At the end of 2022, Viva Aerobus applied to Colombia’s Civil Aviation regulator for permission to operate a route between Monterrey, Mexico (MTY) and Bogota, Colombia (BOG). It's been nearly two months and the airline is announcing that it will launch the twice-weekly service starting June 8th. This marks Viva Aerobus' first route to South America, a significant milestone for the carrier.

Less frequent than intended

When Aviacionline reported on the Mexican low-cost carrier's intention to operate service between Monterrey and Bogota, it was stated that the airline was hoping for three weekly flights using the Airbus A320 and A321. However, it looks like Viva Aerobus will start with just two flights a week from June 8th, 2023. It's unknown if this downscaling was needed to gain regulatory permission or if the airline simply decided to adjust to anticipated demand.

Nonetheless, the airline is excited to offer this new routing, as was noted during the 'Nuevo León Informa' press conference held on February 15th. For the first time, an air service will connect Monterrey with South America through direct, non-stop flights.

“We are excited to see the sustained growth of Viva Aerobus in our capital and we applaud this much-needed direct connection between Bogotá and Monterrey. This new route could not be more timely, now that we are focused on exploring new opportunities to attract international tourism and generate new investments ”, stated Maricarmen Martínez Villarreal, Secretary of Tourism of Nuevo León.

Viva Aerobus has done its research and knows that demand exists for flights between the two cities. Indeed, 2022 data from the Ministry of Tourism shows that 858,000 passengers from Colombia visited Mexico. This represented 4.2% of all international air visitors to Mexico.

Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying

Service details

Commencing on Thursday, June 8th, this new route will operate twice weekly, departing Monterrey on Thursdays and Sundays. The flights are set to have an approximate duration of just over four hours, and will be operated by both the Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft - jets that Viva Aerobus call "the most modern fleet in Mexico and the fourth youngest in North America." The Viva Aerobus fleet has an average age of just over five years.

More detailed scheduling is as follows:

Monterrey to Bogota: Depart at 18:15 and arrive at 00:10 the next day.

Bogota to Monterrey: Depart at 01:10 and arrive at 05:15.

Due to the Bogota service departing after midnight, these Monterrey-bound services technically depart in the early hours of Friday and Monday.

A commitment to Monterrey International Airport

Viva Aerobus has publicly affirmed its commitment to supporting air connectivity to Monterrey airport. In fact, the airline also recently announced service from Monterrey to the northern-Mexico border city of Mexicali with a frequency of six flights per week.

The carrier proudly adds that it exceeded 6.7 million passengers transported to/from Sultana del Norte (Monterrey) in 2022 - an increase of 31% over 2021.

Have you flown with Viva Aerobus before? Does this new and upcoming route interest you at all? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment!

Sources: Aviacionline