ALTA (Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association) commends COCESNA for its decision this month to defer its rate increase.

COCESNA (the Central American Corporation for Air Navigation Services) this month announced that it would defer by six months its recently announced nine percent rate increase which had been implemented effective May 2009.  The organization provides services in the airspace of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

ALTA along with other industry players had asked COCESNA to defer the increase given the difficult global economic crisis coupled with the A(N1H1) influenza situation that the industry is currently facing.

“We want to commend and thank COCESNA for their leadership role in taking this decision that is for the overall good of the industry and the local economies,” says ALTA’s Executive Director Alex de Gunten.

In an official communication, COCESNA noted that the Board made this decision “understanding the difficult situation that the worldwide crisis has generated and wanting to contribute to the aviation industry being able to survive its effects.”

ALTA is encouraging other organizations in the region to undertake similar actions to remove costs for the benefit of air transportation and the travelling public.  The Mexican government also recently provided such support by temporarily reducing charges by 50 percent for the services provided by SENEAM, the air navigation service provider in Mexico. “It is extremely important for all interested parties in the aviation industry to work together during this recession in order to find solutions to overcome these crises,” adds de Gunten.  “For this reason, we are requesting the support of other organizations throughout the region towards the common effort to reduce costs through initiatives such as eliminating and/or reducing certain fees and charges, postponing 2009 fare increases such as what COCESNA announced this month, establishing temporary discounts for a given period or until the industry experiences positive signs of recovery, postponing non-essential investments, and implementing projects aimed at improving cost efficiencies.”