Volaris in Colombia: Interview with Holger Blankenstein, Vice-President of the airline

Last Wednesday, October 6, Volaris began operations in Colombia with two routes: Mexico City – Bogota and Cancun – Bogota.

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In this regard, Aviacionline interviewed Holger Blankenstein, Volaris’ Executive Vice-President, to talk about the airline’s business plans in Colombia and the unique offer they are bringing to the country.

Aviacionline. After the arrival in the country, which are the medium-term plans?

Holger Blankenstein. Today we launched two routes; Cancun and Mexico City from Bogota, with a low-cost model with direct flights.

Our plan now is to grow in Colombia, possibly taking these flights to a daily frequency, and then we will be exploring new avenues.

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It is also worth mentioning that we currently have subsidiaries in Costa Rica and El Salvador, so we are also considering connectivity in Central America.

AL. Is the airline considering opening new routes in Colombia?

HB. We definitely have our sights set on new destinations in the country. However, the first priority is to position the first two routes and increase them to a daily frequency to foster demand.

AL. Colombia is starting to become a «land of low cost» thanks to the boom of this model, what is the advantage that Volaris offers compared to other low cost airlines?
HB. The foremost thing to highlight is that at Volaris we have a 16-year track record and we are currently one of the three lowest-cost airlines in the world. This enables us to offer lower fares, stimulate demand and attract new travelers.

Secondly, we have a modern fleet. Thirty-five percent of our A320 aircraft are already equipped with NEO technology, which allows us to save 18% on fuel and reduce our carbon and sound footprint, lower operating costs, and provide lower fares.

AL. There are increasing rumors and news of mergers between airlines in the region. Has Volaris considered this possibility with any other company?

HB. Our growth plans are very high and we are confident that we will expand organically by around 20%, and those are our plans. We currently have an order for 80 new aircraft from Airbus and are targeting the Mexican, U.S., and Colombian markets.

In the last few years, we have achieved our objectives on an organic basis with good results and we will continue doing so.