Cancun, Q.R. — A ceremony led by the Minister of Tourism of Ecuador celebrated the first Cancun to Quito flight. On Monday, Ecuador’s Minister of Tourism Niels Olsen and executives of Mexico’s Viva Aerobus marked the occasion.
In a statement, they reported that the new route will offer three Cancun-Quito flights a week. According to Olsen, it was the first time the Cancun flight landed in Ecuador.
During the ceremony, Olsen said that “this month, we have had a series of good news for the connectivity of Ecuador. We managed to reduce the amounts of the Ecodelta and Potencia Turística contributions, so flying to and from Ecuador is now chearper, and today, a very important operation is added that connects Ecuador with Mexico through the airports of Quito and Cancun.
“Welcome Viva Aerobus and its new route that allows us to continue attracting more travelers to the country”.
This service offers three flights a week operated with Airbus A320 and A31 aircraft that are part of the youngest fleet in Mexico and the fourth youngest in North America, with an average age of only five years.
Single trip tickets are being sold inexpensively due to the result of both the airline’s business model and the recent government agreement that allowed the reduction of air taxes with the aim of promoting Ecuador’s competitiveness and connectivity.
“We have an extraordinary cultural richness in Quito and we see Viva Aerobus as an ally so that more people can enjoy our city and its surroundings, where they can enjoy spas, bird watching, mountain biking and much more,” explained María Cristina. Rivadeneira, General Manager of Quito Turismo.
According to Viva Aerobus, the Quito – Cancun route is characterized by low prices, new planes, point-to-point flights and comprehensive connectivity. In this sense, the Mexican airline details that its flights not only link two cities, they also make available to Ecuadorian passengers a network of routes that connect Cancun with 18 destinations within Mexico.
The Cancun -Quito route is designed to serve a growing market. Namely, according to the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico, in the first quarter of the year, Ecuador sent more than 17,000 tourists to Mexico by air, which represented an increase of 56 percent compared to the same period in 2022.
Likewise, Turismo de Quito reported that in April 2023, Mexico was positioned among the 10 countries that generated the highest flow of air visitors in Quito.
“We are prepared to give a warm welcome to all Viva Aerobus passengers. The arrival of this Mexican airline gives a boost to passenger traffic at the Mariscal Sucre International Airport, key to meeting our goal of recovering and exceeding the pre-pandemic figures, that is, above five million a year,” said Ramón. Miró, President and CEO of Quiport, operator of the Quito International Airport.
“Today begins a new chapter in the relationship and connectivity between Mexico and Ecuador, because at Viva Aerobus, we have built a bridge that gives everyone the opportunity to cross borders thanks to a low-cost model that allows us to offer low prices so that people by saving on your transportation, you can travel more, extend your stay or do more activities in the destinations you visit,” said Juan Carlos Zuazua, general director of Viva Aerobus.
With this new route, Viva Aerobus strengthens its presence in Cancun, one of its six operating bases, with one of the widest offers in the city, from where it flies to more than 25 destinations.
