Our Miami-based sister publisher, AvNews rounds up the latest route news from Latin America and Caribbean. This week Copa boosts service to Cuba; Lufthansa returns to Colombia after an eight-year hiatus; JetBlue adds a Boston-Phoenix service and Aerodom begins remodelling at a Dominican Republic airport.
Copa Boosts Service to Havana
Copa Airlines will begin a fifth daily flight from Panama to Havana, Cuba on June 30. It is the only carrier operating the route and has transported nearly 100,000 passengers between March 2009 and 2010 (IATA BSP data).
Lufthansa Returns to Colombia![210510-lufthansa-av](https://static.routesonline.com/images/cached/upload-3437-standard-217x157.jpg)
A new bilateral agreement between Colombia and Germany, which was recently signed in Bogota, is to bring Lufthansa back to Colombia in October after eight years of suspended service.
At the same time, Avianca has announced that it will reinstate direct service from Bogota to Frankfurt in October, which was suspended in 2001.
Iberia has profited from the lack of a non-stop service, transporting 29% of all indirect traffic between the two cities via its Madrid hub between March 2009 and 2010 (Source: IATA BSP.)
Jetblue to Serve Phoenix from Boston
JetBlue Airways will fly non-stop from its Boston Logan base to Phoenix, Arizona from September 2.
The carrier will fly an A320 on the route, competing directly with US Airways, which has its main base there, on the four and a half hour sector. US Airways currently operates a triple daily service using A319s and A320s.
JetBlue already serves Phoenix 11 times a week from New York JFK.
Remodelling Begins at ALIA, Dominican Republic
The first phase of Aerodom's remodelling programme began last week at Las Américas International Airport JFPG (ALIA) in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The work will transform the current terminals' exterior and interior.
The first phase of the project starts at passenger check-in across the north and south terminals, with the introduction of special aesthetic lighting elements. The second phase, which involves a facelift to the terminal façade, is scheduled to begin within the next 20 days.
The centralised immigration areas will also be revamped, as well as the commercial corridor and south terminal satellite.
Aerodom confirmed its commitment to providing the Dominican Republic with a "world-class airport infrastructure".