LAB, Lloyd Aereo Boliviano, Bolivia’s most important airline, is about to go broke, because of the huge unpaid debt it faces. Several flights to many destinations, Spain among them, have already been suspended and there’s a big chance the airline will stop functioning altogether. These last days, what’s clear it’s that its current owner, Ernesto Asbun, will leave the company and this one could become a cooperative, run by its own workers. Of course, it’s not so simple, since they’ll have to negotiate debt for around US$ 170 millions, according to the bolivian government. Besides, Bolivia’s vicepresident, Alvaro Garcia Linera, stated public funds will not be used to save the company.

The disappearing of LAB would hugely complicate the offer of flights between Bolivia and the rest of Latin America, affecting particularly those who want to fly to cities other than Santa Cruz, where most companies fly to. Let’s see what happens during the following hours, but the problem is really bad. More information at Los Tiempos de Cochabamba; La Razon de La Paz, and El Nuevo Dia de La Paz.