International traffic at O’Hare International Airport got another lift early Saturday morning, when Volaris launched its first route from Chicago to Central America with direct service to Guatemala City, Guatemala, with continuing service to San Salvador, El Salvador, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) announced today. 

“The expansion of service launched by Volaris today not only bolsters O'Hare's position as a global aviation hub but also strengthens our commitment to providing diverse and convenient travel options for our passengers, particularly price sensitive consumers that need fast, quick connections to family, friends and business opportunities in Guatemala and El Salvador,” said CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee. “I thank Volaris for their commitment to the Chicago market and look forward to providing the airlines’ customers with a world-class experience at our newly revamped Terminal 5.” 

"This new Volaris El Salvador route to Chicago allows us to continue shortening distances and bringing families together, when traveling between El Salvador, Guatemala and the United States. We know that Chicago alone is home to more than 11,000 Salvadorans and 25,000 Guatemalans, for whom, from now on, it will be easier to travel to their country of origin. With this new route, Volaris is getting closer to the places where these families live in Illinois, allowing them to travel at a lower cost and be reunited regularly with their friends and family,” said Ronny Rodriguez, Volaris' Director of Corporate Development. 

The service will take place aboard the 186-seat Airbus A320neo. Flights are available for purchase now at Volaris.com. Passengers traveling on the inaugural flight, which departed for La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City at 12:30 a.m. this morning, were treated to promotional giveaways from both the CDA and Volaris. 

The route is the first non-Mexican destination served by Volaris from Chicago. Chicago now joins Los Angeles as the second U.S. city to have service to Guatemala aboard the low-cost carrier. In addition to the new Guatemala City service, Volaris serves six destinations in Mexico from O’Hare and six destinations in Mexico from Midway International Airport, also owned and operated by the CDA. 

By the holiday season, O’Hare will offer service to Guatemala City aboard three different carriers for the first time — Volaris, United Airlines, and Avianca, which announced earlier this year they will resume the route on Wednesday, Dec. 13. 

In the most recent Census, more than 20,000 Chicagoland residents identified themselves as being of Guatemalan descent, the most of any Central American country. Approximately 7,000 identified themselves as Salvadorian.