Hi, dear flight-report members and readers!
This FR, covering a short domestic flight in Colombia from Cartagena to Bogota El Dorado, is a tribute to pre-Covid Avianca, which was kind of an interesting airline in many ways. The pandemic and Chapter 11 procedure changed AV drastically and one can certainly say that the post-pandemic AV turned into a very different airline - a bland shadow of its past itself.
The AV flight from CTG to BOG, finishing my Colombian trip in 2018, was very memorable as I got the aircraft with the best possible cabins of all the pre-Covid AV narrowbody fleet.
The already published FRs from my trip to Colombia in 2018: ISL-BOG + BOG-PTY on TK A332, CTG-BGA on VE AT45, BOG-PEI on VE AT45, MDE-SMR on LA A319.
The Current Passenger Fleet Of Avianca Group
Like LATAM Group (covering the most significant countries of South America from the south to the north of the continent with its subsidiaries), Avianca Group is also a multi-national airline group, but focused on northern South America and Central America.
Currently (as of February 2026) the passenger airlines of Avianca Group are:
Avianca Colombia - 128 aircrafts: 16 B788s (13x C20_Y271 plus 3x W32_Y259), 38 A20Ns (33x C12_Y168 plus 5x CY188), 67 A320s (62x C12_Y168 plus 5x CY188), 7 A319s (C12_Y132);
Avianca Ecuador (former AeroGal) - 9 aircrafts: 2 A20Ns (C12_Y168), 6 A320s (C12_Y168), 1 A319 (C12_Y108);
Avianca El Salvador (former TACA) - 8 aircrafts: 7 A20Ns (C12_Y168), 1 A320 (C12_Y168);
Avianca Costa Rica (former TACA Costa Rica) - 4 aircrafts: 3 A20Ns (C12_Y168), 1 A320 (C12_Y168);
Avianca Express (Colombia) - 3 aircrafts: 3 A320s (C12_Y168);
Avianca Guatemala (former Aviateca + Inter Regional) - 1 aircraft: 1 A320 (C12_Y168).
Important to notice that all (but one) the present aircrafts of Avianca Group were reconfigured during Chapter 11 restructurization: business class in AV-own 13 Dreamliners was decreased to one front cabin, the (almost) entire narrowbody Airbus fleet was significantly densified in economy (which was fitted with Recaro SL3710 slimline seats, which are OK only for short-haul flight, but not for, say, BOG-EZE, BOG-SCL or BOG-GRU flights) and lost its proper 2-2 business class, getting instead kind of eurobusiness, but with kind of delimiting fixed table on the blocked middle seat. Now AV plans to return 2-2 recliners into its narrowbody business class. The only AV aircraft that seemingly still hasn't been reconfigured and retains pre-Covid cabin, is the sole A319SL (N741AV) of AV Ecuador. If so, its C and Y cabins are similar to the ones I'll show in this FR (which thus has not only the nostalgic value, but also some practical one).
Shortly before the pandemic or during the pandemic (while undergoing Chapter 11 restructurization) Avianca Group discontinued the following passenger subsidiaries:
Avianca Brasil (former Oceanair, operated under AV name from March 2010 to May 2019);
Avianca Argentina (operated from December 2017 to June 2019);
Avianca Peru (former TACA Peru, operated under AV name from May 2013 to May 2020);
Avianca Honduras (former Isleña de Inversiones SA de CV; operated under AV name from May 2013 to March 2020).
The Pre-Covid Narrowbody Fleet Of Avianca Colombia
In the last pre-pandemic years - 2018-2019 - Avianca Colombia had very diverse narrowbody fleet, which was kind of avgeek paradise. For example, as of March 2018 (when I took the flight covered in this FR), it consisted of:
A21N: 2 CFMI-powered 2017-built units with old (pre-ACF) door config, having C12_Y183 layout with 2-2 newer recliners in business and Recaro CL3710 seats with IFE in economy. Both units were phased out in March 2020 and in 2022 taken by SalamAir - an Omani ULCC - where were reconfigured C4_Y208, but after 3 years in OV fleet were stored.
