JetBlue plans to fly to Ecuador starting in 2016

JetBlue is expanding its footprint in South America, saying it intends to launch flights to Ecuador in 2016.

JetBlue would offer one daily round-trip flight between Fort Lauderdale and Quito, Ecuador's capital city. JetBlue expects its Fort Lauderdale-Quito service to begin during the first quarter of next year. The carrier would use 150-seat Airbus A320 aircraft on the route.

"We continue to see tremendous interest in JetBlue's award-winning service and in-flight experience from customers traveling between the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean," Dave Clark, JetBlue's vice president network planning, says in a statement. "Demand for travel to Ecuador has been growing strongly, especially after extensive promotional efforts by the country's officials. Our customers will love Quito's historic charm and beauty, with access to beaches and mountains."

"The U.S. is our number one market and connectivity is key to our success in attracting travelers," Sandra Naranjo, Ecuador's Minister of Tourism, adds in the statement. "We are hugely optimistic the route will prove a catalyst for increasing the number of visitors from the United States to Ecuador."

The new route also highlights Fort Lauderdale's expanding role for JetBlue.

"We're proud to continue to grow our Fort Lauderdale focus city, a major gateway to the Latin America region," Clark adds.

JetBlue currently flies from Fort Lauderdale to 37 nonstop destinations with a peak of 85 daily flights. The airline says it "continues to strengthen its position" in Fort Lauderdale and anticipates growing "to 100 daily flights" there "to meet increasing customer demand in South Florida."