Executive air service: part 2

As part of the acquisition of regional carrier TACA by Avianca, the Colombian airline last week eliminated various TACA flights, including one of two daily connections between San Jose, Costa Rica and Panama.

With the new schedule, a traveler from either place will not be able to arrive in the morning in the other city, do business all day, and return home the same night.

In addition, a daily flight between San Jose and Managua will be serviced by an ATR turboprop.

TACA used an Airbus 320 jet.

For its part, Panama-based COPA is concentrating on its core business of operating a hub, which connects the two Americas.

As such, it has little interest in expanding its Central American services.

There may not be enough passengers in the region, to fill several jets a day.

But the most important segment of regional traffic consists of business travelers, many of whom would be interested in the option of jet rentals.

A poll carried out in recent years by Republica Media Group , which owns this site, suggests that such an operation could have hundreds of customers.

Chronically high prices for standard airline tickets within the region increase the chances, that such a business would be successful.

Panamanian and Costa Rican travelers would have the added benefit of flying in and out of small general-aviation airports, located close to the respective capitals.

The business could be entirely independent, leasing its own aircraft and hiring its own pilots, or it could sublet airplanes and crew from a Miami-based executive fleet.