The low cost airline Volaris suspended its direct routes within Central America indefinitely from this sunday April 12as part of a network optimization process.
The decision was confirmed by Ronny Rodríguez, manager of Volaris, to the Salvadoran newspaper The Graphic Press.
According to the company, internal flights in the region will stop operating, however, routes to USA and other destinations outside the isthmus.
The company explained that the adjustment responds to an environment with high departure taxes and airport feeswhich limits the viability of the ultra-low-cost model in the region. Rodríguez indicated that the sale of tickets for these routes has been suspended since January 21.
The executive explained that these positions represent between a 62% and 70% of the final price which the passenger pays. This structure prevented users from perceiving the benefit of the low-cost model during the ten years of operation in Central America.
The amounts vary by country. El Salvador and Guatemala They register the lowest rates with $39 and $32. In contrast, Costa Rica and Honduras have the highest values. The regional average is $48.61.
Despite the airline’s efforts to reduce fares, passengers perceive high prices, Rodríguez insisted. Nearly $110 ticket They correspond to taxes and fees. Less than $74 corresponds to the airfare. This difference dilutes the impact of the low-cost model, he added.
The company indicated that this situation affected demand. The levels did not reach the projections necessary to consolidate operations. The positive impact on local economies was also reduced.
In addition, he said that user perception was affected, since they usually attribute the total price to the airline and not to the tax burden.
The manager added that there are discussions between governments and the private sector to promote a regional policy. The objective is to encourage travel within Central America and strengthen multi-destination tourism. In such a scenario, he stated that the airline would evaluate resuming these routes.
Routes that are maintained
From Costa RicaVolaris will continue with its routes to Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara and Orlando, in Florida.
From El Salvadorthe airline will operate flights to Washington DC, Los Angeles, Oakland, Newark, Houston and Mexico City.
In Guatemaladirect connections to Mexico City, Cancún and Los Angeles will be maintained.
*The creation of this content was assisted by artificial intelligence. The source of this information is from Grupo de Diarios América (GDA) and was reviewed by an editor to ensure its accuracy. The content was not generated automatically.
