VivaAerobus introduces new US routes with other Mexican airlines expected to follow suit

Mexican low-cost carrier VivaAerobus has been quick to announce new routes to the USA after the US aviation regulator’s long-awaited decision to lift the country’s safety status back to Category 1 after more than two years. Monterrey-based VivaAerobus said on 27 September that it was introducing six new routes to the United States – to Austin, Denver, Miami, New York, Oakland and Orlando, three domestic Mexican routes – to Durango, Tapachula and La Paz, and an expansion of its network from Monterrey. “This expansion of services will result in a total of 13m seats offered in Monterrey by 2024,” the airline says. “This represents an increase in capacity of 23%, almost 2.5m more seats than what it will operate in 2023. Monterrey to Denver will begin operations on 25 January with two flights a week and service to Austin will launch on 22 March with four-times-weekly flights. The route to Orlando will begin on 9 May with thrice-weekly flights, and services to Miami and San Francisco (Oakland) will begin on 1 July with three and two weekly frequencies, respectively, the airline says. The details of the Monterrey-to-New York connection ”will be announced soon”. “This increase is the largest that Viva has made in its 16 years of history,” the carrier adds. Volaris and Aeromexico are expected to soon follow suit with new route announcements. Mexico’s Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation minister Jorge Nuo Lara recently said Volaris will likely request 33 new routes, looking to fly to Los Angeles, Chicago and San Antonio, as well as to Tulum and Merida. Aeromexico is looking at five new routes. <br/>