A321SL: 4 2014-built IAE-powered units plus 2 2015-built CFM-powered units (including the hero of this FR). Later in 2018 2 2014-built IAE-powered units (from TransAsia Airways) and 1 2015-built IAE-powered unit (from AV Ecuador) joined the AV Colombia. All these 9 units had C12_Y182 layout with 2-2 older massive recliners in business. 7 AV Group-ordered units had Weber 5751 seats with IFE (the newer-gen one) in economy, whereas 2 ex-TransAsia ones had different seat model without IFE. All 9 units were phased out from March 2020 to February 2021. Currently both CFM-powered units are in Condor (in Y220 layout), 2 ex-TransAsia units are in Turkish Airlines (in CY194 layout), 2 units are in Viva (former Viva Aerobus) (in Y220 layout), 1 unit is in WestAir fleet (in C8_Y200 layout), 1 unit is in FLYONE Romania (in Y220 layout) and 1 unit is in Global (an Iraqi airline).
A20N: 2 CFMI-powered 2017-built units.
Later in 2018 and 2019 5 more similar units joined the AV Colombia fleet (among them were 1 unit from AV Salvador and 1 unit from AV Costa Rica). All these pre-Covid-delivered units had C12_Y141 layout and were reconfigured into much denser C12_Y168 layout (with semi-eurobusiness) since (2 units taken from AV Salvador and AV Costa Rica was transferred to AV Ecuador in 2020).
In 2021 AV took 4 more CFMI-powered units: 2 from defunct Interjet, 1 was NTU (not taken up) of then-already-struggling Interjet, 1 was NTU of Flyadeal. These 4 units also were reconfigured into C12_Y168 layout (with semi-eurobusiness).
From March 2022 to December 2025 AV Colombia received 15 factory-new units already in C12_Y168 layout (with semi-eurobusiness).
In late 2022 AV Colombia took 2 CFMI-powered units which were NTU of then-already-struggling Viva Air Colombia and then in 2023 it took 12 more similar units from then-already-defunct VH. In 2024 all but 5 ex-VH units were reconfigured into C12_Y168 layout (with semi-eurobusiness). The remaining 5 still have CY188 layout from VH.
A320: 31 2008-2016-built units having C12_Y138 layout with 2-2 older massive recliners in business and Weber 5751 seats with IFE (mostly with older-gen one, but the newer units featured the newer-gen one) in economy. 2013-2016-built units feature sharklets. Since then AV Colombia more than doubled its A320 fleet by taking:
1 2012-built A320 from discontinued AV Peru in May 2020;
5 2018-2019-built A320SLs from then-alive Viva Air Colombia in July-October 2021;
5 2014-built A320SLs from discontinued AV Brasil and AV Argentina in November 2021 - March 2022;
4 2008-2009-built A320s from Aeroflot in November 2021 - April 2022;
2 2008-built A320s from defunct Interjet in December 2021 - January 2022;
2 2010-built A320s from defunct Interjet in January 2022;
8 2014-2018-built A320SLs from Batik Air Indonesia in June 2022 - May 2023;
4 2011-built A320s from defunct Interjet in March-June 2023;
2 2010-built A320s from Frontier Airlines in February-August 2023;
2 2006-2007-built units from defunct short-lived Ultra Air in November 2023 - January 2024.
AV Colombia transferred:
2 2011-built A320s to AV Ecuador in March-May 2018;
2 2014-built A320SLs to AV Express in April 2022;
1 2012-built A320 to AV Guatemala in October 2022;
1 2010-built A320 to AV Express in October 2023.
All AV A320s are CFM-powered. In 2021-2023 the entire AV A320 fleet was reconfigured into dense C12_Y168 layout (with semi-eurobusiness).
A319: 14 2008-2016-built units with 10 being CFM powered, 4 units (2014-built) being IAE-powered, and all the 2014-2016-built units (9) featuring sharklets. All the units had C12_Y108 layout with 2-2 older massive recliners in business and Weber 5751 seats with IFE (mostly with older-gen one, but the newer units featured the newer-gen one) in economy. In 2021 one unit (N741AV) was transferred to AV Ecuador and, probably, still retains the original C12_Y108 layout. In 2022-2023 all 4 IAE-powered units were phased out and 3 of them were scrapped in 2023. Two 2016-built units were phased out in 2023 and then joined Air Cote d'Ivoire fleet.
