A restructuring process under Chapter 11 is underway, which means that around 100 pilots who left the company after a strike in 2017 will be able to rejoin the company, according to a statement on Thursday by the BOGOTA Reuters Airline Avianca Holdings.
Today is a milestone in our history, and this is a golden opportunity to start from scratch, to strengthen teamwork and build the Avianca we all need, said Adrian Neuhauser, the company's chief executive and president.
The airline struggled with a 51-day pilots' strike between September and November 2017, causing half of its fleet to be grounded and dozens of pilots to be fired, while others resigned or were pensioned off.
The plan will allow the airline to operate more than 200 direct routes with its fleet of more than 130 aircraft by the year 2025, it said.
Pilots who return to Avianca will do so under the same conditions as agreed with pilots in 2020, while the company plans to start a training program that exceeds the requirements of aeronautical regulations.
Avianca filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being battered by the coronaviruses. A court in the United States approved the company's restructuring plan in November.