ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2022 - 10

PERSPECTIVES
Juan Carlos Zuazua
CEO, VivaAerobus
Jetrader spoke to Juan Carlos Zuazua about the
formation of VivaAerobus, COVID-19's impact
on the Mexican market and his company's
environmental initiatives.
Jetrader: Can you tell me a little
about your background?
Juan Carlos Zuazua (JCZ): I hold
an industrial engineering degree
and a master's in public policy from
Tecnológico de Monterrey. Prior to
VivaAerobus, I spent time in the
restaurant/bar industry launching and
running different concepts. I joined
Viva 15 years ago as part of the startup
team. I started on the commercial team
and became chief commercial officer in
2008. I was appointed chief executive
officer in 2010 at 29 years old.
Jetrader: Tell us about the journey in
forming VivaAerobus and the origins
of the family business starting in
domestic Mexican transport.
JCZ: Grupo IAMSA, which is Viva's
majority shareholder and is led by
Roberto Alcantara (our chairman),
partnered with Tony and Declan Ryan
of Irelandia Aviation in 2005 to launch
an ultra-low-cost carrier. The first flight
was in November 2006. We received
support from Conor McCarthy and his
team at PlaneConsult to set up and
launch the airline. McCarthy is still a
minority shareholder of Viva.
Grupo IAMSA is the biggest bus
operator in Mexico with a fleet of more
than 10,000 buses that transport close
10 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
to 300 million passengers a year. They
knew the middle-class consumer would
eventually trade up from the bus to the
air, so they had the vision to invest in
an airline - most importantly, a lowcost
carrier that could offer fares even
lower than the bus. Back then, there
were more than 14 airlines in Mexico.
A massive consolidation has taken
place since then, and the Mexican
aviation market has grown close to
double digits consistently for the last
15 years (with the exception of 2020).
Jetrader: What have been the
key strengths that have driven
VivaAerobus' success in the
competitive local market?
JCZ:
* Lowest cost provider in
the Americas - We have the
lowest cost structure versus
any publicly traded airline in the
Americas, which allows us to offer
very competitive fares.
* Youngest fleet in North
America - Our aircraft are around
4.5 years old and consist of Airbus
A320s and A321s (both ceo and
neo). This allows us to fly over six
sectors a day and 12.5+ block
hours per day across the fleet.
* Strong ancillary revenue focus -
ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2022
