VivaAerobus places Latin America’s biggest Airbus aircraft order

The VivaAerobus Group has signed a purchase agreement for 52 Airbus A320 Family aircraft (40 A320neo and 12 A320ceo), representing the biggest Airbus aircraft order by a single airline in Latin American history. VivaAerobus, a Mexican low-cost carrier, will announce the engine selection at a later date.

VivaAerobus, part-owned by IAMSA, one of Mexico’s largest transportation companies, and Irelandia Aviation, a global low-cost-carrier airline developer, will replace its entire fleet of 737-300 to become an all-Airbus carrier by 2016. VivaAerobus has been a pioneer in Mexico’s ’Bus to Air’ model, which is an initiative to convert bus passengers to air travellers.

The new A320 Family is key to VivaAerobus’ domestic and international network expansion plans. With proven reliability and extended servicing periods, the A320 Family has the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aircraft, making it a perfect match for VivaAerobus.

“After evaluating the latest aircraft technology with the objective of further reducing our costs, improving our reliability, punctuality and the overall passenger experience, today we are proud to announce that the Airbus A320 has been our final choice. This is an important milestone for our customers, shareholders and staff,” said Juan Carlos Zuazua, VivaAerobus CEO. “This decision will support our growth strategy, as it will allow us to further reduce our industry leading fares, and will increase the cost-per-seat advantage we currently have among our competitors.”