Confirmed airlines for Saint Lucia
Volaris
The airline run by Enrique Beltranena was the first to confirm its operation at AIFA last October. Since the opening of the airport, Volaris will operate routes from Santa Lucia to Cancun and Tijuana, two of the markets that have recovered passengers the fastest since the pandemic broke out, and where the company sees a considerable market.
“The area around the airport that could be of interest in these flights is more or less a population of 4.8 million passengers, equivalent to the population of León, or that of similar Volaris routes in Aguascalientes or Querétaro,” Beltranena told Expansion at that time.
Viva Aerobus
Although Viva Aerobus had expressed its intention to operate in Santa Lucia since 2019, it was until last November that it confirmed its presence with two routes to Monterrey and Guadalajara, which will be active since the opening of AIFA.
The airline also announced the opening of a service called ‘Viva Bus’, which will depart from the Central Bus Terminal of the North, through which passengers will be able to arrive at the air terminal for 75 pesos.
“Starting a commercial operation at the Felipe Angeles Airport responds to the growing demand that has been registered in recent years in the Metropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico,” said Juan Carlos Zuazua, general director of Viva Aerobus, quoted in a statement. “We see an opportunity in this region and we will be there to offer passengers the best service with the youngest and most modern fleet in Mexico and with the lowest prices.”
Interjet?
Although the airline has not flown for more than a year and has been on strike for 11 months, it assures that the new airport in Santa Lucia will be in its strategy to restart operations.
Luis Federico Bertrand, appointed new director of the airline, said at the end of November that Interjet will also operate at the AICM and Toluca International Airport in a period of four to six months, once the company achieves an investment that has been in ads since mid-2020.
Conviasa
The Venezuelan airline, which also operates in Toluca and Cancun, announced on September 21 its presence in the AIFA with flights from Venezuela starting in May 2022. It was the first international company to announce its entry to Saint Lucia.
“In a short time you can see the construction of an airport of this magnitude, a work of example for the world,” said the Vice Minister of Air Transport of the Ministry of Popular Power for Transport (MPPT) and also president of Conviasa, Ramón Velásquez Araguayán, in a statement.
Aeromar, the indecisive
The regional airline, which, similarly to Interjet, is seeking to close an investment round – from 50 to 100 million dollars, according to its executives – has been open to flying from AIFA, although it has not been confirmed his presence or the routes he would fly.
“There are many possibilities joining the area of influence of the Santa Lucía airport with the state of Hidalgo. There is a market in those areas of influence, “said Danilo Correa, CEO of Aeromar, at the end of October. “The issue is whether it is more business, leisure, or what kind of routes are we going to put there. We believe that it is more leisure in the short term, because it is much more elastic in the price, and as Santa Lucía is giving entry conditions, we believe that it is easier to enter and raise the market to create demand ”.