A318: 10 2004-2005-built units, which previously flew in defunct Mexicana (this airline was reborn only in 2023, having now all-E295 fleet and being based in NLU instead of MEX). AV Colombia got them in 2010-2011. These units were retaining the original C12_Y88 layout from Mexicana with quite basic economy without IFE. In September-December 2019 AV phased out all 10 units, which were then scrapped.
Cartagena De Indias Rafael Nunez International Airport (CTG)
CTG, serving Cartagena de Indias - the most visited Colombian city - is located quite close to the Old City by the Caribbean coast and is easily reachable by inexpensive (due to the small distance) taxi or by bus (though, in requires about 10 minutes of walking).
Being small compared to the largest Colombian airports - BOG and MDE - CTG, nevertheless, has to handle quite a traffic, including a number of flight from EU, US and Canada, due to the rising (especially post-pandemic) popularity of Cartagena. As of 2025, CTG is listed 22th in the rating of the busiest airports of Latin America (for comparison, EZE is ranked 19th). Due to the limited throughput of the small CTG terminal and immigration facilites, the waiting time at the immigration at CTG can reach 3.5 hours (yes, you read this right!) as of January 2026. So, much better solution is to fly to BOG with its large terminal and fast immigration and then to take a domestic flight to CTG.
Among the quite large foreign airlines serving Cartagena, four airlines use widebodies:
KLM operates year-round triangle flights AMS-BOG-CTG-AMS mostly on B78X (and sometimes on B789).
Edelweiss Air operates seasonal triangle flights ZRH-BOG-CTG-ZRH on A359 (currently featuring 2-class layout with LATAM cabins, which from late 2026 will be replaced by the new 3-class layout with 1-2-1 business suites and premium economy).
Neos Air operates seasonal flights WAW-MXP-CTG-MXP-WAW on B789, capturing leisure traffic from both Warsaw and Milan.
Plus Ultra operates triangle flights MAD-BOG-CTG-MAD on A333 and A332.
For KL, WK and PU, CTG alongside with being a destination, serves as a refueling stop due to the high altitude of BOG. All these carriers don't have 8th freedom rights on the short BOG-CTG leg.
Here I'll use some photos of CTG terminal, made earlier on 20 February 2018 on CTG-BGA flight (which was not very fortunate, as the planned BAe Jetstream 41 was swapped to AT45).
CTG terminal from outside.
The check-in hall.
Views of the check-in hall from the small mezzanine above the entrance to domestic security control.
AV check-in desks.
My BP. AV staff at the desk proactively suggested to change my flight to the earlier one for free, but I politely refused, because the earlier one was operated by A320 and I wanted to fly AV then-largest narrowbody. BTW, one the afternoon AV CTG-BOG flights that day was operated by an A21N, but the departure time was too early for me. While it could've been an opportunity to fly a non-ACF A21N, these jets back then had Recaro CL3710 economy, and the A321SL I flew had much better Weber 5751 economy.
The entrance to the domestic security control (photo from 20 February 2018).
The domestic airside is small, with very limited number of shops/cafes and with one small lounge in the mezzanine.
CTG terminal has no jetbridges at all (well, the Caribbean climate is almost always favorable). Instead, there are semi-enclosed pathways to the aircrafts, like this (photo taken 20 February 2018).
The Aircraft
My flight from Cartagena to Bogota was operated by 2015-built N746AV which back then had C12_Y182 layout. N746AV and its sibling N744AV were the only 2 CFM-powered A321SLs in the pre-Covid AV fleet. Both were phased out in late February 2021 and then in 2023 (being reconfigured into all-economy Y220 layout) flew in Heston Airlines and Marabu Airlines before being taken by Condor in 2024. In this video, where D-AIAA (former N744AV) is filmed, one can see that now these 2 A321SLs have dull non-reclining Recaro seats, quite similar to the ones in AF A318s.
Fuselage and engine view.
Wing and engine view from the stair.
