Volaris

Is Volaris safe?

Yes. Volaris, the Mexican ultra-low-cost airline, has not had a fatal accident or lost an aircraft in 20 years, and its all-Airbus fleet averages 6.6 years. The catch is the run of serious incidents since 2022, which Mexico's accident board is still investigating, and a national regulator that the FAA judged below international standards from 2021 to 2023. We score it 83, above Aeroméxico (78) and Viva Aerobus.

Has Volaris had any accidents?

None with deaths and none that destroyed an aircraft. The Aviation Safety Network's accident database has no Volaris entry at all.

The closest it has come to an accident under ICAO's definition was at Guadalajara on 5 August 2023. An A321neo arriving from Tijuana became unstable on short final with the first officer flying, sank onto the runway and struck its tail. The aircraft was substantially damaged; nobody was hurt. The captain told investigators the instability started too late for him to correct.

In September 2018 an A320 hit severe turbulence at 34,000 feet near Los Mochis. Mexico's transport ministry said 25 passengers and four cabin crew needed medical attention in Tijuana.

Which serious incidents count against it?

Mexico's accident board opened investigations into these Volaris events, rating most of them serious incidents:

• Mexico City, May 2022. An A320neo cleared to land on runway 05L went around from about 100 feet because a Volaris Costa Rica A320neo was lining up on the same runway. Another crew's radio warning prompted the go-around. This one points mainly at air traffic control rather than the Volaris crews.
• Guadalajara, August 2023. The hard landing and tail strikeTail strikeWhen the tail of an aircraft touches the runway during take-off or landing, usually because the nose was raised too far or too early.More in the glossary above.
• Hermosillo, January 2025. An A321neo climbing out got a fire warning on its right Pratt & Whitney engine. The crew declared Mayday, discharged a fire bottle and landed back about 10 minutes after take-off.
• Mexico City Felipe Ángeles, February 2025. An A319 arriving from Tijuana after midnight veered right while slowing through about 50 knots and stopped with all wheels on soft ground. Nobody was hurt.
• Tulum, May 2025. After landing, the crew saw the nose gear pointing the wrong way; investigators found a broken bolt in the nose-gear torque link (the "compass").

A second A321 struck its tail during a go-around at Guadalajara in December 2023, which the board rated an incident, and an A321 that scraped its tail on take-off there in July 2019 was rated a serious incident. Five serious investigations in four years is more than its size alone explains. Few final reports have been published yet, so it is not clear how many trace back to Volaris's own crews and maintenance. That is the main reason its incident score is 66.

What about the 2024 hijack attempt?

On 8 December 2024 a passenger on flight 3041 from León/El Bajío to Tijuana tried to break into the cockpit to divert the A320 to the United States. The crew contained him and diverted to Guadalajara, where the National Guard detained him; all on board were unhurt. Deliberate acts are left out of the accident factor. The episode shows the crew followed its security procedures.

How old is the Volaris fleet?

Young. At the end of 2025 Volaris flew 155 Airbus A320-family jets: 107 A320s, 64 of them neos, and 48 A321s, 38 of them neos. The average age was 6.6 years, against 8.6 years for other Mexican airlines, according to Volaris's annual report citing the AFAC.

The weak point is the engines. Since mid-2023 Pratt & Whitney has required early inspections of GTF engines on A320neo-family aircraft, and Volaris expects each engine it removes to take about a year to come back. It is a schedule problem more than a safety one, although the Hermosillo engine fire was on a GTF.

Who flies under the Volaris name?

Three certificates: Volaris in Mexico, plus Volaris Costa Rica and Volaris El Salvador, all with A320-family jets and shared training. Costa Rica spent 21 months in FAA Category 2FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary before returning to Category 1 in February 2021; El Salvador is Category 1.

In December 2025 Volaris and Viva agreed to form a single holding company. Volaris shareholders approved it in March 2026, and it had not closed by July 2026. Both airlines say they will keep separate operating certificates and brands.

How to fly Volaris safely

Most Volaris flights touch Mexico City, Guadalajara or Tijuana. Mexico City is a high-altitude airport with afternoon thunderstorms from June to September, and turbulence over the Sierra Madre is common, so keep your belt fastened whenever you are seated. Volaris flies a dense single-class cabin: count the rows to your nearest exit, because an A321 carries up to 239 people.

How we scored it

The accident record (94) and a young fleet (90) carry the score. Oversight (74) reflects the FAA's 2021–2023 downgrade of Mexico, partly offset by IOSA registrationIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary. Serious incidents (66) are the weakest factor, and environment scores 70 for the Mexico City and mountain-airport network. Overall 83.