Volaris this week shared that it saw a 27.2% demand growth when comparing December 2021 with December 2019. The Mexico City-based carrier also reported strong load factors for last year.

Volaris Airbus A320-233 N512VL .jpg (2)
Volaris will be starting routes from Mexico City, Cancun and San Jose (Costa Rica) to Peru from June 2022. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Pleasant reading

In December, the ultra-low-cost operator carried 2.6 million passengers, which is 31% higher than the pre-pandemic figures. This feat is matched by a 2019 RPM (revenue passenger miles) variation of 34.9% domestically and 10.8% internationally, giving a total variation of 27.2%.

Load factors have also been heading in the right direction for the airline. The domestic December 2021 load factor was 89.0%, supported by an international load factor for the month of 78.7%. These percentages rounded off an FY 2021 load factor of 86.9% in the domestic realm and 79.2% in the international spectrum.

Volaris Airbus A320-200 aircraft seen at Phoenix Sky Harbor
Mexico is now the world's fifth-largest country for the A320ceo. Photo: Getty Images.

Management is impressed

Volaris' leadership is pleased with the results for the year. The company’s president and CEO, Enrique Beltranena, noted that his airline remained focused to deploy the right levels of capacity to match the robust demand in VFR and leisure segments.

“For the first quarter 2022, the capacity we currently have on sale represents an ASM (available seat miles) growth of approximately 3% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021, implying around 53% ASM growth versus the first quarter of 2021. However, as we have demonstrated since the beginning of the pandemic, we will continue to actively manage capacity and will react accordingly if we observe a deterioration in demand in our markets associated with the Omicron variant.” - Volaris, via company statement.

Volaris Tail
Volaris made the most out of the increasing demand to bolster domestic capacity by 35.5% and international capacity by 20.8%. Photo: Volaris

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

Plenty of prospects

Altogether, Volaris has plenty to shout about when looking back at 2021. It grew its domestic passenger activity by 26% compared with 2019. Moreover, its international traffic was boosted by 19%. This momentum allowed the firm to report a profit in the second and third quarters of the year.

The airline's progress in December was symbolized by the arrival of its 100th jet. The company welcomed an Airbus A320neo unit to its fleet early in the month. The delivery is part of an ambitious growth strategy as the company seeks to become the largest operator in Mexico. More aircraft arrivals are on the cards, with at least 12 deliveries expected to arrive in 2022.

December was a strong month in aviation across the board. Despite the concerns and challenges that Omicron brought, 2.43 million flights were conducted around the world, enabling the month to be the busiest for airlines in 2021.

So, Volaris will be hoping for the personal and industry momentum to continue throughout the year. Mexico expects a 22.5% rise in capacity compared to pre-pandemic levels, and the airline will be keen to have a slice of this opportunity.

What are your thoughts about Volaris's December growth compared with the same period in 2019? What do you make of the airline's overall progress? Let us know what you think of the carrier and its operations in the comment section.