V5 VLI Destinations 17 Headquarters Tijuana, Mexico Ceased operations 2008 | VLI Avolar Key people Jorge Nehme Name(CEO) Founded 2005 Fleet size 8 | |
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Hubs Gen. Abelardo L. Rodríguez Int'l Airport Focus cities Don Miguel Hidalgo Int'l Airport Hub Tijuana International Airport | ||
Avolar Aerolíneas, S.A. de C.V. was a low-cost airline based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, with corporate offices in Tijuana. The airline operated a domestic network of 17 cities as of October 2008. Avolar's main base was located at the sole large-hangar facility at the General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport in Tijuana. The airline's slogan was "La aerolinea de la gente", meaning "The airline of the people".
Contents
History
Avolar began operations on 7 September 2005 with a single Boeing 737-500 aircraft. The airline is often considered the first low-cost airline in Mexico. Avolar's aircraft were painted in an orange and white "wave" livery designed by Benjamin Najar.
On August 4, 2008, the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transports suspended all Avolar operations due to tax debts, leaving thousands stranded at Tijuana Airport. On August 8, 2008, the airline resumed all flights.
On the night of October 3, 2008, Mexico's aviation authorities again suspended Avolar operations; the airline canceled flights from Tijuana International Airport that were bound for Guadalajara and Cuernavaca at that time without any previous warning, leaving 160 passengers stranded at the airport. However, 13 hours later, on October 4, the airline ressumed all services normally.
On October 28, 2008, the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), Mexico's Communications and Transports Secretariat, finally barred Avolar from all operations, due to the illegal operations of the airline after its airspace operative concession had expired the previous day, on October 27, leaving employees with no compensation.
Destinations
Tijuana, Aguascalientes, La Paz, Tapachula, Colima, Durango, Toluca, León, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, Guadalajara, Morelia, Uruapan, Cuernavaca, Tepic, Puebla, Santiago De Querétaro, Hermosillo, Culiacan, Los Mochis, Zacatecas.
Fleet
The Avolar fleet included the following aircraft (as of 7 November 2008) [2]: