Mexican state carrier will acquire 20 aircraft by October, said country's president

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, confirmed on Tuesday that the state-owned airline Mexicana will place an order for 20 aircraft to make up its fleet.

López Obrador, however, did not give details about which manufacturers and planes are being negotiated, but promised that the agreement will take place by October, the month that marks the end of his term.

Mexicana was relaunched in August 2023 after going bankrupt 13 years earlier when it was a private carrier. The country’s government bought the company’s assets to launch it with the promise of cheaper air tickets.

Flights began at the end of December after an impasse regarding the Mexicana fleet. The state airline had to borrow three Boeing 737s from the Mexican Air Force in addition to closing a wet-lease of two Embraer 145s with the company Tár.

The initial plan was to have 10 Boeing 737s, but Mexicana executives were unsuccessful in finding the aircraft in time.

Weeks ago, an influential Mexican journalist revealed that government representatives were in Brazil in talks with the CEO of Embraer, Francisco Gomes Neto. On the agenda is the purchase of ten E175 or E2 regional jets.

According to the columnist for El Heraldo de México, the first planes would be delivered from May 2025.