Ecuatoriana Airlines (Quito International) is set to commence its AOC certification drive after the Ecuadorian civil aviation authority (Consejo Nacional de Aviación Civil - CNAC) granted it an operator's permit.

The start-up said in a statement it had been notified of the event on November 4.

"Once the operating permit is received, Ecuatoriana Airlines will proceed to the 5-phase certification process in which we will demonstrate the organizational, technical, and professional capacity of our team," it said.

As previously reported, Ecuatoriana had applied for permission to conduct scheduled and chartered flights ferrying passengers, cargo, and mail throughout Ecuador.

The route authorities applied for, and presumably now granted, include:

  • Quito International–Cuenca–Quito, up to seven (7) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Loja–Quito, up to seven (7) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Tulcán–Quito, up to three (3) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Esmeraldas–Quito, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Salinas Ulpiano Paez–Quito, up to three (3) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Guayaquil–Quito, up to twenty-one (21) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Santa Rosa–Quito, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Lago Agrio–Quito, up to four (4) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Coca–Quito, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Macas–Quito, up to three (3) weekly frequencies;
  • Quito–Manta International–Quito, up to seven (7) weekly frequencies;
  • Guayaquil–Quito–Guayaquil, up to twenty-one (21) weekly frequencies;
  • Guayaquil–Cuenca–Guayaquil, up to six (6) weekly frequencies;
  • Guayaquil–Latacunga–Guayaquil, up to two (2) weekly frequencies;
  • Guayaquil–Manta–Guayaquil, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Guayaquil–Loja–Guayaquil, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Cuenca–Quito–Cuenca, up to seven (7) weekly frequencies;
  • Cuenca–Guayaquil–Cuenca, up to six (6) weekly frequencies;
  • Cuenca–Manta–Cuenca, up to four (4) weekly frequencies;
  • Santa Rosa Victor Larrea–Quito–Santa Rosa, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Santa Rosa–Guayaquil–Santa Rosa, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Esmeraldas–Quito–Esmeraldas, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Esmeraldas–Guayaquil–Esmeraldas, up to four (4) weekly frequencies;
  • Esmeraldas–Loja–Esmeraldas, up to three (3) weekly frequencies;
  • Manta–Guayaquil–Manta, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Manta–Cuenca–Manta, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Manta–Quito–Manta, up to five (5) weekly frequencies;
  • Loja–Guayaquil–Loja, up to five (5) weekly frequencies.

Operationally, the carrier applied for permission to deploy a variety of aircraft including Beech 1900Ds, Dash 8-200s, ATR42-500s, A220-100s, A319/A320s, and B737-300/-400/-500s. Procurement will be via leasing.