Prediction: Mexican air travel to double soon

It’s costing less to fly than to ride a bus, a trend that is predicted to help double airplane travel in as little as three years, predict Mexican tourism officials.

“We can double the number of domestic air passengers if half of these people begin flying,” Lopez Meyer, Mexico’s civil aviation director, said in an interview reported by Bloomberg News.

Interjet, the first low-cost carrier to begin service from Mexico City, is offering fares that are less than premium bus travel.

The Mexican government says about 40 million people annually travel 240 miles or more on buses serving airports.

The Mexico City-based Interjet last month started four routes with prices as little as a quarter of major airlines such as Aeromexico.

Mexico, with 20 million passengers a year, is already Latin America’s second-largest aviation market, trailing only Brazil.

Mr Meyer said two other low-cost carriers are expected to start operations this year.

The government is helping encourage air travel by giving startup carriers temporary subsidies on services such as fuel delivery.

Report by David Wilkening