MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay: Montevideo-Salto route by a foreign carrier started

Paranair's new service is in line with Uruguay's newly signed open skies agreements with Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay

Paraguayan carrier Paranair Tuesday performed the maiden flight between the Uruguayan cities of Montevideo and Salto, thus marking the beginning of a new era in commercial aviation with foreign operators serving domestic routes.

With tickets costing US$93, Paranair offers two weekly flights aboard Canadian-built Bombardier CRJ 200 twin-jet aircraft seating up to 50 passengers.

The first direct flight between Montevideo and Salto took off Tuesday from Carrasco International Airport at 8.50 am and landed at Salto at 10 am.

“Today is a day to enjoy what it means to have connectivity again in this region of the country. It is an important day, very important for the department and for the country. It will mark a before and after in the life of this department and the region,” Salto Mayor Andrés Lima said.

When announcing the new service, Uruguay's Transport Undersecretary Juan José Olaizola underscored the initiative as a milestone towards relaunching Uruguay's domestic air connectivity. In his view, the segment between Salto and Montevideo and back will become twice a week “the first flight that we authorized to one of the new terminals of the National System of International Airports for Uruguay, in this case, Salto, which begins to have two weekly frequencies with Montevideo, in terms of passenger and cargo transport.”

The new alternative gives Paraguayan and Uruguayan travelers the chance to visit Salto's thermal area and get to know the coast's productive system and the country's north, Olaizola also highlighted.

Paranair's new service is in line with Uruguay's newly signed open skies agreements with Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay.

Uruguay's National System of International Airports includes Carrasco (Montevideo), Punta del Este, Carmelo, Durazno, Paysandú, Salto, Melo, and Rivera.

The CRJ 200 is known for its lower noise emissions compared to most jet airliners. The company was founded on Sept. 2, 2015, as Amaszonas Paraguay and rebranded Paranair on Oct. 15, 2018. Its main hub is Asunción's Silvio Pettirossi International Airport.