La Nueva Aerolinea (LNA), the announced startup airline of former Avianca president Juan Emilio Posada, will be launched under the VivaColombia brand and will have Declan Ryan, the son of Ryanair founder Tony Ryan, as one of its principal shareholders.
During a press conference held on 24 March in Bogota, the founders of LNA presented the VivaColombia brand, announced Frederik Jacobsen as its president and confirmed that its shareholders will be Irelandia, the investment fund of the Ryan family, the Mexican IAMSA ground transportation company, the Colombian Bolivar group and the founders of LNA. Juan Emilio Posada will become VivaColombia's chairman of the Board.
IAMSA and the Ryan family are also co-owners of Mexico's low cost airline VivaAerobus whose livery will be adapted by VivaColombia, changing only the colour scheme to Colombia's national colours red, blue and yellow.
The airline will now start operations in early 2012, three months later than originally planned. The first rendering of VivaColombia's aircraft livery made available by the airline suggests that it will use Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
The Colombian media are reporting that Declan Ryan met earlier this week in Bogota with Colombia's president Juan Manuel Santos and his Transport Minister German Cardona.
Newly appointed president Jacobsen says that VivaColombia will be "Colombia's first real low-cost airline", adding that "we are proud of the high level and quality of the groups that have decided to invest in this company".
Ryan's Irelandia fund holds interests in Ryanair, Tiger Airways, Allegiant as well as VivaAerobus and now also VivaColombia.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
