The Mexican government announced the re-launch of the former state airline Mexicana de Aviacion on Tuesday, revealing their intentions to expand operations by adding 10 more aircraft in the coming year.
New Mexicana’s inaugural flight on the Boeing 737-800 departed today from Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), located north of Mexico City , en route to the sun-kissed shores of Tulum, a popular Caribbean beach resort.
The airline’s military-run holding company currently has three aircraft and is renting two, but aims to add 10 next year with leasing deals, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said. The additional rented planes should arrive in the first few months of 2024, Sandoval added.
New Mexicana airline intends to transport travelers from various Mexican cities to popular vacation destinations such as Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, and Mazatlan. The flight schedule indicates that trips are likely to occur every three to four days, primarily over the weekends.
In the future, Mexicana also has aspirations to provide flights to 16 underserved regional airports that currently lack or have limited air service.
Mexicana will conduct flight operations from AIFA, a military-operated airport inaugurated by Mexico’s President Lopez Obrador in 2022.
The military-operated airline holding company presently possesses three aircraft and is leasing two more, with the objective of acquiring an additional 10 planes next year through leasing agreements, according to Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval. Sandoval further stated that the extra leased aircraft are expected to arrive early in 2024.
Mexico Defense Ministry now also oversees a variety of operations including several airports, hotels, trains, the country’s customs service, and tourist parks through its newly established company.
According to General Sandoval, it is customary for the military to oversee such diverse enterprises in developed nations.
Currently, military-run airlines exist in only a handful of countries including Cuba, Sri Lanka, Argentina, and Colombia.
Revived Mexicana airline is also in talks with Boeing to place an order for new planes that could take about two years to be incorporated into the fleet, Sandoval said, without disclosing how many Mexicana is looking to acquire.
Sandoval added that newly revived Mexicana airline is currently engaged in talks with Boeing to acquire new aircraft. The process of incorporating these planes into Mexicana’s fleet is expected to take approximately two years. However, the specific number of planes that Mexicana is seeking to acquire was not disclosed.
Mexicana filed for bankruptcy in 2010, several years after it was privatized. However, in August, the Mexican government acquired the Mexicana brand for $48 million. President Obrador has made a commitment to resurrect it and provide affordable travel choices for Mexican passengers.