Sociedad Uruguaya de Aviación (Montevideo Carrasco) has revealed its plans to launch a new flag carrier in the South American country, based at Montevideo Carrasco and to operate with a fleet of up to ten Airbus-manufactured aircraft within the next three years.
On January 29, founder and chief executive Antonio Rama sent a letter to Uruguay’s president, Luis Lacalle Pou, to inform him that Sociedad Uruguaya de Aviación (SUA) was formally established as a Uruguayan company. He added that the new airline had a “solid and proven business plan, backed by ample financial resources, aimed at significantly improving Uruguay's connectivity with the region and the world.”
This plan includes having a fleet of six Airbus aircraft within the first 18 months, increasing to ten aircraft within the first three years. SUA also expects to establish an MRO facility and the region's first Full Flight Simulator Level D, in collaboration with the European manufacturer.
Rama was not immediately available for comment.
In 2002, he was behind the foundation of U Air (Montevideo Carrasco), a company that lasted until 2005 and operated with a fleet of F100 aircraft.
Earlier this week, Uruguay’s transport undersecretary, Juan José Olaizola, said in a video that the government had met with an undisclosed regional investor group to analyse the possibility of launching a privately owned flag carrier in the country.
Uruguay has seen its fair share of failed airlines. The ch-aviation PRO airlines module shows no active national scheduled passenger carriers in the country. Amaszonas Uruguay has been dormant since January 2021; PLUNA was shut down in 2012; and Alas Uruguay briefly attempted to fly between 2015 and 2016. Only cargo specialist Air Class Líneas Aéreas (VZ, Montevideo Carrasco) currently operates in the country, with two B727-200(F)s. The country is mainly served by LATAM Airlines, which has a 25.2% market share by weekly scheduled departure capacity at Montevideo airport. SKY Airline Perú (H8, Lima International) recently launched fifth-freedom routes out of the Uruguayan capital.
