Officials from the Colombian Consulate in Atlanta and Delta Air Lines praise the new, non-stop daily flight to Bogota, Colombia that will begin Dec. 4 and expect that it will greatly increase commercial ties between the South American country and the southeastern U.S.
Both told GlobalFax in separate interviews that the new flight, coupled with the perishables facility at Hartsfield International Airport, will facilitate exports from Colombia to the U.S., even though the U.S. State Department has a travel advisory for Colombia because of the civil strife that has plagued the country.
Colombian Consul General César González said that the export of fresh flowers and fruits from Colombia would greatly benefit from the new flight to Atlanta. He also said that fashion and textile imports to the U.S. may increase, especially if Colombia gains preferential trade status with Caribbean countries through inclusion in the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI).
Mr. Gonzalez added that the flight would further prompt discussions with the Colombian government about Atlanta’s development of Atlanta as a commercial hub similar to Miami for the distribution of Colombian products throughout the southeastern U.S. The Colombian government’s commercial office, ProExport, is housed in Miami.
He added that the Delta flight would create “commercial corridors” for southeastern U.S. Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce chapters in Charlotte, N.C.; Greenville, S.C. and Nashville, Tenn., to conduct business with Colombia.
Delta signed a letter of intent with Aerolineas Centrales de Colombia S.A. (ACES) to link their marketing and business relationships in Colombia, including schedule coordination, facilities sharing and frequent flyer program exchange. ACES offers 190 daily flights within Colombia and also serves Miami, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru and Puerto Rico.
Contact Delta at (404) 715-2554 or Mr. Gonzalez at (404) 255-2516.