UPDATE: 2022/04/09 11:28 EST BY DANIEL MARTÍNEZ GARBUNO

Qatar Airways said it has held discussions with the Mexican government.

A few days after denying it would operate from Mexico City's new international airport, Qatar Airways confirms "it held early informal discussions about flights to Mexico City with the Mexican government and both parties will remain in close contact on the matter."

Earlier this week, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that Qatar Airways would want to fly to the recently inaugurated Felipe Ángeles International Airport (IATA code, NLU). A few days later, Qatar Airways responded. Let’s investigate further.

What did Mexico’s foreign minister say?

On Tuesday, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard discussed the highlights of its recent trip to the Middle East. Among the things he said, Ebrard pointed out that Qatar Airways and Saudi Arabia’s new airline startup were interested in flying to Mexico City’s new international airport, recently inaugurated on March 21.

Marcelo Ebrard said,

“We spoke with Qatar Airways about air connectivity. I talked with the airline’s CEO, and he told me he is interested in flying to the Felipe Ángeles. They would get to the Felipe Ángeles, he just told me. He (Mr. Akbar Al Baker) wants to operate in Mexico because Emirates is already here, and the Saudi government is launching a new airline that is also eyeing Mexico’s Felipe Ángeles.”

If the Mexican government could attract a big international company to the new airport, it would be a massive push for the Felipe Ángeles, which currently has only six domestic routes and one international. Conviasa flies every Monday between Caracas and Mexico City.

Currently, Emirates flies daily between Dubai, Barcelona, and Mexico onboard its Boeing 777-200 fleet.

Viva Aerobus
Mexico City's new Felipe Ángeles International Airport only has six domestic routes and one international. Photo: Daniel Martínez Garbuno | Simple Flying.

Would Qatar Airways really land in Mexico’s new airport?

The announcement by Marcelo Ebrard was quickly discredited by Qatar Airways. On Thursday, Reuters reported that the Middle Eastern carrier is not looking into launching flights.

“We can confirm that Qatar Airways do not have plans to commence operations to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, Mexico City,” said a spokesperson for Qatar Airways.

This is not the first time Qatar Airways has contradicted assertions from the Mexican government.

In June 2021, the Mexican government met with Qatari officials and discussed several topics. Among them were the possible actions to improve the tourism flux between both countries.

The Mexican tourism minister, Miguel Torruco Marqués, pointed out the possibility of establishing a fifth-freedom route between Doha, Milan, and Mexico City, to be operated by Qatar Airways. At the time, Simple Flying reached the Qatar Embassy in Mexico City, which confirmed the plans. Nonetheless, Qatar Airways quickly put to rest the story by saying it was not interested in flying this route.

What do we know about Saudi Arabia’s new airline?

The other interesting bit about Marcelo Ebrard’s comments was the possible interest in Saudi Arabia in launching a flight to Mexico.

He said that the flight would come from Saudi Arabia’s new airline; therefore, it wouldn’t be Saudia.

In July 2021, Saudi Arabia announced its plans to target international transit passenger traffic by launching a new national airline. This carrier would compete directly with the Middle Eastern giants like Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad.

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Establishing a new carrier is part of a government project known as Vision 2030, which the kingdom states will lay the foundations for Saudi Arabia’s future.

This new airline would increase the air routes from Saudi Arabia from 100 to 250. Nonetheless, since the announcement made last year, not a lot of new information (like the name, fleet type, and more) has come to light.

Do you think Qatar Airways will ever open up a commercial route to Mexico? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Reuters.