San Antonio International Airport Expands International Air Service, Again
San Antonio International Airport (SAT) shared another new international destination today: Queretaro, Mexico (QRO). Viva Aerobus, Mexico’s ultra-low-cost airline, announced it will begin flying to its fourth Mexican city from SAT on December 1, 2023. It will also increase its popular nonstop service from SAT to Mexico City (MEX) and Leon/Guanajuato (BJX).
“Queretaro is an important destination when it comes to both business and leisure travel,” said Jesus Saenz, Director of Airports, San Antonio Airport System. “There is a high demand for people involved in the aerospace and automotive industries. It’s also a popular destination for many people in our community with friends and family there. Now you can skip the long drive – and find an affordable fare to make the trip down from San Antonio – in just two hours.”
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration returned Mexico’s aviation safety rating to the highest level, Category 1. That cleared the way for Mexico to add new service and routes to the U.S
Viva Aerobus will operate the new route two days a week from SAT to QRO:
- 240 seats on A321 aircraft
- Flights will operate on Mondays and Fridays
- Depart QRO at 2:45 p.m.; Arrive at SAT at 4:55 p.m.
- Depart SAT at 6:05 p.m.; Arrive at QRO at 8:10 p.m.
The increase in service from SAT is as follows:
- From 6x weekly to daily to MEX in December
- From 2x to 3x weekly to BJX in March
Viva Aerobus also offers nonstop service from SAT to Monterrey (MTY).
Juan Carlos Zuazua, CEO of Viva Aerobus, said the new route to QRO not only connects two individual cities but provides San Antonio passengers with connecting flights to discover Mexico. He said it also links them to other key tourist and commercial domestic destinations: Cancun, Los Cabos and Merida.
“We are excited to announce additional growth in the U.S. cities where we already operate as part of our major expansion strategy. We’re ready to meet the flight needs in the largest air market between our two countries. We encourage passengers to take advantage of our increased connectivity, low fares, quality service and modern fleet,” he said. “We strive every day to offer this winning formula.”
Zuazua pointed out some other unique benefits of the airline’s service.
“Thanks to our partner bus companies, we provide the Alamo City passengers up to a 50% discount on bus tickets to discover beautiful towns near Queretaro, such as San Miguel de Allende, Bernal and Tequisquiapan,” he said. “Besides, this route also represents more opportunities for Mexican travelers to go shopping and enjoy the home to Texas’ only UNESCO World Heritage site; serving leisure, Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) and business markets; thus, boosting local tourism and economy.”
Saenz said the growth of air service at SAT, especially to the south, is taking off.
“Our region has strong ties with Mexico and we’re proud to offer more service to Mexico than any other airport in the South Central Texas region,” he said. “We are still enjoying the excitement of recent announcements starting next summer – including American Airlines’ new service to Philadelphia and San Antonio’s first-ever trans-Atlantic nonstops to Frankfurt, Germany, on Condor Airlines. Sharing today’s news about more flights to Mexico just shows how fast things are moving here in the Alamo City.”
Queretaro is SAT’s 43rd nonstop destination and the airport’s seventh international destination (in addition to Guadalajara, Leon/Guanajuato, Mexico City, Monterrey, Cancun and Frankfurt, Germany).
