Volaris, a Mexican low-cost carrier, has received its first two Airbus A321 aircraft, the latest being received during a ceremony at the Airbus Delivery Centre in Hamburg, Germany. Volaris’ aircraft will be the first A321s to operate in Mexico and will be deployed on the carrier’s domestic routes to and from Cancun.

The Volaris A321 seats 220 passengers, is equipped with Sharklet fuel-saving wing tip devices and powered by IAE engines. The two A321s will join Volaris’ existing all-Airbus fleet of more than 50 A319s and A320s aircraft. To date, Volaris has ordered a total of 74 Airbus single aisle aircraft.

The delivery highlights the market trend for larger capacity aircraft by Latin American operators as well as Mexico’s strong traffic growth. According to the most recent Airbus Global Market Forecast, the passenger aircraft fleet serving Mexico will more than double in the next 20 years.

“This is a very important step in our growth strategy, and the A321’s increased seating capacity will undoubtedly help Volaris address the increasing passenger demand for cost-efficient and comfortable air travel,” said Enrique Beltranena, Chief Executive Officer of Volaris. “It’s an honour to be reaching this milestone with Airbus, a key partner since our inception, who has played an important role in our growth as a company and the efficient operation of our aircraft.”

“The A321 is instrumental in bringing increased capacity on Volaris’ most popular routes, and it allows the airline to benefit from the lowest cost per seat of any single aisle aircraft,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers. “We are pleased that the A321 will help Volaris efficiently address growing demand for cost-effective air travel in Mexico while benefitting from the unmatched comfort, operating economics and fuel-efficiency of the benchmark A320 Family.”

The A321 is the largest member of the best-selling single aisle A320 Family. The A321’s unbeatable economics offer a 20 percent capacity increase and an improved operating cost per seat compared to the A320. The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single aisle product line with almost 11,700 orders to date and over 6,500 aircraft delivered to 400 customers and operators worldwide.

The A320 Family is the preferred choice for Latin American carriers; there are over 500 A320 Family aircraft in operation and Airbus has more than 60 percent of fleet in-service and order backlog in Latin America today. With more than 950 aircraft sold and a backlog of nearly 500, almost 600 Airbus aircraft are in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. In the last 10 years, Airbus has tripled its in-service fleet, while delivering more than 60 percent of all aircraft operating in the region.

Press Release and picture: Airbus