Low-cost Mexican airlines Volaris and VivaAerobus have reported historic figures for 2022.

Volaris, which according to specialized media in the aviation industry is now the largest airline in Mexico, reported transporting more than 30 million travelers last year, surpassing its 2021 figure of 24.3 million passengers. 

In 2022, the budget airline added 30 new flights to and from the Mexico City metropolitan area’s newest airport — Felipe Angeles International a decision that, along with resuming flights at Toluca International Airport in México state, allowed Volaris to offer 1 million more seats on flights in Mexico, according to airline officials.

Volaris CEO Enrique Beltranena said that “passenger traffic in December was solid, and booking curves remain resilient. We continue to estimate that passenger growth will be in line with our anticipated capacity growth.”

Viva Aerobús also offered new routes in 2022 — from Bajío International Airport (BJX) in Silao, Guanajuato, and the Los Cabos International Airport in Baja California Sur — and offered 24 routes in the summer season. It, too, reported record-breaking passenger numbers.

The airline reported more than 2 million passengers in December alone. It also said that 2022 was the first year in which it transported 20 million passengers.

Viva Aerobús CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua said that they “saw strong demand in December as well as healthy levels of passenger traffic” across all their markets. Between 2019 and 2022, and despite the COVID-19 crisis, VivaAerobus’ traffic grew by 72.2%, he said.

One other reason Viva Aerobus and Volaris likely picked up more passengers in 2021 and 2022 was due to the closure of low-cost airline Interjet, which stopped serving customers in December 2020.

With reports from Riviera Maya News, Simple Flying