Domestic air travel up 28% during January and February

Published April 11, 2023

The number of passengers who traveled on domestic flights in Mexico in the first two months of 2023 increased almost 30% compared to the same period last year, Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco reported Sunday.

Just under 9.44 million passengers flew within Mexico in January and February, an increase of 28.2% compared to the first two months of 2022, Torruco said in a statement.

The figure is 24.2% higher than that recorded in the first two months of 2019, when the airline industry had not yet been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions.

The low-cost airlines Volaris and Viva Aerobus dominated the domestic air travel market in January and February, transporting just over 6.7 million passengers – 71% of the total.

Volaris transported 3.94 million passengers for a 41.7% market share, while Viva Aerobus filled 2.76 million seats for a 29.3% share. Both serve Mexico’s largest cities and main tourism destinations.

National flag carrier Aeroméxico was the third biggest airline in the domestic market, transporting just under 1.75 million passengers, or 18.5% of the total, while its subsidiary Aeroméxico Connect had a 9.1% share of the market.

The Queretaro-based airline TAR only moved 43,384 passengers, for a 0.5% share of the market. It was the only airline among the top five that transported fewer passengers in January and February than in the same period of last year.

Volaris and Viva Aerobus also increased their domestic passenger numbers by 18.3% and 26.2% respectively, according to data published by the Tourism Ministry, but Aeromexico could also be considered a winner in this area: its number of domestic travelers went up by 79.2% in the period, and Aeroméxico Connect flights saw a 22% increase in passenger numbers.

Torruco also reported that passenger numbers on international flights to and from Mexico increased 29.5% on an annual basis to 9.43 million in the first two months of 2023. The figure is 12.5% higher than what was recorded in January and February of 2019.

According to Tourism Ministry data:

♦  Around 85% of the 9.43 million passengers traveled within North America
♦  7.6% flew to or from Central America and South America
♦  6.9% began or ended their trips in Europe
♦  0.5% boarded or disembarked in Asia.

Aeroméxico and Volaris were the top Mexican airlines for international flights, together transporting 1.87 million passengers in January and February. Torruco said the two airlines’ combined international passenger numbers were 35.4% higher than those recorded a year earlier and 19.7% above those recorded in the first two months of 2019.

American Airlines and United Airlines were the leading U.S. carriers for trips to and from Mexico in the same period.

Mexico News Daily