News

● For the first time Quito, Ecuador is connected directly and non-stop with Cancun, Mexico.

● The route will begin operations on June 16 with 3 flights a week.

● Tickets, already on sale, offer prices starting at USD $89 plus taxes for a single trip.

● Viva Aerobus also offers connections from Cancun to 18 destinations within Mexico.

The Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador; Quito Tourism; the State Government of Quintana Roo, Mexico; Quiport, operator of Quito International Airport; and Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), operator of Cancun International Airport, celebrated the launch of the new Quito-Cancun international route operated by the ultra-low cost Mexican airline, Viva Aerobus. This is a unique service that will currently connect the Ecuadorian capital directly and non-stop with one of the most iconic sun and beach destinations in Mexico.

The Governor of Quintana Roo, Mara Lezama Espinosa, expressed that the growing connectivity offered by Viva in Cancun further strengthens the popularity of these Mexican beaches nationally and internationally. "All of us in Quintana Roo are very excited to receive many more Ecuadorian visitors so that they can discover our endless natural, cultural, historical, gastronomic, and recreational offer," he mentioned.

The route will begin operations on June 16 with three flights a week. Tickets, already on sale, offer prices starting at USD $89 plus taxes for a single trip. Passengers will also have the opportunity to fly in the youngest fleet in Mexico made up of Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft with an average age of only 5.28 years.

“Welcome Long Live Aerobus! We are convinced that this new route marks a before and after in the air connectivity of the Ecuadorian capital. It is one more step that brings us closer to our mission of turning Ecuador into a leading and competitive tourist destination in all of Latin America,” said Niels Olsen, Minister of Tourism of Ecuador.

"We thank Viva Aerobus for building this beneficial bridge for

both countries and cities. We want more Mexicans in Quito so that they have the opportunity to learn about its extraordinary cultural richness and thus exceed our visitor goal set for this year,” said María Cristina Rivadeneira, General Manager of Quito Turismo.

These new flights, with an average duration of 4 hours, will serve an air market with great potential, making more than 58,000 seats available to passengers per year. On the one hand, according to the most recent information from the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico, Ecuador is among the 25 countries that generate the greatest flow of visitors by air to Mexico.

On the other hand, according to what was reported by the Municipality of Quito regarding tourism in 2022, Mexico ranked sixth among the countries that sent more tourists to Ecuador.

In order to meet this need for air connectivity between the two countries, Viva Aerobus will land in Quito with a proven experience of 16 years of operations in Mexico, more than 100 million passengers transported, close to 4,000 collaborators and a service that combines low prices, new planes and point to point flights. As a result of this value proposition, Viva Aerobus has positioned itself as one of the Mexican airlines with the highest growth rate in terms of passengers, with an expanding route network and a comprehensive connectivity offer.

"We love witnessing the growth and commitment of Viva Aerobus in Cancun, a city where more than 25 routes operate, being our natural allies to make this destination even more accessible and that our visitors continue to increase year after year," said Carlos Trueba Coll, Director of Cancun Airport.

"At Quito International Airport, recognized worldwide for its management, service and infrastructure, we are 100% prepared to receive this new Mexican airline that without a doubt, will mark a milestone for the dynamism and passenger traffic in our capital with an unprecedented route”, declared Ramón Miró, President and CEO of Quiport.

Regarding this unique service that Viva Aerobus will provide, the airline also highlights that this new route not only connects two cities, but it also makes available to Ecuadorian passengers a wide range of flights that connect Cancun with 18 destinations within Mexico.

“We are full of enthusiasm to arrive in this beautiful country and to be able to serve its passengers with customer-focused service, a modern fleet and low prices so that people can get the most out of their trips, while favoring the local economic benefit. Thank you very much to the Ecuadorian authorities who have given us a warm welcome and to Quintana Roo for always opening the doors for us to continue growing in one of Mexico's flagship sun and beach destinations," said Juan Carlos Zuazua, General Director of Viva Aerobus. "With Viva Aerobus, Ecuador and Mexico couldn't be closer," he said.

Passengers can purchase their tickets on the official Viva airline website: https: //www.vivaaerobus.com/mx, at VivaTiendas (Mexico), on the Viva App or by calling the Call Center (LADA toll-free) 0181 82 150 150.

MINISO is a Chinese brand with more than 3,000 stores around the world and is recognized for offering a variety of accessories, electronics, cosmetics, stuffed animals, beauty and health, stationery, home decorations, toys, kitchen line, gifts, luggage in the brands Marvel, WeBear Bears, the Pink Panther.

