LatinNews Daily - 23 March 2023

* Colombia’s aviation authority, Aeronática Civil, has authorised a merger between the airlines Viva Air and Avianca. Viva had caused chaos in late February when it grounded its fleet following an announcement by Aeronática Civil that it was delaying its verdict on the proposed merger. The aviation authority yesterday approved that merger, although it emphasised that “the decision to authorise the integration is conditioned on compliance with diverse structural and behavioural measures”. Among other things, Viva would be required to retain its low-cost model, to reimburse customers for cancelled flights, and resume regular flights between Bogotá and Buenos Aires, Argentina. In response, Avianca released a statement saying that it will consider the requirements, although it noted that “Viva Air no longer has the same capacities – route network, planes, workers – that it had before the temporary suspension of its operations”.