Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier Viva Aerobus had to temporarily cancel two international routes connecting Mexico City Benito Juárez International (MEX) and Cancún International Airport (CUN) with Medellín International Airport (MDE) in Colombia due to a delay in the delivery of new Airbus aircraft. Let’s investigate further.
What happened?
Earlier this week, the Medellín International Airport authorities announced Viva Aerobus had halted its international connectivity. The airline operated daily flights from Mexico City to Medellín and three services per week from Cancún.
In a short statement, the airport authorities stated that Viva Aerobus’ last flight to this hub took place on June 9, 2022. It added,
“The administration received a notice communicating Viva Aerobus’ desire to cancel these two routes. Javier Andrés Benitez, manager of MDE, regrets the situation, thanks Viva Aerobus’ management, and reiterates the airline will always be welcome in the airport.”
No one expected Viva Aerobus to cancel these routes, and the airline has been communicating with the impacted passengers to inform them about the change of plans.
But, why was the route canceled?
Simple Flying reached Viva Aerobus to learn why the airline had to cancel its routes to Medellín.
The airline informed that, unfortunately, due to a delay in the delivery of new Airbus aircraft, Viva Aerobus had to suspend, temporarily, its routes to Medellín from Cancún and Mexico City. According to the ch-aviation database, Viva Aerobus still has to receive 37 new additional aircraft, including one Airbus A320, one Airbus A321, and 35 Airbus A321neo.
At least one of these aircraft, registration XA-VXD (an Airbus A321neo), is ready to be delivered.
Viva Aerobus added,
“This situation (to cancel the routes) is merely the result of a strategic decision. The airline had to adapt its operation, taking into consideration aircraft availability, and the most demanded routes and markets to impact the lower number possible of passengers.”
The Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier added that it hopes Airbus can shortly regularize its supply chain and production levels. These were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are currently impacting Viva Aerobus’ growth plans.
“As soon as that happens, the airline will reevaluate restoring the said route, with the firm goal of keeping a direct, safe, trustworthy, and low-cost connectivity between Mexico and Colombia.”
Discover more aviation news here.
Viva Aerobus’ direct international connectivity
Viva Aerobus currently has a fleet composed of 58 Airbus aircraft. The airline has 19 Airbus A320, 20 A320neo, eight A321, and eleven A321neo.
In 2022, the ultra-low-cost airline has carried 542,052 international passengers, according to data provided by the Mexican government. Domestically, it has carried 4.9 million, surpassing Aeromexico as the country’s second-leading domestic carrier, behind Volaris.
As of June 2022, Viva Aerobus operates 161 weekly international flights, according to data provided by Cirium. The airline serves 15 international destinations, including ten in the United States, one in Colombia, and four in Cuba.
Viva Aerobus’ most important international destination is Houston (IAH). Weekly it operates 28 flights. After Houston, Los Angeles (LAX) is the airline’s second most important destination, with 23 weekly flights. Earlier this week, Viva Aerobus operated its first-ever flight employing sustainable aviation fuels, connecting LAX with Guadalajara International Airport.
Source: Cirium, ch-aviation.