Mexicana de Aviación is coming back. On Monday, during Labor Day celebrations in Mexico, president Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that the brand of the historical carrier –which ceased operations in 2010– is being acquired and will fly again in 2023.
Mexicana is coming back
Yesterday, Mr. López Obrador announced his government is nearing the purchase of the Mexicana de Aviación brand. By acquiring the name and brand of the bankrupt company, the Mexican government will set in motion its plan to establish a military-run commercial airline. Earlier this year, it was reported that the government would pay $37 million for this brand.
The president said the new Mexicana de Aviación would open up this year. In recent weeks, the government approved a law reform that will allow the Mexican army to administrate an airport and an airline at the same time. The military runs the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), from where the new Mexicana de Aviación would fly.
The old Mexicana de Aviación was the oldest Mexican airline, founded in 1921, when it became one of the first Latin American carriers. It ceased operations in August 2010, but the brand remains in the minds of Mexican travelers. The original Mexicana still survives in some way through Mexicana MRO, located at Mexico City International Airport.
Mexicana would use Boeing aircraft?
Mr. López Obrador linked the new Mexicana de Aviación to Boeing. He is said to be in touch with Boeing’s management to acquire planes for the new airline. The Mexican president said,
“The agreement for the acquisition of Mexicana de Aviación, of the brand, is about to be finalized; we are already talking with Boeing, and even though it is not a direct agreement, they are helping us (...) I spoke with the general manager of Boeing to secure the planes that will be used in the Mexicana de Aviación airline, which is going to start operations this year.”
Simple Flying reached Boeing for comment on the government’s plans. Boeing was not immediately available.
What could we expect from the new airline?
Seeing that the airline is set to operate regional routes across the country, it is possible Mexicana would be interested in flying the 737 family, albeit not necessarily new MAX jets.
Nonetheless, that also could prove risky since the new carrier is set to operate routes currently not served by major operators Volaris, Viva Aerobus, and Aeromexico. These routes may not have enough traffic to be performed with 737 jets on a regular basis.
The Mexican president added that Mexicana de Aviación already has permission to operate from the Felipe Ángeles Airport. He hinted that the carrier could even fly to the United States, although that should depend on Mexico regaining Category 1 status with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
As is always the case with State-run airlines, there’s always the possibility that the new Mexicana de Aviación could prove to be an economic failure, unprofitable, and with high costs and low revenue. We have seen plenty of examples globally, including, for example, Aerolíneas Argentinas and Alitalia. A State carrier could also damage the current commercial aviation landscape.
Are you excited to see Mexicana de Aviación back in the air? Would you be interested in flying onboard a commercial military-run airline? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: El Economista, Milenio.
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