VivaAerobus Receives First Airbus A321neo

VivaAerobus took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo in a low-key delivery ceremony on July 1. According to Aerolatinnews, the Airbus A321neo will remain at the Viva Aerobus base in Monterrey to carry out final operational tests and certification. It is estimated that the aircraft’s inaugural commercial flight will be in early August.

VivaAerobus CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua stressed the importance of receiving the new aircraft, which joins a fleet that was until yesterday comprised entirely of Airbus A320 aircraft.

“The arrival of this new Airbus A321neo ACF version with a capacity of 240 passengers will allow us to continue preparing ourselves for the gradual recovery of passenger demand. Thanks to the technology of this aircraft, it will provide safety, reliability and high efficiency due to its low fuel consumption. This allows us to reduce costs for the direct benefit of our passengers, so we can continue offering low prices that are key to increase tourism and the air sector in the current context,” Zuazua said.

This new aircraft is the second of five aircraft that the airline plans to receive in 2020, including three A321neo and two A320neo. The airline currently has the youngest fleet in Mexico with an average age of 3.6 years, with 38 aircraft: one Airbus A321neo, 19 Airbus A320neo and 18 Airbus A320ceo aircraft. Importantly, VivaAerobus is the first Latin American airline to receive an aircraft after the massive dip in demand caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

The Airbus A321neo completes its first flight (Photo: Airbus)

Mixing Business with Tourism

Recently, VivaAerobus began a new campaign called “Viva por México.” Through this initiative, the carrier will promote national destinations throughout the year with exclusive promotions and rates in order to revive local tourism. This is the second time the airline has made use of a promotion to work to spur the national tourism industry.

Last month, the Mexican ultra-low-cost airline, created the “Together We Will Take Off” initiative. Through this campaign, all small- and medium-sized businesses that depend on tourism are invited to enroll in the program so that their services and products can be advertised through VivaAerobus’s social and digital media. The objective is to contribute with free promotion that allows the businesses to reach their potential consumers and boost their sales, which have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

According to Reportur, during the first four months of the year, the airline carried more than 3 million passengers with a load factor of close to 84.4%. These results, compared to the accumulated January-April 2019, implied a reduction of 28.9% in terms of total passengers. In addition, the Mexican carrier temporarily transformed 10 Airbus A320 into cargo aircraft to carry out 100% freighter flights in order to adapt to current demand and meet the needs of the health emergency following the COVID-19 outbreak. Each aircraft, taking advantage of the space in the cabin and lower compartments, reaches a capacity of up to 19 tons of cargo.

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Juan Pedro Sanchez Zamudio

The three things Juan Pedro loves most about aviation are aircraft, airports, and traveling thousands of miles in just a few hours. What he enjoys the most about aviation is that it is easier and cheaper to travel around the world and this gives you the opportunity to visit places you thought were too far away. He has traveled to different destinations in North, Central, South America and Asia. Born, raised and still living in Perú, Juan is a lawyer, soccer lover, foodie, passionate traveler, dog lover, millennial and curious by nature.

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