BOGOTA, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Indigo Partners-backed budget carrier JetSMART Airlines said on Tuesday that it wanted to buy Colombian low-cost carrier Viva Air, in a move that if successful would scupper Viva’s plans to merge with Colombian flag carrier Avianca.<\/p>\n
Chile-based JetSMART Airlines said in a statement that it planned<\/a> to open talks to buy the Colombian airline but it did not disclose how much it might pay to acquire Viva, nor its funding plans.<\/p>\n JetSMART is part of private investor Indigo Partners’ portfolio of budget airlines alongside U.S. If you have any kind of questions relating to where and how you can utilize evden Eve NAKLiYaT<\/a>, you could contact us at our own web site. -based Frontier Airlines, Europe’s Wizz Air and evdEn Eve naKLiYaT<\/a> Mexico’s Volaris.<\/p>\n The Chilean carrier currently operates 79 routes across South America, including flights to Colombian capital Bogota as well as Medellin and Cali.<\/p>\n “We believe that a merger between JetSMART and Viva Air will allow us to maintain the ultra-low-cost model in Colombia, helping to continue offering more routes at lower prices,” JetSMART Chief Executive Estuardo Ortiz said in the statement.<\/p>\n Colombia’s civil aviation regulator eVDEN EVe NakLiyAt<\/a> initially rejected a proposed merger between Avianca and Viva in November on the grounds that it posed risks to competition in the sector and the welfare of consumers.<\/p>\n Avianca and Viva filed an appeal the same month, proposing alternatives such as yielding some routes and granting better landing and EVdEn eVE naKLiyaT<\/a> take-off schedules to competitors.<\/p>\n