Mexico reactivates state airline Mexicana de Aviación, plans to expand fleet in 2024

The state airline Mexicana de Aviación relaunched its operations on Tuesday with a fleet of five planes and plans to increase its activity with 10 additional planes next year, the Government of Mexico said. Mexico.

During the president’s daily press conference Andrés Manuel López Obradora video was broadcast showing a Boeing 737-800 of the company taking off from Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), north of Ciudad de Mexicobound for the coastal town Tulum.

The airline, managed by the Ministry of Defense, currently has three owned and two leased aircraft, but intends to Add 10 next year through leasing agreements, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said.

The leased planes will arrive in the first months of next year, “as soon as they are ready”he added.

The airline is also in talks with Boeing to place an order for new aircraft that could take about two years to join the fleet, Sandoval said, without specifying how many aircraft the company is looking to acquire.

The new takeoff of the company marks another step by López Obrador in the transfer of functions traditionally run by civilians, such as airports, railways, natural parks and hotels, to the military.

“We need a strong institution of the Mexican state to be in charge of managing all these new public works that are being done for the development of the country with the people’s budget,” said López Obrador.

Mexican from Aviation will operate flights from AIFA, which is also run by the military and opened last year.

Mexicana de Aviación entered bankruptcy in 2010, years after being privatized, and López Obrador had promised to revive it to offer low-cost options to travelers, so in August the Government announced the purchase of the former company’s brand. state for US$ 48 million.

A company controlled by the Ministry of Defense took over four local airports last month, adding to the seven it already owned.

(Photo: Reuters)