Viva Airlines has announced seven new direct flights from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) to U.S. destinations beginning in October. The airline is also adding flights to two domestic destinations.
On Wednesday, Viva CEO Juan Carlos Zuazua said in a LinkedIn post that the new flights reaffirm the airline’s “commitment to a more accessible, modern … aviation at the best prices for all.”
Viva will add flights from AIFA to seven U.S. cities: Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Orlando. The airline will also add domestic service to La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur, and Tepic, the capital of the Pacific Coast state of Nayarit.
In a press release, Viva said the new routes solidify its position as “the leading carrier for international travel between the Mexico City metropolitan area and the United States.”
“We went from 29 to 38 direct flights from AIFA, marking a growth of 31% (at AIFA),” Zuazua wrote. He added that the expansion is important because “the U.S. is [Viva’s] main international market and a strategic partner for tourism, investment and trade in Mexico.”
The new flights could help establish AIFA as an international hub; so far, Viva has flown 5 million passengers out of AIFA, Zuazua said — almost half of all passengers who have passed through the México state airport.
The new airport has struggled to meet expectations in terms of passenger numbers, according to industry experts cited by Mexico Business News.
The government’s original projections had AIFA handling 20 million passengers annually within its first three years. However, since opening on March 21, 2022, the airport — located 45 kilometers north of downtown Mexico City in neighboring México state — had served only 10.47 million passengers through Jan. 31, 2025, an average of just over 3.5 million passengers per year.
The lack of ground transportation has been a significant hurdle for passengers flying into and out of AIFA, even though ticket prices are lower than at the original international airport in eastern Mexico City, Benito Juárez. A new passenger rail line connecting AIFA to the old Mexico City train terminal, just 3 kilometers northwest of the capital’s Historic Center, is set to open in July.
Viva — which changed its name from Viva Aerobus in October — has Mexico’s youngest aviation fleet, operating 93 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.
With reports from El Financiero, Mexico Business News and Aviación del Día
Source: Mexico News Daily
