Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, has recently gained approval to add Bogotá, Colombia, to its network with a fifth freedom flight routed through Miami. This new route is set to begin on June 3rd and will operate daily. However, the approval of the route, which didn't arrive until February 20th, has generated complaints from Colombian airline Avianca.
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Avianca has publicly complained that "Emirates just wants to exploit mature markets" and threatened that hundreds of jobs would be put at risk. The carrier is presumably referring to the market between Colombia and Florida, as Avianca doesn't fly to the UAE or anywhere in Asia. Avianca further accused Emirates of not respecting principles of equity, opportunity, and reciprocity and invited Aerocivil, the aviation authority of Colombia, to "evaluate these precedents".
In response to these allegations, Emirates stated that the "borders are ending" and urged Avianca to "not be short-sighted". The Colombian Minister of Transport commented that "the arrival of Emirates to Colombia marks a historic milestone in our air connectivity and strengthens commercial and cultural ties with the Arab world". The market between Bogotá and Miami is indeed mature, with an average of nine daily flights in each direction. Avianca leads the market with four daily flights, offering around 800 seats one-way daily. The rest of the flights are operated by American Airlines, with three daily frequencies, and LATAM Airways, which operates the remaining two flights.
Emirates' entry into this market with its daily flight and roughly 350 seats each way is significant. The fifth freedom rights allow Emirates to sell tickets and carry passengers between Miami and Bogotá just as existing airlines do. The large cargo hold in the B777-300ER will also allow Emirates to tap into the large cargo market. While Avianca's concerns are understandable, it's important to note that Emirates is launching a route to its hub in Dubai, which Avianca does not serve. However, the stopover in Miami and the fifth freedom rights essentially allow Emirates to enter the Miami-Bogota market. The size of the market between Florida and Colombia is undoubtedly a reason that motivated Emirates to launch the route. This development marks a significant shift in the aviation landscape between Colombia and the United States. It remains to be seen how this will impact Avianca and other airlines operating in this market.