The Business Class Cabin
The business cabin back then consisted of 3 rows of massive recliners with very ample padding in 2-2 layout. The first row featured folding IFE screens in the armrests. These seats should've been extremely comfy, especially on short- and mid-haul flights. Back then it was definitely the best narrowbody business class in Latin America. But from late August 2018 Copa Airlines (the main competitor of Avianca) started to receive B7M9s with lie-flat business (for the flights up to 7 hours like PTY-MVD, PTY-EZE, PTY-SCL) and since then AV ceded that title to CM.
The Economy Cabin
The economy cabin back then consisted of 182 Weber 5751 seats (the best model for the flights of any length), featuring adjustable headrest and modern IFE.
The 4R door.
Initally I was seated in 8A, but then the crew asked the passengers, occupying the front part of the economy cabin, to move to the rear half of the aircraft in order to comply weight balance requirements.
Cabin view and engine view from 8A before moving back.
The Economy Seat
My new seat turned to be 34L (notice that, along with LATAM, Avianca like to designate right-side seat triplets as in widebodies). The seat model was Weber 5751 - arguably the best economy seat for any flight length, from short- to ultra-long-hauls. The seatwidth was 18", if I remember correctly. The seat had leather upholstery, adjustable headrest, modern IFE with remote control and USB-port, bi-fold tray table with cup holder, lower seat pocket and headphone jack on the end face of the armrest. The row pitch was very good. The seat felt very comfortable and this cabin (along with the newer A320s and A319s featuring identical seats back then) was definitely by far the best narrowbody economy in all the Latin America. Worth noting that older A320s and A319s back then also had similar Weber 5751 economy seats, but with previous-gen IFE, coat hanger and the better design of cup holder. One can check how it looked back then, for example, here. The Recaro CL3710 economy in AV's two only A21Ns, albeit also having modern IFE, was definitely inferior compared to this beautiful economy in A321SL.
The seatpocket content: safety card, enterntainment booklet and inflight magazine.
Some pages of the inflight magazine: fleet page with some data about "baby bus" A318 and AV network in EU, North America, Central America and South America.
IFE menu and some screenshots of duty-free section.
The Flight
This A321 was equipped with beautiful mood lighting. This is its "pre-departure" mode.
Takeoff from CTG with some night views of this beautiful gem of the Caribbean.
The crew switched the moodlighting into the more bright "inflight" mode.
The flight map had a lot of adjustment options.
The inflight service consisted of this small box of juice. For the flight of this short length it was OK.
Mid-flight cabin view.
Let's dive into the IFE content.
A screenshot of AV network, showing Central America.
Some information about the hubs of Avianca Group (AV Peru was discontinued in May 2020 and since then LIM is not a hub for AV).
The history of Avianca Group.
The LOPAs of the pre-Covid AV fleet (E190s were in AV Salvador fleet and were phased out in 2019; AT76 were in AV Express fleet and were phased out in 2020-2022). I'm glad I made these screenshot for the history. Note the misspelling "ecomony" :)
Getting closer to BOG.
The variety of cabin lighting options while being switched to the "pre-landing" mode.
Descending into BOG.
Some planespotting after the arrival to the gate. A318 (N594EL) of AV and 1990-built B744BCF (PH-MPS) of Martinair Cargo (at the dawn of its career this Jumbo served as a passenger one in SQ and AI fleets). 11 days before I watched this very Jumbo approaching to BOG and landing from Montserrate mountain at sunset. Montserrate is an excellent point for planespotting, but only if you have at least 400 mm lens.
The Economy Cabin After The Flight
Some detailed views of the economy cabin upon disembarkment.
The Business Class Cabin After The Flight
Some detailed views of the business cabin upon disembarkment. Note that these massive recliners had legrests and airbags in the safety belts.
The Aircraft After The Flight
The last glance on the aircraft (not actually the last, as also spotted it the next morning in BOG before my next - international - flight: the FR is coming soon!). It was definitely the best A321ceo I've ever flown (and what a HUGE contrast with today's post-Covid AV with its extremely dense A20Ns and A320s with their dull and uncomfortable slimline Recaro seats!). Even TK's own A321s, featuring quite similar business and economy cabins, looked somewhat simplier in comparison to this A321 of pre-Covid AV!
Bogota El Dorado International Airport (BOG)
View of the domestic pier from the jetbridge.
The arrival gallery of the gate.
BOG T1 is well-equipped with emergency medical care equipment.
