VB VIV Fleet size 21 Headquarters Apodaca, Mexico | VIV VIVA/Aeroenlaces Destinations 25 Founded 2006 | |
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Focus cities Bachigualato Federal International Airport (Culiacán) Company slogan All you need to fly (English)
Lo que necesitas para volar (Spanish) Parent company Inversionistas en Autotransportes Mexicanos S.A. de C.V., Irelandia Aviation CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua (Jun 2010–) Hubs Mexico City International Airport Parent organization Inversionistas en Autotransportes Mexicanos, S.A de C.V. Profiles | ||
Aeroenlaces Nacionales, S.A. de C.V., trading as VivaAerobus, is a Mexican low-cost airline fully owned by the biggest bus company group in Mexico, IAMSA.
Contents
History
VivaAerobus started operations on November 30, 2006 with its hub at Monterrey International Airport (MTY), in Monterrey, Mexico. The airline initially connected Monterrey to a number of Mexican domestic locations and, in July 2007, publicly confirmed its intention to open its first base outside of Mexico and first US destination in Austin, Texas (although it ultimately pulled out of Austin in 2009).
VivaAerobus is co-owned by the Ryan family (founders of Irish airline Ryanair) and the Mexican bus company IAMSA. The Ryans joined with Alexander Maurice Mason of Kite Investments to establish "RyanMex" to facilitate the Irish family's investment in the Mexican airline. RyanMex holds 49 percent of shares in the airline, while IAMSA has the remaining majority stake. The airline commenced operations with an initial investment of $50 million and two Boeing 737-300 aircraft.
VivaAerobus fares were intended to undercut traditional Mexican carriers by up to 50 percent, in a change of the industry that started with the arrival of the country's second generation of low-cost airlines (Avolar, Click Mexicana, Interjet, Volaris) and the privatization of Mexicana, one of the two top national airlines. On November 5, 2007 the airline received approval from the US Department of Transportation to operate to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, initially serving the Mexican destinations of Cancún, Monterrey, Guadalajara and León. Flights to the South Terminal Austin began on May 1, 2008.
On May 16, 2009, Viva Aerobus stated it would cease passenger operations at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on May 31, 2009. The airline blamed the pullout in part on an outbreak of swine flu, which caused an unprecedented decrease in demand for service. The company began to fly between Monterrey and Las Vegas in the summer of 2009.
In November 2009, the airline announced it had applied to commence operations between Hermosillo and Las Vegas beginning in March 2010.
In April 2010, the airline finally began serving Mexico's capital with two flights, one from Monterrey and the other from Guadalajara. It also started serving Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. However, the airline planned to serve Houston Hobby Airport on completion of that airport's new terminal in 2015.
In 2010, the airline opened a focus city at Mexico City International Airport on October 1 after Mexicana ceased operations. VivaAerobus switched Mexico City from focus city into a hub on April 1, 2011, beginning more destinations from the airport.
On July 26, 2011, the airline got approval to fly to Chicago-Midway International Airport. On August 15 the same year VivaAerobus announced it would begin round-trip service between San Antonio (SAT) and Monterrey (MTY), Mexico starting that November. On April 13, 2012 the airline ceased flights to Chicago Midway.
On May 15, 2014, VivaAerobus received and started using Airbus A320s. It will continue using Boeing 737s until the end of 2016, when it will operate an all Airbus fleet.
In October 2014, VivaAerobus began nonstop flights from Ciudad Juárez (Chihuahua State) to Mexico City, León, and Hermosillo. In 2015, the airline launched flights to Dallas-Fort Worth from several Mexican cities. The service was terminated in October 2015.
In-flight services
VivaAerobus has a buy on board program offering food and drinks for purchase.
The airline also provides an in-flight magazine.
Bus services
VivaAerobus operates a shuttle bus from downtown El Paso, Texas to Abraham González International Sunport in Ciudad Juárez.
VivaAerobus operated a bus shuttle between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport South Terminal and the Omnibus Mexicanos Bus Terminal in eastern Houston in addition to a bus shuttle between the Austin airport and the Omnibus Mexicanos Bus Terminal in downtown San Antonio for passengers on flights going to and from Cancún and Monterrey.
Fleet
VivaAerobus became an all Airbus airline on November 4, 2016.
As of February 8, 2017, the VivaAerobus fleet consists of the following aircraft: