Volaris, the ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States and Central America, has posted total operating revenues of Ps.5,092 million and Ps.18,180 million for the fourth quarter and full year, an increase of 28.7% and 29.5% year over year, respectively.
Non-ticket revenues were Ps.1,163 million and Ps.4,049 million for the fourth quarter and full year, an increase of 42.1% and 48.1% year over year, respectively. Non-ticket revenue per passenger for the fourth quarter and full year was Ps.357 and Ps.338, increasing 14.3% and 21.3% year over year, respectively.
Total operating revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) rose to Ps.134.2 and Ps.129.4 cents for the fourth quarter and full year, an increase of 2.8% and 9.0% year over year, respectively.
Operating expenses per available seat mile (CASM) were Ps.114.8 cents and Ps.111.5 cents for the fourth quarter and full year, a decrease of 1.4% and 4.6% year over year, respectively.
Adjusted EBITDAR was Ps.1,886 million and Ps.6,492 million for the fourth quarter and full year, an increase of 52.2% and 110.7% year over year. Adjusted EBITDAR margin was 37.0% and 35.7% for the fourth quarter and full year, a margin expansion of 5.7 and 13.7 percentage points, respectively.
Operating income was Ps.736 million and Ps.2,510 million for the fourth quarter and full year, with an operating margin of 14.4% and 13.8%, respectively, representing a year over year operating margin improvement of 3.6 and 12.3 percentage points, respectively.
Net income was Ps.654 million (Ps.0.65 per share / US$0.38 per ADS) and Ps.2,464 million (Ps.2.43 per share / US$1.42 per ADS) for the fourth quarter and full year, with a net margin of 12.8% and 13.6%, respectively.
Net increase of cash and cash equivalents was Ps.750 million for the fourth quarter. Unrestricted cash and cash equivalents was Ps.5,157 million, representing 28% of the last twelve month operating revenues.
Volaris´ CEO Enrique Beltranena commented: “We are pleased with the results achieved by the Company during the fourth quarter and the full year 2015. Once again, Volaris demonstrated resilient performance and achieved outstanding operating, commercial and financial indicators, reaping the benefits of a strong passenger air travel environment within its domestic and international VFR markets in Mexico. Our ultra-low-cost carrier business model and flexibility to growing demand has positioned Volaris as a strong player in the aviation industry.”
Unit revenue improvement and demand driven capacity growth: TRASM and yield increased 2.8% and 0.2% for the fourth quarter year over year, respectively. During the fourth quarter, in terms of ASMs, domestic capacity grew 21.3%, while international capacity increased 35.1%, reflecting increasing market demand in both markets.
Non-ticket revenues per passenger increased 14.3% year over year for the fourth quarter, as the Company continued with dynamic pricing strategies and launch of new products, such as a fast pass and rental car on board.
Volaris booked 3.3 million passengers in the fourth quarter, a 24.3% year over year growth. Volaris traffic (measured in terms of revenue passenger miles, or RPMs) increased 24.9% for the same period. Volaris’ passenger market share, the second largest among Mexican carriers and first in the low cost segment, was 25.2% in the fourth quarter in both domestic and international markets.
In the fourth quarter, Volaris continued to experience pressures in US-dollar denominated costs such as aircraft rents, international airport costs, and maintenance expenses due to the depreciation of the Mexican peso. Despite these challenges, the CASM for the fourth quarter was Ps.114.83 cents, a 1.4% decrease compared to the fourth quarter 2014, mainly driven by lower fuel prices.
During the fourth quarter, Volaris incurred capital expenditures of Ps.356 million, which included pre-delivery payments for acquisition of aircraft and rotable spare parts, furniture and equipment for Ps.520 million and intangibles assets for Ps.24 million. These acquisitions were offset by reimbursements of aircraft pre-delivery payments of Ps.137 million, and proceeds from disposals of rotable spare parts, furniture and equipment of Ps.51 million.
Volaris has continued to remain active in its fuel risk management program. Volaris hedged 50% of its fourth quarter fuel consumption at an average strike price of US $2.07 per gallon, which combined with the 50% unhedged consumption, resulted in a blended average economic fuel cost of US$1.52 per gallon for the quarter.