The Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris and Turkish Airlines may be eyeing a new connectivity agreement, according to Mexico’s tourism minister. The alliance would directly compete with the one launched by Emirates and domestic Mexican airline Aeromar. Let’s investigate further.

What do we know?

Last week, the Mexican Tourism board held a meeting with Volaris, Turkish Airlines, and the Turkey Embassy in Mexico City. In this meeting, they were “exploring alliances in favor of Mexico’s connectivity both nationally and internationally,” said Miguel Torruco Marqués, Tourism minister.

Currently, there's not much more information available. If the alliance does happen, Volaris will announce it accordingly.

Turkish Airlines launched its route to Mexico City in September 2019, a few months before its regional competitor, Emirates. Both carriers bring people from the Middle East and beyond, using their hubs in Istanbul and Dubai as connection points.

They are also alluring Mexican travelers to visit Turkey and the EAU; there has been a surge of touristic packages with travel agencies offering deals to visit these countries and traveling with these two airlines. Nevertheless, Turkish Airlines currently lacks a regional partner, and that’s where Volaris could fit in the picture.

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How would Turkish Airlines benefit from Volaris?

A month ago, Emirates signed an interline agreement with the regional Mexican carrier Aeromar. A similar deal between Volaris and Turkish Airlines could be in the works.

Volaris could provide a large number of travelers from cities across Mexico, Central America, and the United States to Turkish Airlines, which currently operates only at Mexico City International Airport.

The new alliance could provide seamless customer connectivity between destinations in Latin America via Mexico City to Turkish’s global network.

Nevertheless, if this alliance were to happen, there’s a big if in terms of customer experience. Volaris is the best example of a low-cost airline in Latin America, while Turkish Airlines is a legacy carrier. To put this into some context, a Turkish-Volaris alliance would raise the same questions as the American Airlines-JetSMART partnership.

Additionally, launching a new alliance towards Europe and the Middle East would help Volaris to expand the origin of its revenues. So far, the airline greatly depends on Mexican and US travelers.

Is there a future for ULCCs and FSCs airlines?

A couple of years ago, we wouldn’t have expected to see alliances between low-cost and full-service carriers. The COVID-19 crisis changed the landscape, and now, it is a possibility, according to Indigo Partners Managing Director William Franke.

During a CAPA webinar in July, Franke said that ULCCs and FSCs alliances “will be a major discussion item for leaders in the airline sector over the course of the next couple of years.”

The interesting fact about this statement is that Indigo Partners is a key player in Volaris and JetSMART. Therefore, we can’t discard a Volaris-Turkish Airlines alliance.

What’s the alliance between Emirates and Aeromar?

Last month, Emirates announced it had entered into an interline partnership with Aeromar.

Through the new partnership, customers will be able to book tickets to and from 12 destinations in Mexico and the US, connecting to Emirates flights from Mexico City to Dubai. Then, the customers can continue their journey through Emirates’ network of more than 120 cities worldwide.

Would you like to see an interline agreement between Volaris and Turkish? Let us know in the comments.