Volaris Marks Decade of Flights to Guadalajara with Festive Celebration at Ontario International Airport

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Ontario International Airport (ONT) was abuzz with more activity than usual on Wednesday evening, April 10, as Volaris, an international airline, celebrated its 10-year anniversary of service between the Southern California hub and Guadalajara, Mexico.

The sounds of music filled the air at the Terminal 2 security checkpoint, where Volaris passengers streamed toward their departing flights bound for Guadalajara International Airport (GDL). At Gate 207, travelers were treated to complimentary birria tacos, lively entertainment, and festive decorations in honor of this significant milestone. A brief ceremony, attended by airport and airline officials, featured Volaris ticket raffles for fortunate passengers before they boarded.

Volaris, headquartered in Mexico City, offers daily roundtrip service between ONT and GDL, with Flight #1860 touching down at Ontario at 10:57 p.m. each evening and Flight #1861 departing two hours later, at 12:58 a.m. The scheduled flight duration is approximately three hours.

In 2023, Volaris served 153,012 clients, representing a 31% growth compared to 2022. The airline operates seven flights per week, averaging 30 monthly operations.

With nearly 60% of its population of Latin origin, this non-stop flight has become a vital link for strengthening familial bonds across the border. The primary clientele for this route are Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR), underlining its significance in connecting loved ones on both sides of the border.

“Volaris has been a valued ONT partner for a decade and we are thrilled to join our dear friends in celebrating their success,” said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority Board of Airport Commissioners.

Added OIAA CEO Atif Elkadi, “Our growing international gateway is an ideal fit for Mexico-based Volaris and we look forward to many more years of successful service for air travelers in the Inland Empire and Guadalajara.”

“We are very excited and pleased about these first 10 years of operations in Ontario, California, we have proudly been the only direct air connection between the communities of this region of the southern United States and Guadalajara, one of the most important touristic and economic destinations in Mexico. The connectivity that Volaris offers with this route has allowed us to transport more than 900,000 clients in these 10 years and has been crucial to strengthening fraternal and commercial ties between both regions, providing high quality air services at the most competitive prices, for the benefit of our customers on both sides of the border,” said Enrique Beltranena, President and CEO of Volaris.

The Inland Empire has ascended to become the twelfth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., surpassing San Francisco, while the Guadalajara metropolitan area ranks as the third largest in Mexico.

Volaris initially introduced a single flight operating twice weekly between ONT and GDL before expanding its service to year-round daily flights in 2018.

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