Airbus, Mexican aviation achieve new milestone

Volaris receives it first A321s

In May 2015, Volaris received it first two A321s as part of a series of deliveries over the next several years. These A321s will be the first of their kind to fly in Mexico.
The A321 creates great opportunities for Mexican Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) such as Volaris because it offers the best way to cope with a growing demand while reducing unit costs and boosting competitiveness. Last year alone LCCs transported 17.5 million passengers on domestic routes in Mexico, a figure that has increased by 6 percent since 2013, and is predicted to continue to rise over the coming years.

The A321 offers 20 percent more capacity and over 5 percent in fuel savings per seat than the A320, while allowing a smooth introduction to existing A320 fleets. The A321 is also the ideal aircraft leading up to the opening of Mexico City’s new airport, allowing Mexican carriers to grow their capacity offering in the increasingly oversaturated Benito Suarez International Airport.

Not only will the A321 allow Volaris to increase capacity on trunk routes between Mexico-Cancun, Mexico-Guadalajara and Guadalajara-Tijuana sectors where it currently operates over 300 flights per week, but it will also be the ideal aircraft to serve North America. As of today, North American carriers provide for 70 percent of seats offered on Mexico-North America routes, an important market which represents 66 percent of Mexico’s international traffic. As the OpenSkies agreement between Mexico and the United States takes shape in 2016, Mexican carriers will need larger modules to rapidly secure their market share and face increasing competition.

With Volaris leading the way, Airbus sees Mexico adopting a global trend that has been observed over the last few years. In only three years the share of A321s of the A320 Family delivered worldwide has grown from 31 percent in 2014 to 42 percent in 2016, and Airbus only expects this to continue growing well past 2017, which is when Volaris will start operating their A321neos.

For more information contact:
Olivier Schuler
Marketing Manager
Olivier.Schuler@airbus.com