Julio Gamero, CEO TAG Airlines, tells Graham Newton that regional carriers are a vital component in aviation connectivity.
What is your ambition for the airline?
Our vision is to become the best regional airline. In the last two years, we have been working towards a transformational program to improve our service and increase our network. By the end of the year, we will achieve four times the number of passengers compared with the pre-pandemic period.
The destinations we serve are unique, and we aim to increase connectivity that otherwise will not be available through traditional or low-cost carriers (LCCs) and simultaneously complement these networks. Tourism development and multi-destination products are part of our main contributions to the country.
Are government and aviation partners supportive? What more can they do to allow aviation to flourish?
We work closely with the authorities in each of the five countries we are currently flying.
But further infrastructure enhancement of our main base, Guatemala International Airport, is vital. It is needed to foster our future growth and drive efficiencies that will enable us to remain competitive. The joint efforts we are developing with INGUAT (Tourism Authority) in terms of promotions have been remarkable. This year Guatemala was a FITUR 2023 (International Tourism Fair for Latin America) partner, which brings a lot of exposure to the diverse tourism offerings of our country and to the Mayan World.
Are you confident you can recruit enough talent to allow the airline to grow? What issues do you have in retaining skilled staff?
Talent acquisition has been fine so far. We have a skilled management team with several decades of experience in the industry, allowing us to move quickly and enabling profitable growth in recent years.
In the technical and operational field, we are proactive with educational institutions to ensure that we have enough talent flowing through to our airline as our operation grows. We are working together with these institution in curricula development and, in some cases, have even begun development partnerships so that we can guarantee job offerings to the most outstanding students.
Our personnel turnover is small by industry standards. And as the company evolves, our payment structures will move forward in the same way. Last year, we implemented variable compensation schemes for our pilots, and this year we plan to launch similar programs in the technical areas and for management.
How important is sustainability, and what work are you doing in this area? Sustainability is essential for TAG Airlines, and our operations comply with local environmental standards and regulations. For us, it is excellent that turboprop operations are friendlier for the environment, and our fuel consumption per passenger in similar-sized aircraft is up to 44% less than jet operations.
In the next 18–24 months, one of our main initiatives is to complete our fleet simplification and renewal program. With a modern fleet of ATR and Cessna Grand Caravans, we believe we will reduce our carbon footprint even further…
