Avianca announces 2 new routes between U.S. and Colombia

South American carrier Avianca is opening two new routes between the U.S. and Colombia.

The first begins March 27, when Avianca starts nonstop service to New York-JFK from the city of Cartagena on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The first departure form New York will be on March 28.

The airline will fly one daily round-trip flight between the cities with Airbus A320 aircraft. Flight times are as follows:

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• Avianca Flight 65: Departs New York-JFK at 4:40 a.m., lands in Cartagena (CTG) at 8:50 a.m. (all times local).
• Avianca Flight 64: Departs Cartagena at 9:20 p.m., lands in New York-JFK at 3:15 a.m. (all times local).

Avianca’s second new U.S. route will come from Orlando, where the airline will add thrice-weekly service to Medellin on Airbus A320 aircraft. Flights begin March 29 and will operate on the following schedule:

• Avianca Flight 203: Departs Orlando (MCO) at 7:20 p.m., lands in Medellin (MDE) at 10 p.m. (all times local). Flights depart Orlando on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
• Avianca Flight 202: Departs Medellin at 1:10 p.m., lands in Orlando at 5:55 p.m. (all times local) Flights depart Medellin on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Avianca also said it would resume service on a third route that had been suspended. That comes March 27, when service resumes between Miami and Cartagena.

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• Avianca Flight 146: Departs Cartagena at 12:05 p.m., lands in Miami at 4 p.m. (all times local).
• Avianca Flight 147: Departs Miami at 6:20 p.m., lands in Cartagena at 8:05 p.m. (all times local).

The new flights follow this summer's news that Avianca planned a major expansion to North America. In August, the company revealed 12 new routes to the U.S. and Canada – including the Medellin-Orlando service – though it did not detail schedules or launch dates at the time.

The New York-Cartagena route announced Tuesday was new to that list, part of Avianca’s broader plan to plan to grow its network with 50 new nonstop routes by 2025.

Aside from helping Avianca begin to rebuild its network in the Americas, the routes also could give Star Alliance frequent flyer members new options for earning and redeeming miles in the region. Avianca's LifeMiles loyalty program is a popular one for travelers looking to fly on Star Alliance carriers.