The Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier Viva Aerobus has announced the resumption of flights from the Toluca International Airport (TLC), the smallest of the three hubs serving Mexico City. In July, Viva Aerobus will begin flying to Cancún (CUN) and Monterrey (MTY) from Toluca and expects to add two new routes in the coming months.
A three airport offer
Mexico City has three airports, Mexico City Benito Juárez International (MEX), Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), and Toluca. Viva Aerobus will become the only carrier to operate commercial flights from the three hubs.
Until very recently, the Toluca International Airport remained a hub only used by cargo and private aviation. Nonetheless, the Mexican government is attempting to increase the number of commercial services in Toluca.
On July 28, Viva Aerobus will reestablish its Toluca-Cancún route, offering three flights per day. The low-cost carrier will decrease to two daily flights by September 9, following the summer season. Meanwhile, the route to Monterrey will also begin on July 28, with two daily flights before increasing to three daily flights in September.
Viva will also begin two new routes from Toluca on September 9, flying to Mérida and Puerto Vallarta. They will have a daily flight and will be uncontested routes (from Toluca because they are also served from MEX and NLU).
Monterrey and Cancún - Viva Aerobus’ top destinations
Viva Aerobus currently offers 12 and 11 daily services from MEX to Cancún and Monterrey, respectively. Weekly, it offers over 80 flights to each of these two destinations, Viva Aerobus’ two leading routes from Mexico City.
Viva Aerobus currently flies daily from the Felipe Ángeles Airport to Monterrey; additionally, the carrier announced last week it would add five more routes from NLU beginning on July 15. Among these new routes, Viva will fly daily to Cancún.
We asked Viva Aerobus if launching additional flights to Cancún and Monterrey from NLU and TLC would mean a reduction in the number of weekly services to these destinations from MEX. The airline said,
“At this time, no route we have from the Mexico City International Airport is being impacted. We are not reducing any frequency. All the recently announced routes from NLU and TLC are new and independent.”
Once inaugurated, Viva Aerobus will have 108 weekly flights from Mexico City to Cancún and 103 weekly flights to Monterrey. The number of frequencies will shift by September, and Viva will offer 101 weekly services to Cancún and 110 to Monterrey.
Who could use the Toluca airport?
Located nearly 70 kilometers west of Mexico City’s downtown, Toluca has been a white elephant for the last ten years.
The airport is used primarily by cargo and private aviation, including pilot schools. Toluca is challenged by its height (2,660 meters, or 8,730 feet), which heavily restricts the payload of any aircraft.
Currently, Toluca has no commercial passenger services despite being able to receive up to ten million yearly passengers. Nonetheless, Toluca does have some advantages, including its location. The airport is near several affluent neighborhoods in Mexico City and its surroundings, which is one of the reasons why it is heavily used by private aviation companies.
The Greater Toluca metropolitan area has nearly 2.5 million people, and it is the fifth most populous metropolitan area in the country. Viva Aerobus could use this to its advantage.
Do you think these routes from the additional airports serving Mexico City and its surroundings will work for Viva Aerobus? Let us know in the comments below.