“To a certain extent with the departure of inter jet and the reduction of operations of another competitor in the market, we have had where to place aircraft in the domestic market”, explains the manager to Expansion. “We have also made a growth in the central american marketthis has helped us to palliate the issue of the category”.
Volaris is not the first airline affected by downgrading to Category 2, as it is a measure that has affected the entire Mexican air sector. To the case of the airline is added that of long live aerobus who has previously referred that the adjustment has cost him seven routes to the United States. The National Tourism Business Council (CNET) has estimated that the loss of Category 1 has cost around 9,200 million pesos to the national air sector and about 2.3 million passengers.
Between the AICM and the AIFA
Another capacity adjustment that the airline has made has been a cut of around 15% in its operations in the Mexico City International Airport (AICM)which has involved fewer frequencies and a relocation of capacity in other markets.
“We have reduced from 36 planes that we had in the AICM to 33-32 planes; With that capacity that was released, we have opened more frequencies in Tijuana, Guadalajara, cancuneven at the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) and in Toluca“, He says. On the contrary, among the routes with reduced frequencies are destinations in the north of the country, such as Mexicali Y Culiacan.
Regarding his operation in the AIFA, the manager assured that “very good” occupancy levels are being registered; however, the airline is still keeping fares low to stimulate demand, which it expects will eventually normalize.
“The AIFA is a new market, it is not even an airport that existed; When you start operations in an existing airport, people already know how to get there, how to use it, etc. Here we see a double phenomenon, where we believe that the maturation curves of the different routes can be a little longer than the normal ones, which are between six and nine months, and could be between six and 12 months. There are routes like Cancun, which has matured very well, we already have a second daily frequency, but not all routes mature in the same way or at the same pace”.