During the inaugural event, Ramón Miró, president and CEO of Corporación Quiport, stated: "It is a great joy to see that our airport has not only recovered, but that it is once again on the path of growth and the opening of the MINISO is a sample of this”. Also, he added: “We are convinced that MINISO has arrived to add to our permanent objective of delivering the best experience to our passengers and users. For our part, we offer them our full support, as their success will be part of the success of everyone at the Quito airport”.

For his part, Pablo José Acosta, executive president of MINISO, thanked Quiport and all those involved in the opening of the commercial store. "Today we are inaugurating this store that will surely generate a great experience for all passengers," he mentioned.

With the opening of MINISO, the Quito airport makes 32 stores of products and services available to users and passengers, both nationally and internationally.

Until before 2013, Quito had a poor and even dangerous airport service, with no opportunities for growth and little room for improvement. Today it has one of the best airport infrastructures in the region, the only one in Latin America with 5 stars for service quality from Skytrax and recipient of more than 50 awards and recognitions.

As this February 20, 2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the start of operations of the Mariscal Sucre International Airport, the numbers testify to the success in the operation of the airport, both in terms of connectivity options, passengers transported and cargo handling.

With a runway of 4,098 meters in length, Mariscal Sucre is currently the only one that has Category II precision approaches in Ecuador. Category II approaches allow aircraft to land safely in low visibility conditions. These advances benefit passengers and airlines, avoiding delays, diversions or cancellations due to fog.

Connectivity and mobility in clear development

Between February 20, 2013 and February 19, 2023, 44.6 million passengers have passed through the capital's airport in national and international departures and arrivals, using nearly 460,000 flights. Today, from the Quito airport, 15 airlines connect the city with 14 direct international destinations and 8 national destinations, being the best connected in the country and ratifying its status as the gateway to Ecuador.

In these ten years, Quiport, the company that manages and operates the Mariscal Sucre airport, has maintained its permanent commitment to seek how and where to improve, being sensitive to the needs and expectations of the passenger because it is committed to the tourist and economic development of Quito. and the Equator. "That is why we have developed expansions of the passenger terminal and improvements such as the renovation and remodeling of the International VIP Lounge, the remodeling of the public halls, improvements in signage and a permanent attention to detail such as cleanliness and customer service. airport staff, operators and airlines to guarantee a pleasant experience”, explains Ramón Miró, president and CEO of Quiport. Since the opening of the airport, Quiport and its strategic partners have invested about US$200 million in new infrastructure (cargo logistics center, Wyndham Quito Airport Hotel, Quito Airport Center), expansions, and improvements.

Ramón Miró adds: “Maintaining the great performance of the Mariscal Sucre Airport in the highest service standards for our passengers is a task in which all the companies and institutions that operate at the airport are involved. We continue to be at the forefront among airports in the region, which encourages us to continue working with the same passion. In this sense, I must also thank our shareholders Odinsa (Colombia), CCR (Brazil) and HAS Development Corporation (United States) for their support”.

Thanks to this vision, the Quito airport has received more than 50 awards and certifications in all areas of management, highlighting the 5-star service rating granted by Skytrax (the only one in Latin America and the Caribbean and one of 17 airports at scale world), the designation as Best Regional Airport in South America for 7 consecutive years at the Skytrax World Airport Awards and Best Airport in Latin America and the Caribbean in the category of 5 to 15 million passengers in 2021 and the accreditation of Customer Experience Level 4, both delivered by Airports Council International (ACI 

High performance in air cargo operations.

Cargo has become one of the main strengths of the Quito airport. In the 10 years of operation, close to 2.3 million metric tons of cargo has been mobilized, of which more than 97.5% corresponds to international cargo. Ramón Miró points out: “We are the main cargo airport in Ecuador and we are already among the airports in Latin America and the Caribbean with the highest cargo handling volume. In this area, the joint work that we have developed with the national and local government authorities, and with the private sector is also key in an area in which we have a broad horizon of growth”.

When the airport opened in February 2013, air cargo reached 170,328 tons at the end of the year and in 2022 it registered 290,677 tons. Ecuador's main export product by air corresponds to flowers, which represent 92% of all cargo volume exported by the airport.

For Ramón Miró, one of the key elements to adequately respond to the increase in cargo volume is the efficient logistics chain of the Mariscal Sucre airport. “The Quito airport is the only one in the country and one of the few in the region to have a cargo logistics center within the airport premises. In the logistics center, important processes are developed, such as the centralized consolidation of export cargo, on the one hand, and customs clearance and temporary warehouse services for imports," the official details.

The other components of the logistics chain are an international cargo terminal that has 12,000 square meters of useful area, in which four cargo palletizing companies operate, and the cargo platform that can accommodate up to six large-capacity cargo aircraft. simultaneously (four E code and two F code).

