VivaAerobus (VB, Monterrey Mariano Escobedo) and VivaColombia (Medellín José Maria Córdova) owners, Irelandia Aviation and Grupo IAMSA, have announced plans to expand the "Viva" airline brand in Central and South America. Backed by the Ryan family of Ryanair (FR, Dublin International) fame, Irelandia Aviation is a Low Cost Carrier (LCC) specialist whose development experience also includes Tigerair (Singapore Changi) and Allegiant Air (G4, Las Vegas Harry Reid) while Grupo IAMSA is a Mexican company specializing in the bus transportation market.
In a statement, the two entities said they are in the process of setting up "Grupo Viva" - a multinational airline holding company based in Panama City, Panama.
"The new company will be responsible for the further development of the Viva airline brand beyond current operations in Mexico and Colombia, maximizing cost synergies and operational efficiencies across the group and centralizing key management functions," the said in a joint communique.
In terms of its leadership, Grupo Viva is chaired by the Chairman of the Board of VivaAerobus and Grupo IAMSA, Roberto Alcántara Rojas, while Irelandia Aviation's Managing Partner, Declan Ryan, will be a principal investor.
Tony Davis, currently Partner and COO of Irelandia Aviation, has been appointed CEO while Joe Mohan, who is joining from his position as Senior VP Commercial at Copa Airlines (CM, Panamá City Tocumen International), has been appointed President and COO.
"We are convinced that there are tremendous opportunities for our ultra-low-cost airline model to expand in the region. With our existing airlines already well-established in Mexico and Colombia, together with our order last year for 52 new Airbus A320 aircraft, this is the right time to establish Grupo Viva," Declan Ryan said.
VivaAerobus currently operates a mixed fleet of B737-300s and A320-200s primarily on domestic services to Mexican Tier I cities and leisure destinations with its sole international service to Houston Intercontinental in the US. VivaColombia operates six A320-200s on flights throughout Colombia as well as to Panama, Peru, and Ecuador. Plans to serve Miami International and Caracas Simón Bolivar are currently in the pipeline.
