga and Barranquilla to Fort Lauderdale’s network means Spirit serves more cities in Colombia non-stop from the US than any other airline, with a total of 10 routes from two US gateways to seven Colombian cities.