Mr. Miró considers that: “The prospects for future growth are excellent. The Ecuadorian flower is gaining market in the world, there are already other products such as fruits that are increasing export volumes and even production from northern Peru arrives at the Quito airport to be exported”.

Sustainability characterizes airport management.

Quiport began working with the communities in 2006, which is the date on which the construction of the airport in Tababela began, and the first stage consisted of gathering information and an approach to understand the reality of the communities and their needs. more pressing.

The area that includes Tababela, Pifo, Puembo, Checa, El Quinche and Yaruquí, which are the parishes that surround our operation, based its economy on agricultural activity, but, being far from the city of Quito as a political, administrative and economic center , suffered from historical isolation.

The presence of the airport, first as a work and then already in activity, changed the community dynamics. Our focus on Social Responsibility first, and then sustainability, led us to design programs based on axes such as:

• education and training,

• generation of employment opportunities, and

• entrepreneurship through shared value programs.

In education and training, there is a school scholarship program aimed at supporting children and adolescents with limited economic resources or in vulnerable situations so that they can finish their basic education.

In addition, there are training programs focused on strengthening the skills of people of working age so that they can more easily apply for a job. Among the main ones are customer service training, waiter training, housekeeper training, management of programs such as Office, basic and advanced Excel, industrial safety, conceptual gastronomy (correctly handle the terminology used in gastronomy), basic English and intermediate.

In job opportunities, we work hand in hand with the entire airport community, that is, with commercial operators, airlines and all organizations that provide services at the airport. The project consists of a labor database that is fed with the resumes of people from the community who are looking for employment, and to which the commercial operators of the airport have access.

The result has been very important. 40% of a total of 7,500 people who work today in the more than 100 companies and institutions that operate at the airport come from the communities, which shows the importance of the airport as a generator of employment.

Since 2015, Quiport has participated in the Airport Carbon Footprint Accreditation (ACA) program promoted by the world Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Civil Aviation Organization. As a result of this participation, the company has passed the four initial phases of the program until reaching neutrality.

The challenge is to find new mechanisms to further reduce our carbon footprint, and to encourage and support our commercial operators and airlines to do so as well. The level of environmental awareness is very high and that allows us to make constant progress.

In the first measurement carried out in 2015 with the 2014 emissions data, 5,534 tons of CO2 were recorded. In the last measurement made in 2022 with the 2021 emissions data, the record reached 1,939 tons of CO2, evidencing a reduction of 64.96%.

The work carried out regarding the environment has led Quiport to obtain the Sustainable Quito Environmental Distinction delivered by the Municipality of Quito, three times.

At the end of this brief journey through ten years of history, Ramón Miró sees the future with optimism. “What we have done so far only commits us more for the future. We have an obligation to the city and to the country and we will continue to develop this airport to maintain the leadership position we have today”, he concludes.

• 4.3 million passengers were transported through the Mariscal Sucre airport in 2022.

• Currently, the capital is the best connected city in the country with 14 direct international and 8 national destinations.

Passenger traffic at Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport registered a healthy recovery in 2022, reaching 4.3 million passengers transported in domestic and international flights, in arrivals and departures. Thus, compared to the traffic of 2019 -before the covid-19 pandemic, which was more than 5 million passengers, the recovery is 86.4%.

This is encouraging news, as it shows the good management carried out by Corporación Quiport at the head of the capital's airport management, and the success of working together with national and municipal authorities, which have allowed the incorporation of new routes and frequencies to the air transport offer at the Quito airport.

Currently, 15 passenger airlines connect Quito directly with 14 international destinations and 8 destinations within Ecuador, making the city the best connected city in the country by air.

By 2023, it is expected to reach the passenger traffic of 2019 and, from there, resume the path of growth. Ramón Miró, president and CEO of Corporación Quiport, the company responsible for the management and development of the Mariscal Sucre International Airport, assures that: “In 2023 we will have important news for the city's connectivity. The pandemic hit air transport very hard, but it forced a rethinking of the sector and opened up very important opportunities that we are currently exploring and concretizing”.

As far as cargo is concerned, the figures for 2022 are even more encouraging. Between January and December, 290,677 metric tons of cargo were transported, setting an absolute record for the Mariscal Sucre airport. Of this volume, 239,109 metric tons correspond to export cargo, also a record in this area.

When comparing the cargo figures of 2022 with those of 2019, we show that there has been a growth of 19.4% in the total cargo transported, while in export cargo the growth is 17.9%.

“Cargo has become one of our main strengths and we are already among the airports in Latin America and the Caribbean with the highest cargo handling volume. In this area, the joint work that we develop with the national and local government authorities, and with the private sector is also key in an area in which we have a broad growth horizon”, concluded Mr. Miró.