Following an MOU signed at Le Bourget Paris Airshow in June, Viva Air, the Latin America low cost carrier group owned by Irelandia Aviation, has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for 50 A320 Family aircraft. The 35 A320neo and 15 A320ceo will be operated by the group’s airlines VivaColombia and Viva Air Peru and will allow the two all-Airbus operators to modernize their fleets and capture growth opportunities across Latin America.
William Shaw, CEO and Founder of VivaColombia, part of Viva Air, said: “This order reflects our long-term commitment to our customers lowering fares further due to the benefits of this new fleet. We are excited to continue expanding our successful low cost model and accelerate our growth throughout Latin America making air transportation more accessible and affordable to our customers.”
John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, said: “Airbus is pleased to play a major role in supporting Viva Air in its exciting journey to develop the low cost model throughout Latin America. With its exceptionally comfortable cabin, low operating costs and excellent fuel efficiency, the A320 and A320neo Families are the best product lines to complement Viva Air’s expansion goals.”
The Airbus-VivaColombia relationship began in 2012 when the airline began operations with A320 aircraft. VivaColombia, based in Medellin, has been an all-Airbus operator since, and today it operates 11 A320s. Viva Air recently launched Viva Air Peru, the sister airline of VivaColombia based in Lima. Viva Air Peru currently operates three A320 aircraft.
Viva Air is a Panamanian headquartered group created by Irelandia Aviation and led by Declan Ryan. Irelandia has successfully developed six low cost carriers around the world, namely Allegiant, Ryanair, Tigerair, VivaAerobus, VivaColombia and most recently Viva Air Peru. Combined, the airlines have a fleet of more than 420 aircraft and have carried over a billion passengers.
The A320 Family is the world’s best-selling single aisle product line. To date, the Family has won over 13,000 orders and more than 7,600 aircraft have been delivered to some 400 customers and operators worldwide.
The A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets, which together deliver at least 15 percent fuel savings at delivery and 20 percent by 2020. With more than 5200 orders received from 95 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured some 60 percent share of the market.
With over 1,000 aircraft sold and a backlog of over 400, more than 650 Airbus aircraft are in operation throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Since 1990, Airbus has secured over 60 percent of net orders in the region and in the past 10 years alone, Airbus has tripled its in-service fleet.
