SPECIAL REPORT: BOGOTÁ
“His dream is to create a Latin America wide airline system and this
ambition has proved instrumental in helping transform Bogotá into one of the region’s fastest growing hubs,” says Etzold. Another big reason is the late 2008 decision by Aires to reinvent
itself as low-cost carrier in the mould of an Air Berlin or easyJet in Europe or Southwest in North America. The move proved a masterstroke as the airline now accounts for a
significant share of the domestic traffic in Colombia and 15% of the total throughput at El Dorado. “You have to remember that Colombia is very mountainous, with
some peaks reaching almost 6,000 metres, so travelling by air is the quickest and best way to go if you can afford it,” comments Etzold, who points out that a 700 kilometre journey between Bogotá and Cartagena on the Caribbean Coast can take 90 minutes by aircraft as opposed to at least 12 hours by road. There is no train system. “Its low fares have led to an explosion of traffic on certain domestic
routes and within 18 months the airline’s fleet had grown from nothing to nine Boeing 737-700s,” he adds. “The international market has enjoyed stable growth for a number of years but Aires has totally reinvigorated the domestic market.” In 2009, domestic traffic accounted for 10 million people or
two-thirds of the 14.9 million passengers handled in Bogotá. Avianca and Aero República currently provide Aires with its toughest
competition domestically, but that will change from 2012 when new start-up AerOasis, with the support of LAN Chile, is set to enter the market with up to 15 A320s. Etzold says that the fleet size theoretically means that the new
carrier could handle 5.2 million passengers per annum on its own, a total that would put severe pressure on El Dorado’s facilities. It will be joined by new low-cost carrier, FAST, which has announced
its intention to enter the domestic market in 2011 using a fleet of B737 or A320 aircraft. The most popular international destinations outside of Latin
America currently served non-stop from Bogotá are Madrid, Barcelona and Miami. Colombia’s status as the world’s leading exporter of cut flowers and a major producer of agricultural produce, should ensure that cargo continues to be of great importance to the South American gateway.
18 AIRPORT WORLD/AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2010
Opain has contracted US-based global air cargo and transportation
infrastructure development company, Lynxs Group, to operate El Dorado’s newly opened cargo terminal. Bizarrely, German-born Etzold ended up on secondment in Colombia
because he didn’t want to leave Switzerland. He explains: “Although I am German, I lived and worked in
Switzerland for 34 years, am now a Swiss citizen and call it my home. I actually liked Switzerland so much that when Lufthansa wanted to post me elsewhere, I joined Zurich Airport so that I could stay! However, that was a few years ago now, and I felt that I couldn’t turn down the chance to go to Bogotá once I realised that Colombia was a very different country today than it was a few years ago.” Colombia is one of those countries that conjure up many different
images in people’s minds, and Etzold is among the first to admit that for those who haven’t been there recently, not all of them are good. For this reason he is keen to point out that safety and security have
improved dramatically over the past few years. Indeed, the much- publicised violence associated with armed struggles and drug trafficking have all but gone away now and rarely making the headlines these days. In fact, the Colombian Tourist Office recently launched an advertising campaign that declares that “the only risk, is that you will want to stay.” Did you know, for example, that Colombia has one of the most
stable political systems in South America and boasts the region’s fourth largest economy? With over 45 million people, it is also the second largest country in
South America after Brazil in terms of population and a major trading point for goods travelling between North, South and Central America. “The government has done an excellent job and Colombia is a
different country these days,” enthuses Etzold. “I would compare living in Bogotá to somewhere like Barcelona. It is safe and exciting in Bogotá as long as you are careful.” It certainly appears as if things have changed and are continuing to
change for the better in Colombia. However, one thing that won’t be altering – for now anyway – is the name of the airport, which was going to be changed to that of a former politician before the country’s President ruled otherwise. “I personally think he made the right decision,” says Etzold. “Everybody
knows and likes El Dorado and I believe we should to stick with it.” That will sound like music to the ears of the Colombian government.
AW
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