Viva Colombia, founded on September 16, 2009, and commencing operations on May 25, 2012, is a Colombian low-cost airline based in Rionegro, Colombia. It operates as a subsidiary of Irelandia Aviation and ranks as the third-largest airline in the country. The airline has its primary hubs at Alfonso Bonilla Aragon International Airport, Jose Maria Cordova International Airport, and El Dorado International Airport.

History

Viva Colombia is a part of the Irelandia Aviation investment fund, a prominent developer of low-cost airlines. On May 9, 2017, Viva Air Peru, a Peruvian subsidiary, was launched, marking the beginning of the airline's expansion throughout Latin America. In April 2018, Viva Colombia rebranded itself as Viva Air Colombia. As part of its Latin American expansion, Santa Marta was designated as the third operational center in Colombia, commencing operations in October 2018 with routes not covered by other airlines, including Santa Marta, Bucaramanga, Pereira, and San Andres.

Interline agreements with Air Transat

The airline has established an interline agreement with Air Transat, a Canadian airline headquartered in Montreal. Founded in December 1986, Air Transat commenced operations on November 14, 1987, and currently serves 60 destinations in 25 countries.

Viva Aerobus

Viva Aerobus, founded in 2006, is a Mexican low-cost airline wholly owned by Mexico's largest bus company group. It operates from Monterrey International Airport and began operations in November 2006 with a single nonstop service. Offering over 130 routes to more than 40 destinations, Viva Aerobus serves countries including Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States. The airline was co-owned by Ryanair's Irelandia Aviation and the Mexican bus company IAMSA. Ryanair partnered with Alexander Maurice Mason of Kite Investments to establish Ryanmex, facilitating the Irish family's investment in Mexican airlines.

Viva Aerobus aimed to offer fares up to 50 percent lower than traditional Mexican carriers. It started operations with two aircraft and one nonstop service connecting Monterrey to Tijuana in November 2006. In April 2010, the airline expanded its services to Mexico's capital with two flights and began serving Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. In October 2013, Viva Aerobus signed an agreement to order 52 Airbus A320s for $5.1 billion.

Viva Aerobus also operates shuttle bus services from El Paso, Texas, to Abraham Gonzalez International Airport and between Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's South Terminal and Omnibus Mexicanos Bus Terminal.

Fleet (Viva Aerobus)

Initially, Viva Aerobus operated with a fleet consisting of Boeing 737-300 aircraft. As of November 2022, the airline reported having the youngest fleet in Mexico and the second youngest fleet in North America, with an average age of just five years.

Fleet (Viva Air Colombia)

Originally, Viva Air Colombia had the option to operate either Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 aircraft. However, on November 10, 2011, it was announced that the chosen aircraft for 2012 would be the Airbus A320 equipped with CFM 56 high-performance engines to offer improved consumer prices.

Accidents and Incidents

On February 4, 2015, an Airbus A320-200 operating the Bogota-Medellin route with 182 people on board experienced a fire in one of its engines 17 minutes after takeoff. The aircraft made an emergency landing at El Dorado International Airport. Firefighters successfully managed the engine problem upon landing, although it caused panic among passengers.