Viva Aerobus announced it will start operating flights to Tijuana, Baja California and Los Angeles, United States, from Mérida International Airport.

With these two new flights, Viva Aerobus will have 16 routes departing from Mérida.

“At Viva, we are committed to investing in Mérida,” said Walfred Castro Novelo, Viva’s director of corporate communications, during the route’s announcement at the Yucatán International Congress Center on Monday. “We recognize the city’s immense potential, along with that of the entire Yucatán region, and we aim to contribute to its development through improved national and international connectivity,” Castro stated. 

Mérida is one of Viva Aerobus’ operational bases, operating a weekly average of 100 arrival flights to Yucatán. 

The Tijuana route will start on Nov. 3 with four weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. It will depart from Mérida at 8 p.m. and will make quick refueling stops at the Guanajuato International Airport (near the city of León) on the outward journey and in Monterrey on the return journey. Passengers won’t have to leave the aircraft during these stops. 

The Los Angeles route will kick off Dec. 18, just in time for the winter holiday season. A seasonal route, it will run once a week on Wednesdays through Jan. 8, 2025. 

“[Los Angeles] is a route that we have been pursuing for years,” said Tourism Promotion Minister Michelle Fridman. “It is a complex route because of how long it is. We are going to do the first test in December,” she added. 

During the event, Fridman thanked the low-cost airline for their commitment to attracting more tourism from the west coast of the U.S. Starting July, Volaris will also add two new routes departing from Yucatán’s capital: Orlando and Miami in Florida.  

Tourism in Mérida has been on the rise. According to government data, the Mérida airport saw over 3.7 million passengers in 2023, the highest number ever recorded. According to Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), the airport conglomerate in Mexico’s southeast, this means an increase of 19.69% compared to the previous year, which just barely topped 3 million passengers.

With reports from La Jornada Maya and T21