VivaAerobus transitions to Airbus

Mexican low cost carrier starts A320 operations

This month, VivaAerobus started transitioning its fleet to Airbus aircraft. After the Mexican airline signed a purchase agreement for 52 A320s, making it the biggest Airbus order by a single airline in Latin America history, the carrier took delivery of its first A320 in March 2014.

Airbus’ history is also made of transitions. Between its creation and 1995, Airbus market share never exceeded 19 percent. Over time, Airbus gained market share by winning over customers wanting to transition their fleets to improve efficiencies and passenger experience.

VivaAerobus too has experienced dynamic and continuous growth since its creation. As fuel and maintenance costs generally continue to rise to an economically-unsustainable level on older generation aircraft, such as 737 Classics, and dispatch reliability becomes challenging to maintain, this was the right time for the low cost carrier to transition. VivaAerobus was convinced that the superior economics of the A320 and ultimately the A320neo justify transitioning to a new aircraft type. The entry into service of the A320 Family, with its Fly-by-Wire technology, will allow VivaAerobus to take advantage of additional operating benefits on both the operation and maintenance side. This also creates an opportunity to modernize all airline ground systems to further enhance efficiency.

Economics obviously drive airline future fleet selection. However, not all aspects are financially quantifiable, and VivaAerobus passengers will soon benefit from the unrivaled comfort of the A320 Family, providing 18 inch-wide seats resulting in increased personal space, thanks to a fuselage that is an extra seven inches wide.

VivaAerobus’ transition to an all-Airbus fleet is now becoming a reality, only six months after finalizing their aircraft order, proving once more the dynamism of this low cost carrier. Dynamism which, along with a young fleet of A320 aircraft, will allow VivaAerobus to continue pursuing their strategy of offering the lowest fares and best passenger experience.

For more information contact:
Bernard de l’Estoile
Airline Marketing Manager, Latin America & Caribbean
bernard.delestoile@airbus.com