• American Airlines Tile
    American Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AA/AAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1926
    Alliance:
    oneworld
    CEO:
    Robert Isom
    Country:
    United States
    Airline Group:
    American Airlines Group
    Region:
    North America
    Loyalty Program:
    AAdvantage

On Friday, American Airlines announced it is ready to resume the commercial service between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Managua International Airport (MGA) after more than two years paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resuming flights

On November 30, American Airlines returns to Nicaragua after suspending its operations in March 2020 due to the pandemic. With its route between Miami and Managua, the airline keeps looking to resume its complete network in Latin America of up to 200 daily flights to 54 destinations.

The route between Miami International and Augusto C. Sandino International Airport will be operated daily with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with a capacity for 172 passengers in a three class configuration (16 seats in business class, 24 in main cabin extra, and 132 in cabin major).

"With our long-awaited return to Nicaragua, at American, we are completing our network in Latin America, further strengthening our position as the largest US airline in the region," said José A. Freig, Vice President of International for American. "American plays a fundamental role in connecting Latin America with the world, which is why we are extremely proud to resume our flights to Managua in November."

An American Airlines Boeing 737-800
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

The route

The service from Miami to Managua will depart daily at 10:25, landing in the Central American country at 12:18. The return flight will depart from Managua at 13:20, landing in Miami at 16:55. American Airlines Avianca, which has 19 weekly flights between both cities. Spirit Airlines flies to Managua from Fort Lauderdale and has scheduled four flights per week. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta Air Lines offered one weekly service from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and United Airlines seven flights per week from Houston.

American Airlines in Latin America

In Latin America, American operates flights to Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Uruguay.

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The airline is widely known throughout the continent and has quickly recovered its pre-pandemic traffic levels in the region. In the first half of 2022, the airline had US$2.7 billion in revenue in this region alone, the second-most important market behind the domestic US (where it earned US$15.18 billion).

By November 2022, when the airline will restore its service to Managua, Nicaragua, American Airlines is planning to operate 1,007 weekly flights approximately to the Latin American region. That’s a 54% increase compared to the number of flights (and seats) offered in November 2019, prior to the pandemic.

American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 N310RF (3)
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Nonetheless, American Airlines still has certain destinations in the region that have not been restored. According to data provided by Cirium, in November 2019, the airline flew ten additional routes that are currently unscheduled. These services are:

  1. Miami-Viru Viru (Bolivia)
  2. Miami-Tegucigalpa (Honduras) – albeit this route was restored, but American is now flying to Honduras’ new airport, Palmerola International.
  3. Miami-Manaus (Brazil)
  4. Miami-Cordoba (Argentina)
  5. Miami-Brasilia (Brazil)
  6. Los Angeles-Sao Paulo (Brazil)
  7. Los Ángeles-Buenos Aires (Argentina)
  8. Dallas-Tegucigalpa, also restored to Palmerola.
  9. Dallas-San Pedro Sula (Honduras)
  10. Dallas-Lima (Peru)

Are you excited about American Airlines resuming its commercial service to Managua, Nicaragua? Let us know in the comments below.