Volaris operated in El Salvador through a subsidiary in Costa Rica. It connects with 12 routes, 7 of which are within the United States and 5 within the region.
Two years after Volaris El Salvador Airlines took off its first plane to Mexico City on September 15, 2021, the company became the second busiest airline at El Salvador International Airport.
Volaris El Salvador is a pioneer in the low-cost segment, a concept that originated in the 1990s but became popular after 2000, when the concept of flying became a necessity rather than a luxury. This consists of offering cheaper tickets than ‘traditional’ airlines at the cost of sacrificing some benefits, but these days traditional airlines are struggling to survive the cutthroat competition. imitating this model.
While the model has stumbled in the region, Volaris El Salvador grew by 68% in the first eight months of 2023, transporting more than 403,000 passengers. This number is even higher than the more than 381,000 in all of 2022, when there were only two aircraft.
After Avianca, Volaris is the second busiest of the 14 airlines serving El Salvador Airport in San Luis Talpa, La Paz. However, strictly speaking, it is the first low-priced model.
Ronnie Rodriguez, director of corporate development at Volaris, recalls that the Salvadoran-flagged airline was born with the goal of reducing travel costs and democratizing aviation, much like buses.
Increased capacity.
Currently, the Salvadoran-flagged airline has 12 routes and operates 16 daily flights.
The isthmus connects Guatemala City, San José (Costa Rica), San Pedro de La in Honduras, and Mexico City and the paradise destination of Cancun.
The company only received permission as a foreign airline from the U.S. Department of Transportation in February 2022, and to date connects seven of the cities with the largest Salvadoran populations.
Destinations include Los Angeles, Washington, New York, Houston, Oakland, Ontario (California), and Miami (with a stopover in San Pedro de Sula).
Additionally, flights to Chicago via Guatemala will begin in November, opening the airline industry to more than 70,000 Salvadorans and Guatemalans living in Illinois.
“These things confirm the growing confidence of Salvadorans and Central Americans who have transformed the low-cost aviation model into a new way of flying,” Rodriguez added.
The airline plans to add new aircraft to its fleet later this year, which currently consists of three Airbus A32 Neos. The latest product was introduced last July, allowing Volaris to increase its monthly supply of chairs by 70%.
Flying is a privilege.
The executive, who believes the airline is “responsible for the diaspora,” said: “We couldn’t be happier” with the outcome.
During its two years of operation, more than 618,000 passengers were carried, of which 67,980 (11%) were first-time passengers. This trend is popular among Salvadorans living in the United States, who have the habit of bringing several suitcases with gifts.
Mr. Rodriguez asserted that a trip to Central America costs an average of $34.50, but that this value varies greatly depending on the tax rate. Therefore, on his web portal of the company, a flight to Guatemala is listed for him more than $144, of which $74 corresponds only to taxes.
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Volaris El Salvador is the first airline with a low-cost model. It competes with American Spirit and Frontier. There is also Arajet, but its market is limited to the Dominican Republic.
Source: Diario.Elmundo
