Aeroméxico canceled approximately 300 flights during the past five days due to coronavirus infections among crew members.
In a report submitted to the consumer protection agency Profeco, the airline said about 9% of 3,100 flights scheduled between those dates were canceled.
At least 140 Aeroméxico pilots and cabin crew members have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days, while 65 were suspended because their employment paperwork was not in order, according to aviation union ASSA. The airline said it conducts some 14,000 tests a week to detect infections.
“The phenomenon caused by omicron has had an impact on the aviation industry at a global level,” Aeroméxico told Profeco.
“… Despite the [high] infection rate [among crew members], Aeroméxico has implemented protocols that have allowed it to only cancel around 300 flights,” it said.
The airline said that all customers affected by the cancellations would be booked on alternate flights.
One Mexico City woman who spoke with Mexico News Daily was rebooked on a flight home from Mérida, Yucatán, on Monday morning after her flight on Saturday was canceled. However, Dr. Silvia Ortiz, a psychiatrist, was advised Sunday that her Monday flight was also canceled, forcing her to buy a ticket with Volaris to reach the capital for work commitments on Monday afternoon.
Flight cancellations have caused chaos at Mexico City airport in recent days. Thousands of people were left stranded after arriving at the airport to find out their flights had been canceled. Some of those affected took to social media to criticize Aeroméxico, whose call centers were overwhelmed.
“Terrible service from @Aeromexico, they don’t tell you anything, they cancel flights, they don’t refund anything,” one Twitter user wrote.
The airline said in a statement Friday that the delay or cancellation of flights was “not a decision we take lightly and it is always the last resort.”
It also advised customers to “remain attentive to the status of their flight through our official channels.”
With reports from El Universal and Infobae
