Delta will fly to Cartagena and Medellin in Colombia

Delta Air Lines is expanding its presence inColombia, announcing nonstop routes to both Cartagena and Medellin.

Delta will begin flying to both cities on Dec. 19, serving each from the its biggest hub in Atlanta. To Medellin, Delta will offer one daily round-trip flight on 124-seat Boeing 737-700 jets. To Cartagena, Delta will offer three flights a week (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday) on 160-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Both routes are subject to government approvals.

Delta already flies to Bogota, serving the Colombian capital from both Atlanta and New York JFK.

„Delta wants to be the best U.S. airline in Latin America by providing a comprehensive route network that meets our customers’ needs, whether they want to relax by the beach or do business around the world,“ Nicolas Ferri, Delta’s VP for Latin America and the Caribbean, says in a statement. „Our new routes in Colombia are the latest in a series of enhancements and a sign of our steadfast commitment to our customers in Latin America and the Caribbean.“

Medellin spent much of the 1980s and 1990s at the center of a crisis that pitted government forces against well-armed drug cartels. This decade, however, Medellin has seen demand for both business and leisure travel rise as safety and stability have returned to the area. The city is an important business market for Colombia, and the mountain metropolis has been dubbed the „City of Eternal Spring“ for its pleasant weather.

Cartagena sits on the Caribbean and has long been one of Colombia’s top tourist draws. The city is known for its well-preserved colonial architecture and the region boasts a number of popular beaches. /USA Today