MEXICO CITY, March 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Volaris* (NYSE:
VLRS and BMV: VOLAR), the ultra-low-cost airline
serving Mexico, the United States and Central America, reports February
2021 preliminary traffic results.
Increased numbers of COVID-19 cases, which triggered
stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions in Mexico and the
United States, led to demand weakness during February 2021. The Company continues to
prioritize preserving liquidity, while maintaining its low-cost
structure.
In February 2021, capacity
measured by ASMs (Available Seat Miles) was 74.7% compared to the
same month of the prior year. Demand measured by RPMs
(Revenue Passenger Miles) was 65% of the prior year. Volaris
transported 1.1 million passengers in February 2021 and booked load factor was
74.1%. While management is using 2020 for its February 2021 comparisons, it should be noted
that the COVID-19 pandemic did not start to impact demand in
Mexico until the second half of
March 2020.
Volaris' President and Chief Executive Officer, Enrique Beltranena, commenting on the traffic
results for February 2021, said: "We
expect to continue to capitalize on our low-cost position, to look
for opportunities to expand our network, and we expect to maintain
our focus on cash preservation as our highest priority as we
navigate the rest of this crisis. We believe we are well prepared
to maintain Volaris' position as the leading airline in
Mexico in terms of passengers with
strong fundamentals for future growth."
Volaris has recently seen an increase in forward bookings and,
as a result, increases its capacity guidance for the first quarter
2021 to approximately 85% of ASMs as compared to the same
period of last year. Given demand volatility and last-minute
booking patterns, management is not providing capacity guidance for
the second quarter, although an improvement over the first quarter
is expected based on current booking trends.
The following table summarizes Volaris traffic results for the
month.
|
February
2021
|
February
2020
|
Variance
|
February
YTD 2021
|
February
YTD 2020
|
Variance
|
RPMs (in
millions, scheduled & charter)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Domestic
|
907
|
1,223
|
-25.9%
|
2,045
|
2,537
|
-19.4%
|
International
|
211
|
496
|
-57.4%
|
661
|
1,103
|
-40.1%
|
Total
|
1,118
|
1,719
|
-35.0%
|
2,706
|
3,639
|
-25.7%
|
ASMs (in
millions, scheduled & charter)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Domestic
|
1,150
|
1,407
|
-18.3%
|
2,670
|
2,944
|
-9.3%
|
International
|
359
|
613
|
-41.5%
|
988
|
1,297
|
-23.8%
|
Total
|
1,509
|
2,020
|
-25.3%
|
3,658
|
4,240
|
-13.7%
|
Load Factor
(in %, scheduled, RPMs/ASMs)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Domestic
|
78.8%
|
86.9%
|
(8.1) pp
|
76.6%
|
86.2%
|
(9.6) pp
|
International
|
58.9%
|
81.0%
|
(22.1) pp
|
66.9%
|
85.0%
|
(18.2) pp
|
Total
|
74.1%
|
85.1%
|
(11.0) pp
|
74.0%
|
85.8%
|
(11.9) pp
|
Passengers (in
thousands, scheduled & charter)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Domestic
|
993
|
1,425
|
-30.3%
|
2,261
|
2,938
|
-23.1%
|
International
|
150
|
346
|
-56.7%
|
462
|
771
|
-40.1%
|
Total
|
1,142
|
1,771
|
-35.5%
|
2,723
|
3,710
|
-26.6%
|
The information included in this report has not been audited
and it does not provide information on the company's future
performance. Volaris' future performance depends on many factors
and it cannot be inferred that any period's performance or its
comparison year over year will be an indicator of a similar
performance in the future.
About Volaris:
*("Volaris" or the "Company") (NYSE:
VLRS and BMV: VOLAR), is an ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC), with
point-to-point operations, serving Mexico, the United
States and Central America.
Volaris offers low base fares to build its market, providing
quality service and extensive customer choice. Since beginning
operations in March 2006, Volaris has
increased its routes from five to more than 161 and its fleet from
four to 87 aircraft. Volaris offers more than 296 daily flight
segments on routes that connect 43 cities in Mexico and 25 cities in the United States with one of the youngest
fleet in The Americas. Volaris targets passengers who are visiting
friends and relatives, cost-conscious business and leisure
travelers in Mexico and in
selected destinations in the United
States and Central America.
Volaris has received the ESR Award for Social Corporate
Responsibility for eleven consecutive years. For more information,
please visit: www.volaris.com.
Investor Relations contact: María Elena Rodríguez
& Andrea González / Investor Relations / ir@volaris.com /
+52 55 5261 6444
Media contact: Gabriela Fernández / volaris@gcya.mx / +52 55
5246 0100
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SOURCE Volaris