Summary
- Bolivia’s Amaszonas has lost its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and faces closure unless it can regain it within 60 days.
- The small regional carrier has been on the brink of bankruptcy and recently had a dispute with its lessor over a debt of $12 million.
- Amaszonas had a limited fleet, with only one aircraft available for operations, and its failure would mark the end of an unsuccessful regional experiment with multiple sister airlines.
Bolivia’s General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC, in Spanish) has suspended the Air Operator Certificate of Amaszonas. This small regional carrier was forced to shut down in August 2023 following a dispute with its lessor. The company now has 60 days to regain the AOC or could face permanent closure.
Amaszonas has lost its AOC
The Latin American region is set to lose another airline, apparently. In what would be the 12th airline to cease operations in the region since 2020, Bolivia’s Amaszonas is on the brink of disappearing after having lost its AOC.
On November 18, the Bolivian authorities suspended Amaszonas AOC due to the absence of an aircraft available for the company’s operations. Amaszonas has been on the brink of bankruptcy for quite some time now: in 2020, it was rescued by the Nella Group, a Brazilian firm with ties to the Middle East and the United States that aimed to invest in regional ailing companies across Latin America, such as Amaszonas and –briefly– Mexico’s Aeromar, before the company formally shut down in March 2023. The Nella Group sold the company to a local businessman called Luiz Divino in October.
Per ch-aviation’s database, the company only had one aircraft, an Embraer E190-100LR, registration CP-3171, which had arrived at the company in 2021. In the past it also had other planes such as CRJ100LRs, CRJ200LRs, and DHC-8-200s.
Photo: Elzbieta Sekowska | Shutterstock.
If Amaszonas Uruguay does close down, it would be the end of a regional experiment that saw the launch of Amaszonas, Amaszonas Argentina, Amaszonas BQB, Amaszonas Paraguay, and Amaszonas Uruguay. All of these companies have failed.
Is there any hope for Amaszonas in Bolivia?
While the company had its AOC suspended, it has 60 days to regain it and resume operations, according to a report from Air Data News. The executive director of Bolivia’s DGAC said,
“Initially, the airline must review and observe non-compliance with current regulations, RAB 119, in which the Air Operator Certificate is generated. One of the main limitations observed is that the company does not have the availability of an aircraft, which would be limiting the restart of its operations.”
Amaszonas has to present a corrective action plan, which will propose how to restart their operations within a period they see fit and maintain an active network. However, if Amaszonas fails to do this, the company will likely come to an end.
The latest dispute
In August, it was reported that Amaszonas had a heated dispute with its lessor, GY Aviation Lease. The company had a debt of around $12 million, accrued from the lease of four Embraer ERJ 190-100LRs (the other planes had registrations CP-3135, CP-3142, and CP-3145).
Photo: Inga Locmele | Shutterstock.
On its website, Amaszonas offered flights to four domestic destinations and two international cities. According to Amaszonas, it flew the routes La Paz-Sucre, La Paz-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz-Sucre, and Santa Cruz-Cochabamba in the domestic segment. Internationally, it flew from Santa Cruz to Iquique in Chile and Asunción in Paraguay.
What do you think about this? Do you expect Amaszonas to resume flying in the future? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Air Data News.