On April 21, Volaris announced via a press release that it has filed a request to the Mexican Aviation Authority (Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil- AFAC) to operate a route between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the recently opened Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles -also known as AIFA-, with ICAO code NLU.
The company stated that it filed the request on April 7 with the intention to open the route in December 2022, should Mexico recover the Federal Aviation Administration Category 1 rating, lost in May 2021 after several safety unconformities.
Since then, the Mexican government has been working hard to recover the rating, as its current Category 2 prevents Mexican operators to add new routes to the US, a much-needed segment for their profitability.
(Not so) Subtle pressure for FAA Category revision
Besides tourism, Mexican carriers rely heavily on VFR -Visiting Family and Friends- traffic and that void has been filled by US operators that rushed to add routes and to increase frequencies.
«This new route is based on how much the airline trusts Mexican authorities and the progress they are making throughout the last months to address FAA’s findings. Volaris recognizes the effort made by all government levels to recover category 1 and to keep building a better Mexican aviation»
AIFA, the airport no one wants but everyone uses
Surrounded by controversy, Felipe Ángeles airport opened on March 21, 2022. Since its inception and construction, the terminal was believed to become a ghost terminal without operations, because no airline would want to move operations from the old and clogged Ciudad de México airport (MEX).
But when the airport was getting close to a reality -and for some, due to governmental stubbornness, a fait accompli- some operators began to get comfortable with the idea to use it.
Volaris was one of the first carriers to announce it would operate in AIFA: Enrique Beltranena, Volaris’ CEO, said last October: «In updating our strategy for continued expansion and growth in Mexico, where we transport around twenty-five million passengers, we have seen that in the immediate area of the new airport alone there is a market of 4.8 million potential customers. »
«The extensive knowledge of the segment of those visiting friends and family, our leadership in the Mexican domestic market and expertise in operational safety were key in the decision to reach out to a new destination to continue democratizing air transportation in Mexico, » he concluded.
Volaris‘ gamble to fly to Los Angeles from AIFA, should the request go through and FAA Category 1 is restored, would open a new phase for Felipe Ángeles and its operators. If Volaris is set to be the only one seizing that potential market or if it would face some competition, is something yet to be seen.
