Confirmed airlines for Saint Lucia
Aeromexico
The Eagle Knight airline is one of the last to confirm operations at the new Santa Lucía airport.
Although Andrés Conesa, CEO of Aeroméxico, warned that flying in Santa Lucía and the AICM would be complicated due to its network business model, the airline has finally decided to open two national routes, one to Mérida, Yucatán, and another to Villahermosa, Tabasco. .
Volaris
The airline directed 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 Lucía to Cancún 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 similar Volaris routes in Aguascalientes or Querétaro,” Beltranena told Expansion at that time.
long live aerobus
Although Viva Aerobus had expressed its intention to operate in Santa Lucía since 2019, it was not until last November that it confirmed its presence with two routes to Monterrey and Guadalajara, which will be active from the opening of the 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 get to the air terminal for 75 pesos.
“Starting a commercial operation at the Felipe Ángeles 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 been without flying for more than a year and has been on strike for 11 months, it assures that the new airport in Santa Lucía will be part of 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 the Toluca International Airport within a period of four to six months, once the company manages to finalize an investment that has been in announcements since mid-2020.
Conviasa
The Venezuelan airline, which also operates in Toluca and Cancun, announced on September 21 its presence at 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, the construction of an airport of this magnitude can be visualized, an example work 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. Araguayan, 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 directors–, 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 linking 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, general director 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 think it’s more leisure in the short term, because it is much more elastic in price, and since Saint Lucia is providing entry conditions, we believe that it is easier to enter and raise the market to create demand”.