Viva will stop operating this route on October 29.
Colombian ultra-low-cost carrier Viva has announced it will cancel the international route between Bogotá El Dorado International Airport (BOG) and Mexico City Benito Juárez International (MEX) on October 29. This is the second route to Mexico that has been scrapped this year, following the flight between Cali (CLO) and Cancún (CUN) in August.
Bye-bye to the flight
Viva Colombia has been recently suspending several routes as it faces a complex environment fueled by high operational costs. The Bogotá-Mexico City route is the latest to be announced that it will be scrapped.
This city-to-city segment has not been able to sustain the number of players it currently has. Between Bogota and Mexico City, currently, there are six airlines, including four low-cost carriers, one legacy, and one that is shifting between models (Avianca). These Airlines are Aeromexico, Avianca, Viva Aerobus, Viva Colombia, Volaris, and Wingo. They offer 59 weekly services as of October 2022, according to data by Cirium.
The route Bogota-Mexico had six weekly flights, and it is set to be canceled on October 29. Viva Colombia has said it will be responsible for protecting the impacted passengers following the cancelation of this international route.
Viva’s problems?
A few months ago, Viva Colombia and Avianca urged the Colombian authorities to approve their proposed partnership, which would see Viva join Avianca under the same holding and operating separately. The carriers said that this alliance was critical for the future of Viva, as the low-cost carrier faces “a complex financial situation that requires immediate intervention.”
The recent cancelation of several routes seems to confirm that Viva is not in the best financial position. Simple Flying reached the Medellín-based carrier for comment on the subject. Viva said,
“These changes in Viva’s offerings respond to a review and adjustment of the company’s size that
we have been considering for some months, bearing in mind the challenging market situation and
the macroeconomic variables, mainly due to fuel prices, which have affected the airline industry in
general and Viva in particular.”
Viva added that the airline has recently faced “the adverse effects of fuel prices, the dollar, and record inflation.” In view of these conditions, Viva has had to make adjustments to its fleet and operations, adapting to the current market reality, protecting operational safety, and seeking the airline’s long-term sustainability. (https://simpleflying.com/viva-scrapping-bogota-mexico-city-route/)
