Deputy Defense Minister General Leonardo Ávila Bojorquez has reported that the military-operated Mexicana de Aviación airline has successfully completed 220 flights in the 14 days since its inauguration on Dec. 26.
The average number of daily flights was 16, and Ávila estimates Mexicana will operate 448 flights in the month of January.
To give some context, Volaris had an average of 477 daily flights in November 2023, and Aeroméxico operated 548 per day during the same period.
Speaking at President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s morning press conference on Tuesday, Ávila said that Mexicana had transported 7,829 passengers since it was inaugurated.
Tulum was the most popular destination for Mexicana passengers during the first two weeks of service, followed by Tijuana and Mérida.
The airline is based out of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in Mexico City and the new Tulum International Airport.
Ávila reported that flights to Tulum have received the most bookings so far with 2,676 through June. The second most-popuar destination is Mazatlán with 1,673 reservations, followed by Mérida with 1,493.
“User response has been satisfactory, reflected in the 14,162 reservations made on the official mexicana.gob.mx website, through June of this year,” he said, adding that “82% of passengers surveyed who have flown with Mexicana would recommend traveling with the airline.”
But for one traveler, the experience with Mexicana was less than smooth: YouTuber Jorge de León reported that he was the only passenger on a recent Mexicana flight to Tamaulipas, after being given what appeared to be a handwritten boarding card.
His return flight was canceled, though a later replacement flight saw around a dozen passengers travel from Ciudad Victoria to Mexico City.
The airline has promised to offer tickets at lower rates than competitors and launched several promotions to encourage sales last week.
Once the country’s flagship airline, the government acquired the Mexicana brand of the defunct company in August last year.
With reports from El Economista, Milenio and Reporte Indigo
