Volaris and Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMA) , the concessionaire of 13 airports in Mexico, reported a 12% and 1.2% drop in passenger traffic last year compared to 2023.
The Pratt & Whitney engine overhaul continues to affect Volaris, as at the end of 2024 it recorded a 12% decrease in passenger movement year-on-year.
Domestic traffic impacted Volaris, as it decreased by 16.2%, ending the period with 21 million 705 thousand passengers, four million 204 thousand fewer than in the same period last year. Meanwhile, international traffic went from seven million 588 thousand to seven million 768 thousand passengers, which translated into a 2.4% increase.
In December, Volaris’ ASM capacity decreased 4.5% year-over-year due to Pratt & Whitney engine inspections, slightly better than forecast, due to the recovery of some aircraft.
In that month, the airline transported 2.8 million passengers, an occupancy factor of 87.6%, an increase of 2.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.
RPMs, that is, the number of seats sold to passengers multiplied by the number of miles flown, decreased by 2.1%, with a reduction of 8.3% in the Mexican domestic market, and an increase of 9.0 percent in international markets.
“We are pleased with the execution of our strategy and continue to prioritize operational performance and network stability as we move forward with the engine inspections required by Pratt & Whitney,” said Enrique Beltranena, Volaris’ CEO and President.
For its part, OMA experienced a decline in passenger traffic from January to December 2024, going from 26 million 845 thousand 451 users to 26 million 510 thousand 498 , that is, 1.2% less year-on-year.
The national market suffered a 3.5% drop , ending at 22 million 728 thousand 094 travelers, 828 thousand 721 fewer than in 2023, driven by the airports of Acapulco, with a drop of 31.8%, Ciudad Juárez with 5.7% less, Culiacán with a decrease of 14.8%, among others.
At the international level, the increase was 15% year-on-year, going from 3,288,636 to 3,782,404 passengers.
The largest increases were seen in the airports of Culiacán with 27%, Torreón with 25.1%, Chihuahua with 20.5%, Monterrey with 20.3%, to name a few.
Comment and follow us on X:@GrupoT21
