First flight of the new Mexicana de Aviación takes off
Mexicana de Aviación resumed flight on Tuesday after its bankruptcy 13 years ago and the rescue of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who handed over control of the company to the Army.
The airline’s first flight, operated by a Boeing 737-800, departed at 8:00 local time from Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) in the Mexican capital to the new Tulum Airport, both built by the Lopez Obrador government and managed by the Armed Forces.
“This historic event, the return of Mexicana after many years of not flying, is really an event, so that this airline that is an emblem of Mexicans, which has to do with our history, will fly again,” said the president in his morning conference.
The government had announced last August an initial investment of 4 billion pesos (US$235.3 million) for the new company, which was to take delivery of three Boeing 737-800 aircraft on September 30 and another seven on October 30.
However, after its start-up was delayed, the Secretary of National Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, has now rectified that the airline will begin with three Boeing 737-800s of its own and two leased Embraer aircraft, with the promise of leasing five more planes in the first two months of 2024 and the next Boeing aircraft production.
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“Today we are restarting flights with new generation aircraft, including smaller aircraft to increase connectivity to airports where larger aircraft cannot operate,” said José Gerardo Vega, general director of Grupo Aeroportuario, Ferroviario, de Servicios Auxiliares y Conexos Olmeca-Maya-Mexica, the Army company that operates Mexicana.
“Initially, the airline will start operations from Felipe Angeles International Airport to 14 destinations in the country located in the states of Baja California, Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nuevo Leon, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Yucatan,” he said.
On August 10, the government announced an agreement with the 7,407 workers of the defunct airline, to whom it paid 815 million pesos (almost 48 million dollars) for the Army to use the brand.
López Obrador accused former President Vicente Fox (2000-2006) of privatizing the airline to hand it over to businessman Gastón Azcárraga, who is a fugitive from justice for crimes linked to the company’s bankruptcy.
“It is the beginning, but the important thing is that this Mexican airline is being rescued after acts of corruption and the handing over of public assets to private individuals,” he said.
The airline, which will prioritize flights to airports that Lopez Obrador has handed over to the Army, has promised tickets at an average cost up to 20% lower than the country’s other commercial airlines, Aeromexico, Volaris and VivaAerobus.
“In keeping with its social objective, the airline offers travel at affordable prices, whether on single or round-trip flights, with taxes and even with baggage weighing up to 25 kilograms at no additional cost. This makes an additional difference to the pockets of our fellow citizens,” commented Sergio Montaño, CEO of Mexicana de Aviación.
With information from EFE
Plataforma Informativa de Aviación Comercial con 13 años de trayectoria.