Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele proudly announced today that Volaris will begin international flights from MKE to Guadalajara, Mexico in March. With the announcement, Volaris becomes the first Mexican carrier to offer year-round scheduled service from MKE.
"This is a big deal for Mitchell Airport, Milwaukee County, and the entire region. It’s a very involved process to convince an international airline to invest its resources in a new market. I thank Sen. Johnson and Baldwin for their support throughout the process and commend the Airport team for achieving service from Volaris," County Executive Chris Abele said.
"This is great news for the rapidly growing Hispanic populations in Milwaukee and northern Illinois. The Guadalajara nonstop will also benefit the recently-opened Mexican Consulate in Milwaukee."
Volaris is an ultra-low-cost carrier headquartered in Mexico City, and is Mexico’s second-largest airline. Volaris operates the youngest airline fleet in Mexico, and the Milwaukee flights will operate two days per week on Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring 174 leather seats. Passengers can bring one carry-on bag and one checked bag at no charge. Tickets are available for purchase now at volaris.com.
The nonstop flights to Guadalajara begin on March 3 and will operate every Wednesday and Friday, departing MKE at 12:32 a.m. and arriving in Guadalajara at 5:02 a.m. Return flights begin March 2 and will depart Guadalajara every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:53 p.m. and arrive in Milwaukee at 8:55 p.m.
Guadalajara is the capital of Jalisco, Mexico, which is a sister state to Wisconsin. At approximately 4.2 million, the Guadalajara metropolitan area is the second-largest in Mexico.
"The new nonstop to Guadalajara will make travel to Mexico much easier and quicker for travelers from across Wisconsin, including Madison, the Fox Valley, and Green Bay," Airport Director Izzy Bonilla added. "The ability to fly nonstop to Guadalajara will increase trade opportunities with Mexico and provide better options for families to connect with loved ones. We look forward to a long partnership with Volaris at MKE."
Nearly 600,000 people of Hispanic descent reside in Wisconsin or northern Illinois.
Milwaukee was chosen as the host city for the League of United Latin American Citizens 2019 Convention, which will bring approximately 20,000 people to Milwaukee over five days. Milwaukee is also host to the largest three-day Mexican Cultural Celebration in the United States, Mexican Fiesta.
A number of Milwaukee-area corporations have major presences in Mexico, including Johnson Controls, Kohler, Manpower, Quad Graphics and Rockwell Automation.
Mitchell Airport offers nonstop flights to 38 destinations coast-to-coast, and 160 international destinations are available from Milwaukee with just one connection. MKE is also served by Alaska, Air Canada, American, Delta, Frontier, OneJet, Southwest and United. The nonstop cities map can be found at mitchellairport.com.
