Volaris downplays impact from Mexico City airport cancellation

Mexico's Volaris has downplayed the impact of the cancellation of a new airport for Mexico City, saying its near-term growth is not tied to expansion out of the Mexican capital. "In our five-year plan, we didn't have plans for expansion in Mexico City and the surrounding metropolitan area," Volaris CE Enrique Beltranena said. "Our concentration of capacity is not as high as the other Mexican airlines in Mexico City." Volaris is by far the country's largest domestic carrier, with 38% of scheduled capacity within Mexico, FlightGlobal schedules data show. Aeromexico is in second place with a 23% share, followed by Viva Aerobus with 19% and Interjet with 17%. At Mexico City, however, Volaris holds only a 9% share of the capacity originating from the capital's airport. The ultra low-cost carrier is the third largest airline at the airport, after Aeromexico and Interjet with a 40% and 15% share, respectively. "We are using our slots [at Mexico City] in the best way we can," says Beltranena. "We are focused on punctuality and utilisation." <br/>