Viva–Volaris combination would redraw Latin America’s airline fleet rankings

A potential combination between Viva Aerobus and Volaris would materially change the ranking of Latin America’s largest airline groups when measured strictly by fleet size, highlighting the impact consolidation could have on the region’s aviation landscape.

Using current Planespotters data and counting only active aircraft in service—excluding orders or future deliveries—the combined Viva–Volaris fleet would reach 281 aircraft. On that basis alone, the Mexican low-cost group would become the third-largest airline group in Latin America by number of aircraft.

The region’s largest operator by this metric remains LATAM Airlines Group, with 365 aircraft across passenger and cargo operations. LATAM’s fleet is diversified, combining large numbers of Airbus A320-family narrowbodies for short- and medium-haul flying with widebody aircraft—primarily Boeing 787 Dreamliners777-300ER, supporting an extensive long-haul network across the Americas, Europe, and the South Pacific.

Second place is held by the Abra Group, which controls Avianca and GOL, for a combined total of 319 aircraft. Avianca contributes a mixed fleet of Airbus A320-family aircraft and widebodies such as the Boeing 787, while GOL operates an all-Boeing 737 narrowbody fleet. The result is a group that spans short-haul, regional, and long-haul markets.

By contrast, the Viva–Volaris combination would be a pure narrowbody operator. Both airlines fly exclusively aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, including A320ceo, A320neo, and A321neo variants.

This reflects their low-cost business model, focused on high-frequency, short- to medium-haul routes with dense seating and lower unit costs. While the combined fleet would be large in numerical terms, its overall capacity would remain structurally different from that of groups operating widebody aircraft.

Behind the Mexican low-cost pairing would be Brazil’s Azul, with 173 aircraft spanning Embraer E-Jets, ATR turboprops, Airbus A320-family jets, and a limited number of A330 widebodies. Completing the top five is Grupo Aeroméxico, with 167 aircraft, including Boeing 737s for short-haul operations and Boeing 787 Dreamliners for long-haul flying.

A narrow but revealing comparison

This ranking is deliberately based on fleet size alone. Measures such as available seat-kilometers (ASKs), passenger volumes, revenue, network breadth, and the proportion of widebody aircraft can significantly alter how airline groups compare in economic and strategic terms.

A long-haul aircraft can generate far more capacity and revenue than a single-aisle jet, even though both count as one unit in a fleet tally.

Still, the exercise provides a clear snapshot of how a Viva–Volaris union would reposition Mexico within the regional hierarchy. By aircraft count, it would place the country at the center of one of Latin America’s largest airline groups, even if broader performance metrics would continue to favor more diversified operators.

Largest Airline Groups in Latin America by Fleet Size (2025)

Source: Planespotters.net. Active aircraft only; orders excluded.

About the Author

Ricardo Meier

Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.

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