The splitting point of domestic transit and domestic arrivals. Note that back then quite a number of AV domestic flights operated from the small "Puente Aereo" T2, which required taking shuttle from T1. From late April 2018 AV consolidated all the domestic flights in T1, whereas SATENA and EasyFly (now Clic) were moved from T1 to T2. So I was lucky to visit the domestic airside of T1 when flying EasyFly on BOG-PEI back in late February 2018.
A view of the middle part of the domestic pier of T1.
The domestic luggage claim hall…
… which is also well-equipped with emergency medical care equipment.
FID for departures and arrivals in the arrival area of T1. One can see the flights of now-defunct Viva Air Colombia and Interjet. The AF flight to CDG was heavily delayed due to the late arrival of the inbound flight. Back then Air France operated CDG-BOG-CDG flights with their ancient A343s. For comparison, the A343s which AF transferred to its short-lived subsidiary JOON (operated from December 2017 to June 2019) got the new cabins. Now AF operates its flight to BOG with A359s of F-HTY* reg, which were initially destined for JOON. AF still manages to operate the return BOG-CDG flight without a refueling stop due to the timing of the late evening departure, when the air at the level of high-altitude BOG is more dense, thus providing more lift at takeoff than during daytime. Lufthansa operates its FRA-BOG-FRA flights with B789s the same way.
The Landside of BOG T1 During Overnight Layover
As I arrived in BOG in late evening and my next (international) flight was departing next morning (not very early), it didn't make sense to go the city for sleeping, and I spent the night exploring the landside of T1. This section will complement photos of the landside already shown in the BOG-PEI FR.
The arrival area.
A view of T1 from the departure level from outside. TAME ceased its operations in May 2020.
Views of the interior of T1 from the departures level.
The check-in hall for international departures. The golden panels above the desks corresponds to the airport's name El Dorado ("The Golden").
Oratory (closed for the night) in the international check-in hall.
Ticket office of Interjet. In memoriam of this remarkable airline.
Awards of BOG.
A shop of Colombian delights (closed for the night).
A coffee shop, featuring production of different regions of Colombia.
LATAM's domestic check-in desks and the special desk for the passengers flying to ADZ.
An oldschool point of sending comments and suggestions.
A "suitcase" with an exposition of the prohibited articles near the entrance to the domestic security control and windows with the view of the apron of the domestic pier ("n" part of this h-shaped terminal).
Check-in area near entrances 2 and 3.
AV check-in desks in this area.
Numerous shops on the departures level, mostly closed for the night.
T-shirts for bicycle lovers. One can really see a huge number of bikers in Bogota (well, at least in the "normal" districts of the city).
A brief visit to El Dorado Plaza only to discover that its numerous eateries are closed for the night.
A high-tech water tap in a lavatory.
When I was in Bogota city in the last days of February 2018, I missed the opportunity to visit the Botero museum. Though, the departures area of T1 BOG was featuring reproductions of some Botero's paintings, which served as a compensation.
Planespotting from T1 BOG
Some planespotting from the domestic transit area of T1. 2017-built N759AV - the first of just two AV's A21Ns (which, being the early A21Ns, had the older pre-ACF door config). Even though back then A21N was a true rarity, I'm glad I chose the flight operated by A321SL and thus experienced the best possible narrowbody economy class in Latin America. Along with its slightly younger sibling N761AV it was phased out in March 2020 and then in 2022 they both joined SalamAir fleet in Oman. Though, in 2025 they both were parked and still haven't return to the skies. On the backdrop one can see the opposite part of the domestic pier.
Some planespotting from the check-in area of T1.
LATAM A320 (CC-BAS) and A320 (HK-4818) of now-defunct Viva Air Colombia (I already saw the latter in MDE before my MDE-SMR flight).
A row of AV planes: A320SL (N742AV), IAE-powered A319SL (N695AV), A320 (N992AV) in the old "juicy" livery back then and A332 (N279AV), which back then was in AV Peru fleet. N279AV was transferred to AV Colombia in March 2020 and phased out in February 2023. In June 2024 it joined the fleet of National Airlines in US. N695AV was phased out in January 2023 and scrapped in 2024.
Thank you for your attention and see you in the next FRs!
