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
My flight from Cancun to San Francisco via Atlanta, Ga was cancelled for some reason many years ago and all passengers were offered to stay overnight near the airport and catch another direct flight from Cancun to Los Angeles and on to San Francisco in my case. It must have been Mexicana. I remember enjoying seeing part of the volcano near la Ciudad and in general feeling very safe in a Mexican plane flying over my beloved Mexico that had now become far more important to me than my native Sweden ever was.
So, the flight was fine – not a problem as far as I recall. Mexicans are well coordinated and make good drivers. That should hold true for airline pilots as well. I am sure the Mexican aircrafts are as safe and reliable as any of ours and the rest of the world.
Is the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) closer to San Miguel de Allende than Benito Juarez Mexico City airport and is bus transport available?
Another populist proyect, unless the government subsides it will never be low cost, what does the army know about running an airline…
Why shouldn’t the army be able to employ people with that knowledge ?
Mexicana de Aviación was revived by the current administration after being privatized by ex-president fox and gifted it to a mega campaign donor and now fugitive Gaston Azcárraga who mismanaged the airline, ran it to the ground and then filed bankruptcy. He remains a fugitive.