- FAA action pertains only to AFAC, and this is not an assessment of Mexican carriers
- Volaris’ safety profile remains unchanged and is in line with best industry standards from both safety and security standpoints
- Volaris’ codeshare partner Frontier will remove its code from flights operated by Volaris
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. (Volaris) – an ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States of America and Central America, informs that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration of the United States of America (FAA) has today determined that the safety oversight applied by Mexican Federal Civil Aviation Authority (AFAC) does not fully adhere to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards and has downgraded the country’s safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2. Under the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, the FAA audits peer aviation authorities to determine whether their oversight programs comply with ICAO annexes.
The FAA action pertains only to AFAC, and this is not an assessment of Mexican carriers. Volaris‘ safety profile remains unchanged and we believe it is in line with best industry standards from both safety and security standpoints. Volaris is committed to the safety of our passengers.
Current Volaris services will remain in place. However, during the period in which AFAC addresses the FAA findings, new services and routes cannot be added, and Volaris will be unable to add new aircraft to its FAA operations specifications. However, Volaris’ fleet may continue to grow, as the FAA action does not limit Volaris from incorporating any additional aircraft into its Mexican Air Operators Certificate, nor does it preclude Volaris from deploying such aircraft to Mexican and Central American markets.
Additionally, our codeshare partner Frontier will remove its code from flights operated by Volaris, although customers will still have the option to purchase flights from Volaris and Frontier through the companies’ websites.
Volaris understands that AFAC has been working closely with the FAA to remedy any technical or regulatory issues. Volaris will support the efforts of both regulatory authorities with the objective of restoring Mexico’s safety rating to Category 1.