Low-cost airline «VivaAerobus»

VivaAerobus is a low-cost airline in Mexico, owned by Ryanair and the large bus company IAMSA. It is headquartered at General Mariano Escobedo International Airport, Monterrey. It has been in existence since 2006.The company began operations on November 30, 2006. In July 2007, the airline has publicly confirmed its intention to open terminals outside of Mexico, in Austin, USA. Currently, the company flies between Monterrey and cities such as Mexico City, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio, Houston, etc.

The company is owned by the Ryan family, the founders of Ryanair and Mexican bus company IAMSA. The Ryans teamed up with Maurice Mason of Kite Investments to form RyanMex to facilitate with the Irish family’s investment in the Mexican company. RyanMex has a 49% stake in the company, with IAMSA owning the rest. It all started with an initial investment of $50 million and two Boeing 737-300 airliners. The airline served 1 million 300 thousand passengers in the first year of operation.

On November 5, 2007, the company received permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation to operate at Austin Bergstrom Airport. The airline started operating flights from there on May 1, 2008.

On May 16, 2009, the airline announced that it was discontinuing flights to Austin Bergstrom Airport. On May 31, 2009, the airline was accused of postponing the swine flu outbreak, which caused an unprecedented drop in demand for service. Beginning in the summer of 2009, the company began flying to Las Vegas.

In November 2009, the airline announced an application for flights between Hermosillo and Las Vegas beginning in March 2010.

Flights from Houston began in April 2010.

On April 1, 2011, Mexico City, the capital of Mexico City, became the main destination. The company is also expanding the number of destinations.

On July 26, 2011, the company received approval to fly from Chicago’s Midway Airport.

On August 15, 2011, VivaAerobus announced round-trip flights between San Antonio and Monterrey airports.

On April 13, 2012, the company discontinues flights to Chicago Midway.

On February 18, 2013, company founder Roberto Alcantara signed an agreement under which the airline began flights from Toluca Airport.

VivaAerobus operates commuter buses from downtown El Paso to Abraham Gonzalez International Airport in Ciudad Juarez.