After more than a year, Viva Aerobus announced that on July 28 it will resume its flights at Toluca International Airport (TLC), from where it will operate to Cancun (CUN) and Monterrey (MTY) with a greater number of frequencies and will also add two new routes: Merida (MID) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR).
The announcement comes just one week after the airline launched five new routes at the Felipe Angeles International Airport (NLU/AIFA). Precisely, this expansion of Viva’s offerings in the Metropolitan Zone of the Valley of Mexico results from the need to meet the growing demand for flights and to provide more options for passengers to fly from different airports in the area.
«We appreciate Viva Aerobus’ confidence in Toluca. We are convinced that these four routes will make it easier for more people to get to know the natural, cultural, handicraft and gastronomic wealth of Mexico. And, at the same time, by strengthening the city’s air connectivity, our state grows as a logistical center of the country,» said Marcela González Salas, Secretary of Culture and Tourism of the State of Mexico.
On July 28, Viva Aerobus will reestablish its route to Cancun with three flights a day and, after the summer season, starting on September 9, it will operate two daily flights. On the same date, Viva will also resume its flights to Monterrey with two flights per day and, starting in September, will increase to three daily frequencies.
Then, on September 9, it will begin operating the two new routes Toluca – Merida and Toluca – Puerto Vallarta, both with one daily flight.
«The restart of Viva Aerobus operations and the launch of new routes are excellent news for all passengers in the Toluca Valley, who will be welcomed and served with customer-focused service, the highest safety standards and world-class infrastructure,» said Hugo Alberto Delgado Ortega, General Director of Toluca International Airport.
«We continue to grow our offer in the Valley of Mexico with a proposal of low prices, direct flights and new aircraft so that more people have the opportunity to fly from different points with full comfort, reliability and taking care of their economy,» added Juan Carlos Zuazua, General Director of Viva Aerobus.
Toluca in oblivion
Until March 2020, Interjet accompanied Viva Aerobus in Toluca, since it served flights to Cancun, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Acapulco, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Huatulco with up to 120 weekly operations. Conviasa also flew sporadically from Caracas (CCS).
According to Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency, in 2019 both companies mobilized 689,001 passengers. Since 2009 there has been a drop in the movement of passengers from Toluca, when they reached peaks of up to 4 million passengers.
Aeromexico suspended its flights in Toluca in 2015 and Aeromar in 2005. But, the big loss was the cessation of operations of ALMA, which had several Bombardier CRJ 200 and CRJ 700 based there, and Volaris, which closed its base and more than 20 routes.
The main factor for the cessation of operations of several companies in Toluca is the lack of sufficient supply of travelers to maintain the balance, added to the lack of connectivity to Mexico City, which is 50 kilometers away.
