History of Volaris in Timeline

Volaris is a major Mexican low-cost airline headquartered in Mexico City. It operates from several bases across Mexico, including Cancún, Guadalajara, and Tijuana. Volaris distinguishes itself as the largest airline in Mexico by passenger volume, serving both domestic and international routes within the Americas. Notably, it holds the largest share of the Mexican domestic airline market, accounting for 42% of all passengers.

August 2005: Pre-operations phase and founding of Vuela Airlines

In August 2005, the pre-operations phase began under the name Vuela Airlines, including founding legal entities and setting up infrastructure. The airline idea came from the proposed "Vuelamex" project. Major initial shareholders included Grupo Televisa, Inbursa, TACA Airlines, and Discovery Americas Fund, each investing 25% of the initial activities cost, amounting to 100 million USD.

2005: Volaris Logo Launch

Since its launch in 2005, the Volaris logo has been a colorful, pixelated star against a black background, representing the north star, Polaris.

January 2006: Ticket Sales Start

In January 2006, Volaris commenced its ticket sales.

February 2006: First Non-Commercial Flight

In February 2006, following the delivery of its first aircraft, Volaris operated its inaugural non-commercial flight.

March 13, 2006: Launch of Scheduled Revenue Flights

On March 13, 2006, Volaris initiated scheduled revenue flights, with the first flight operating between Toluca and Tijuana.

November 2008: Codeshare agreement with Southwest Airlines

In November 2008, Volaris announced a codeshare agreement with U.S.-based low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines.

April 2009: Start of U.S.-Bound Flights

In April 2009, Volaris announced the commencement of U.S.-bound flights from Toluca and Guadalajara, initially to Los Angeles and Oakland, to feed into Southwest Airlines' hubs.

July 2010: Televisa and Inbursa sell their stake in Volaris

In July 2010, it was announced that Televisa and Inbursa had sold their stake in Volaris, resulting in the following ownership structure: TACA Airlines with Roberto and Maria Cristina Kriete holding 50%, Investment fund Discovery Americas having over 25%, and Indigo Partners, a fund led by former America West CEO Bill Franke, also holding a stake.

September 2010: Volaris begins service to Mexico City

In September 2010, Volaris began service to Mexico City. This was achieved after absorbing flight routes from two defunct Mexican airlines, Aerocalifornia and Mexicana.

March 2011: Hub relocation to Guadalajara

In March 2011, Volaris announced the relocation of its hub from Toluca to Guadalajara.

2011: Guadalajara as an American gateway hub

In late 2011, Volaris began utilizing Guadalajara International Airport as an American gateway hub.

June 2012: Launch of VClub and acceptance of PayPal

In June 2012, Volaris launched VClub, a frequent flyer program. In June 2012, Volaris also began accepting PayPal as a payment method, enabling customers to purchase tickets directly from the airline's website.

September 2012: Codeshare partnership with Condor

In September 2012, Volaris announced a codeshare partnership with German airline Condor, enabling Condor's passengers to fly to more international destinations.