The historic Mexican Air Force airline, now in the hands of the Army, resumes flights

Mexicana de Aviación, the country’s first commercial airline, resumed flying this Tuesday after its bankruptcy 13 years ago and the bailout of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who ceded control to the Armyamid doubts about its feasibility.

The airline’s first flight, a Boeing 737-800, departed at 8 a.m. local time from the Mexican capital’s Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) to the new Tulum airport, both built by the López Obrador government and operated by the Forces Armed.

“This historic event, the return of the Mexicana after many years without flying, is truly an event, so that this emblematic line of Mexicans, which has to do with our history, flies again,” the president declared in his usual speech . morning press conference.

The government announced last August an initial investment of 4 billion pesos ($235.3 million) for the new company, which would receive three Boeing 737-800s on September 30 and another seven on October 30.

But, after the delay in its departure, the Secretary of National Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, has now rectified that the airline starts with three owned Boeing 737-800s and two leased Embraers, with a promise to lease five more planes in the next future. first two months of 2024 and the next production of Boeing aircraft.

“Today the flight restarts with new generation aircraft, including smaller aircraft, to increase connectivity to airports where larger aircraft cannot operate,” said José Gerardo Vega, general director of the Airport, Rail, Auxiliary and Services Group Cognates of Olmeca-Maya-Mexica, the army company that runs Mexicana.

“Initially, the airline will begin operating from Felipe Ángeles International Airport to 14 destinations in the country located in the states of Baja California, Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nuevo León, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Yucatán”, he detailed.

A million dollar deal

President López Obrador had already expressed in May 2021 his intention to relaunch Mexicana de Aviación, a government-owned airline which was the second oldest in America, after Avianca, but which In August 2010 it entered bankruptcy proceedings.

The government announced on August 10 an agreement with the 7,407 workers of the defunct airline, to which it paid 815 million pesos (nearly 48 million dollars) for the Army to use the trademark.

López Obrador accused former president Vicente Fox (2000-2006) of having privatized the airline to hand it over to entrepreneur Gastón Azcárraga, a fugitive from justice for crimes linked to the company’s bankruptcy.

“It’s the beginning, but the important thing is that this Mexican airline is saved after the acts of corruption and these deliveries of public goods to private individuals,” he said.

Cheapest tickets?

The airline, which will give priority to flights to airports that López Obrador handed over to the Army, promised tickets with an average cost up to 20% lower than the country’s other commercial companies, Aeroméxico, Volaris and VivaAerobus.

“In compliance with the social objective, the airline offers travel at affordable prices, both on single and return flights, with taxes and even with luggage up to 25 kilograms at no additional cost. This represents a further difference for the pockets of our fellow citizens,” commented Sergio Montaño, general director of Mexicana de Aviación.

But the opposition and entrepreneurs have warned unfair competition, financial unsustainability and empowerment of the Armed Forces.

López Obrador’s government, which is now entering its last year, has also entrusted the Olmeca-Maya-Mexica military company with the management of the Maya Train, the Interoceanic Corridor railway, new airports such as AIFA and Tulum, hotels and parks. natural.

“We entrust this new public company to the Ministry of Defense because we need a strong institution of the Mexican State that is responsible for managing all these new public works that are carried out for the development of the country, with the popular budget,” defended the president.

Source: EFE