One of the oldest airlines in the world, founded in 1921, Mexicana de Aviación is back. After going bankrupt in 2010, the carrier had its assets acquired by the government of Mexico, which will relaunch it from September, announced President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
The government’s plan is to start selling tickets to 20 national destinations with more “popular” prices. To operate the new network, Mexicana de Aviación will initially have ten Boeing 737-800s leased, said the Secretary of National Defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval González.
The new airline was actually created in June under the name Mexican State Airlines and will use the “Mexicana de Aviación” brand, acquired for 815 million pesos (about US$48 million).
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The amount will be passed on to the 7,407 former employees of Mexicana, who inherited not only the rights to the brand, but also three properties and a flight simulator.
“It is not for profit. Why can you sell the cheapest plane ticket? Well, because you already have this infrastructure, you have the airports,” said Obrador.
Aircraft will be delivered between September and October
According to the government, the new Mexicana de Aviación has already created 209 direct jobs and should reach 745 employees when it starts operations.
Tickets will go on sale in September, when three 737-800s are expected to be delivered. Another three jets will arrive in October and will be based at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport in Mexico City.
The aircraft, which will have 180 seats, will be painted in the colors of the Mexican flag, in green, red and white. The government of Mexico claims that the operating cost of the fleet was 4 billion pesos (about US$235 million).
The goal is for fares to be 18 to 20% cheaper than those charged by airlines in the country. Among the planned destinations are Cancún, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Tijuana.
A left-wing politician, Andrés Manuel Obrador follows the same line supported by presidents Alberto Fernandéz and Gustavo Petro, who have invested in the state-owned Aerolíneas Argentinas and Satena (Colombia).
