Mystere IV A
February 4, 2003, 07:51 AM
Argentine carrier Lapa and its Bolivian shareholder Aerosur are to create a bilateral tie-up, to be known as 'Alianza del Sur' meaning 'Southern Alliance'.
Aerosur stated last year that it was keen to form a tighter bond with Lapa - previously known as AIRG - after a consortium which included Aerosur president Humberto Roca took a share in the airline.
A spokesman for Lapa says: "We need to create a critical mass to be able to compete with extremely-competitive airlines, such as Aerolineas Argentinas and LanChile.
"Additionally, Chile continues to lobby aggressively for an open skies pact with Bolivia, although I believe the [Bolivian Government] is now more cautious after seeing what happened to Peru after signing it. All this means that we must be able to offer a large number of destinations and frequencies to become a real option for the frequent traveller in our region."
Lapa will shortly begin flying jointly with Aerosur, codesharing on routes to Santiago and Puerto Montt in Chile, as well as Sao Paulo and Lima. Southern Alliance plans also to lease a widebody aircraft - expected to be a Boeing 767-200, operated by Aerosur - to fly to the USA. It will operate initially from Buenos Aires via Santa Cruz to Miami as well as Madrid.
"At a later stage, destinations such as Mexico or New York will also be considered," says the spokesman.
Fly High :windsock:
:pilot_2:
Aerosur stated last year that it was keen to form a tighter bond with Lapa - previously known as AIRG - after a consortium which included Aerosur president Humberto Roca took a share in the airline.
A spokesman for Lapa says: "We need to create a critical mass to be able to compete with extremely-competitive airlines, such as Aerolineas Argentinas and LanChile.
"Additionally, Chile continues to lobby aggressively for an open skies pact with Bolivia, although I believe the [Bolivian Government] is now more cautious after seeing what happened to Peru after signing it. All this means that we must be able to offer a large number of destinations and frequencies to become a real option for the frequent traveller in our region."
Lapa will shortly begin flying jointly with Aerosur, codesharing on routes to Santiago and Puerto Montt in Chile, as well as Sao Paulo and Lima. Southern Alliance plans also to lease a widebody aircraft - expected to be a Boeing 767-200, operated by Aerosur - to fly to the USA. It will operate initially from Buenos Aires via Santa Cruz to Miami as well as Madrid.
"At a later stage, destinations such as Mexico or New York will also be considered," says the spokesman.
Fly High :windsock:
:pilot_2: