A Mexico City-based low-cost carrier has asked federal regulators for permission to fly nonstop between Nashville International Airport and Guadalajara International Airport, a move that would give Middle Tennessee its first direct air link to one of Mexico's largest cities. Volaris is seeking approval for a route it hopes to run three times per week using an Airbus A321, according to a filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The proposal was first reported by Nashville Post, whose reporting on the filing detailed Volaris' desire for a weekly service schedule connecting the two airports, a plan the outlet attributed to the Nashville Business Journal. Volaris, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, would need to clear the federal approval process before it could sell tickets or begin flying the route. Under Title 49 of the U.S. Code § 41301, foreign air carriers must secure a permit or route exemption from the U.S. Department of Transportation before operating scheduled international service, a process that involves interagency review covering customs, safety, and aviation treaties.
A Carrier on the Rise Looks Beyond Its Hub
The filing arrives as Volaris has been aggressively expanding out of Guadalajara, which it has established as its primary hub for U.S.-bound transborder routes. In August, the airline announced new nonstop destinations from Guadalajara to major U.S. markets including Atlanta and Washington Dulles starting in December, as reported by Simple Flying. That same month, Volaris surpassed American Airlines to become the leading carrier in the Mexico-U.S. transborder market, commanding 22% of total transborder seat capacity with more than 2.1 million scheduled one-way seats through late 2026, per Routes Online.
The airline's scale has continued to grow alongside that market position. Volaris carried 3.2 million passengers in August with an 84.4% load factor, operating a fleet of more than 150 Airbus A320-family aircraft across eight countries, according to the carrier's investor materials cited by Stock Titan.
BNA's Infrastructure Already Built for International Growth
Nashville's airport is arguably well positioned to absorb a new international carrier. BNA opened its $445 million International Arrivals Facility in September 2023, featuring six international-capable gates and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection area capable of processing 800 passengers per hour with biometric technology, according to Nashville International Airport. That facility followed the airport's $1.5 billion “BNA Vision” expansion, completed after the airport served a record 21.9 million passengers in fiscal year 2023.
The airport authority is now in the middle of an even larger buildout. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority is executing a $3 billion capital program called “New Horizon,” aimed at accommodating projected passenger volume of 40 million annual travelers by its scheduled completion in 2029. Hoodline previously reported on BNA's core upgrade that is part of that same expansion plan.
Following a Pattern of International Additions
A Volaris route to Guadalajara would join a growing list of international options BNA has added in recent years. Aer Lingus launched a four-times-weekly direct flight between Dublin and Nashville in April 2025, joining British Airways' London Heathrow route and Icelandair's Reykjavik service as the airport's primary transatlantic options. Hoodline covered the airport's expanding European reach in its report on the Nashville-to-Reykjavik direct flights that debuted the year before.
Domestic carriers are also leaning into Latin American and Caribbean leisure demand out of BNA. Southwest Airlines, the airport's largest carrier, announced in July that it will launch seasonal nonstop flights from Nashville to Aruba and St. Thomas starting in March 2027, adding to its existing Mexican resort routes to Cancun and Cabo San Lucas, according to the airport's announcement covered in Hoodline's report on Southwest's new nonstop routes.
The Economic and Demographic Case for a Guadalajara Link
Beyond airport infrastructure, the numbers behind Tennessee's trade and demographic ties to Mexico help explain why Volaris might see an opening in Nashville. Trade between Tennessee and Mexico reached $19.1 billion in 2025, making Mexico the state's second-largest foreign trade partner, with $6.1 billion in Tennessee exports and roughly 99,000 jobs statewide supported by that trade, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration.
Locally, Hispanic or Latino residents make up 14% of Davidson County's population — nearly 100,000 residents — making them one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in the metro area, per U.S. Census Bureau estimates from 2024. Guadalajara itself is Mexico's second-largest city and a major tech, cultural, and industrial hub, factors that could support both business travel and visits to friends and family if the route is approved.
Several details remain unresolved as the filing works through the federal approval process. It is not yet clear when the U.S. Department of Transportation will rule on the request, what fares Volaris might set once the route is loaded into reservation systems, or whether the airline would stick to three flights per week or scale up service based on early demand.
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