According to reports, low-cost airline Viva Aerobus, located in Mexico, plans to purchase at least 100 Airbus planes.
The Mexican airline is actively contemplating an order that would be in the triple digits, according to a report by Reuters, which cited people familiar with the situation. A Viva Aerobus representative was also reported in the article as stating to the media that the airline has not placed any new orders with any aircraft manufacturers.
Viva Aerobus now runs a fleet of 72 Airbus aircraft, including 22 A320ceos, nine A321ceos, 20 A320neos, and 21 A321neos, according to statistics from ch-aviation.com.
Up to 24 Boeing 737-800s had been used by the low-cost carrier in its fleet.
According to data from ch-aviation.com, Viva Aerobus has 25 Airbus A321neo aircraft on order.
The low-cost carrier carried 2 million passengers in May 2023, up 16.6% from 1.7 million passengers in May 2022. However, when compared Year-on-Year (YoY), the average load factor had decreased by 2.6%, moving from 86.6% to 89.3%.
By the end of May 2023, there were 9.2 million passengers traveling worldwide, a 20.6% increase over the same time last year.
On the airline’s May 2023 passenger results, Juan Carlos Zuazua, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Viva Aerobus, commented: “As we approach the summer season, the forward booking trends indicate continued strength in demand and a favorable yield environment. In spite of the strong demand, we are committed to maintaining disciplined capacity management.”
A little improvement over the operational loss of $23 million in Q1 2022, the low-cost carrier ended Q1 2023 with a net operating loss of $21 million. Despite revenues increasing by 34% YoY, from $259 million in Q1 2022 to $347 million in Q1 2023, this loss still occurred.
“Although the demand environment remains robust, the industry continues to face its share of challenges, mainly related to the supply chain, with delays in the delivery of aircraft, engines, and spare parts, coupled with jet fuel prices and inflation levels above historical averages,” Zuazua said at the time.
