The new Colombian carrier Ultra Air wants to start flying before the year ends. To achieve this, the South American startup is currently going through a certification process with the Colombian civil aviation authorities. What else do we know about the future Ultra Air? Let’s investigate further.

How far along is Ultra Air?

Ultra Air is the new Colombian startup. The businessman William Shaw (the former CEO of Mexican airline Interjet) launched the project last year.

According to Shaw, Ultra Air will be a low-cost operator with an Airbus A320 fleet.

The startup is one of many Latin American airlines set to appear in the next few years. At least one has already flown in Brazil, and it is called Itapemirim Transportes Aereos.

But before Ultra Air can fly, it still has a long way to go. The airline is currently doing a certification process with the Colombian authorities.

William Shaw recently said to local media outlets, like Volavi,

“We are working at full speed in our certification process, and we’re advancing at a satisfactory rate. In a short period, we will finish with the second phase.”

The businessman is referring to the second of five phases that an airline startup has to go through before becoming an air operator.

What has been done in this second phase?

The second phase of the certification process is one of the most important in Colombia. During this period, the airline management filed an official requirement to get its Certificate of Operation.

Ultra Air is also outlining the structure of its future operation by writing and delivering its manuals and commitments going forward.

Currently, Ultra Air’s objective is to finish the five certification steps and start flying before the end of 2021. That puts Ultra Air on a tight schedule.

Additionally, Shaw has already established a Board, including a former CEO of LATAM Airlines in South America. Shaw added,

"We're very optimistic and we believe that, with the energy and work ethic of our team, we will finish this process in record dime. We will be able to offer Colombians a better way to travel."

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What else do we know about Ultra Air?

Ultra Air aims to become a low-cost operator in Colombia. It will be a direct competition to other carriers like Avianca, LATAM, Viva, Wingo, EasyFly, and SATENA.

Once Ultra Air obtains its Air Operator Certificate, “it will be able to offer a new possibility of choices to the users of the air transport system. They will find more alternatives, from more operators, in domestic and international markets,” said Angela Orozco, Transport Minister in Colombia.

Ultra Air will operate from four Colombian cities. These are Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena, and Cali. The first two cities are the hubs of Avianca and Viva.

According to what we currently know, Ultra Air will connect to 13 domestic cities and eight international destinations from Bogota. Meanwhile, from Medellin, it would have ten domestic routes and seven international.

Finally, both Cartagena and Cali would be smaller hubs. Each would have only a couple of domestic destinations.

The Colombian startup wants to fly internationally to Mexico, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, Curaçao, and Aruba.

It will use an Airbus A320ceo fleet. This aircraft is the most common throughout Latin America.

Would you like to fly with Ultra Air? Let us know in the comments.