WORLD ROUTES: Virgin Atlantic Boosts Capacity to Cancun

UK carrier Virgin Atlantic is increasing flights to Cancun just a few months after launching its inaugural service in June, describing the route launch as one of its most successful ever. According to a statement from the carrier, frequencies will increase from twice weekly to three times a week from April next year.

The airline said it had already carried 17,000 passengers from the UK to Cancun in recent months and expects to carry 75,000 people on the route in the first year. It had taken a reported 40,000 bookings prior to the first flight and says it is recording load factors of over 85 per cent on the route.

“Cancun is performing extremely well for us and in fact, is one of our most successful launches ever. Transatlantic routes have always been at the core of Virgin Atlantic’s business and we are delighted to be able to show our commitment to Mexico and add the extra service,” said Edmond Rose, Director of Commercial and Revenue Planning, Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin’s tour operator arm, Virgin Holidays, is sharing in the success of the route. The company says it has sold over 80 per cent of its target for 2012, and is ahead of schedule for 2013. “We knew Cancun would be a popular route for our customers so this extra flight is fantastic news. There is so much in the destination to appeal to UK holidaymakers and there’s no reason why the demand we’ve seen so far won’t grow even more,” said Amanda Wills, Managing Director, Virgin Holidays.

The table below highlights the massive impact that new direct air services from the UK to Cancun has had on O&D demand. After a stable two years demand rocketed a massive 468.1 per cent during 2011 as a result of the introduction of a direct link by British Airways from London Gatwick (introduced in November 2010) and an enhanced programme from Thomson Airways with year-round flights from Birmingham, London Gatwick and Manchester and seasonal operations to Cancun from Bristol, East Midlands, Glasgow and Newcastle. The latest data for the first six months of this year show an estimated 50.7 per cent growth in O&D deamand on the route to over 86,000 passengers.