Aerolitoral
Encyclopedia
Aerolitoral, S.A. de C.V., operating as AeroMéxico Connect, and formerly as Aerolitoral, is the regional airline
of AeroMéxico
operating Embraer
ERJ-145 and ERJ-190 aircraft, with crew bases in Monterrey
, Guadalajara
, and Mexico City
. It is headquartered in Monterrey. It operates feeder services to AeroMéxico's hub airports, using 4 digit flight numbers. It is considered the biggest and most important regional airline in Mexico, offering more than 257 scheduled flights daily to 41 destinations in Mexico and 4 in the United States. Its main bases are the General Mariano Escobedo International Airport
, Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport
, and Mexico City International Airport
, with focus cities at General Ignacio Pesqueira Garcia International Airport
in Hermosillo and General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport
at Tijuana, as well some point-to-point services in a many destinations in Mexico and as well in Los Angeles.
aircraft in 1988 (XA-ROL, XA-ROV, XA-RPU and XA-RRG) and was originally based in Veracruz
. In February 1992, AeroMéxico started another regional feeder airline, Aerovías de Poniente, S.A. de C.V. based in Guadalajara
using Fairchild Metro
s. The fleet was replaced and expanded quite fast between 1991 and 1995 and grew to a total of 29 Fairchild Metro III and Fairchild Metro 23 aircraft between the two feeders.
and in 1992, Aeroponiente started operations from Guadalajara
. The pilot seniority list was merged, and a common paint scheme was adopted using the AeroMéxico logo. Since 1992 Aerolitoral has been the only source of pilots for AeroMéxico with more than 400 pilots transferred until today. In 1993, a small base was opened in Culiacán
and after 3 months was moved to Chihuahua
. By 1995 the commuter airline had 3 bases with 29 airplanes.
The route network expanded all across the north of Mexico and some routes to the United States were operated for a brief period like Harlingen
, McAllen
, Corpus Christi
and Austin
in Texas
. The main US routes operated in this period were San Antonio, Texas
, Tucson, Arizona
, El Paso, Texas
and Phoenix, Arizona
.
In 1996 the two airlines were merged into AeroLitoral S.A de C.V., causing some labor problems to continue during 1997, and a pilot strike in the same year. There was a high demand for a bigger airplane in the route network and the Fairchild Metro 19 seater was not enough. After a long selection, Saab 340
B's were introduced in late 1997. In 1998 new services to the United States were added from Piedras Negras, Coahuila
. and from Chihuahua
to Dallas, Texas
.
In early 1999, AeroLitoral was operating 29 Fairchild Metros and 6 Saab 340Bs. One Fairchild Metro XA-RYY had been converted to freighter and operations to Mexico City were resumed on behalf of Aeromexpress
. In August 1999 a new CEO was appointed and Raúl Sáenz Campos replaced Carlos Treviño Treviño after a long time being at the airline. On December of the same year, the directive board decided to start a fleet renewal process, by replacing the first 3 Fairchild Metro's .
On the third quarter of 2001, services to San Diego via Mexicali
, to Zacatecas
via Puerto Vallarta
, and Monterrey were launched. Nevertheless, these services were discontinued shortly after 9/11 Attacks. On September 6, 2001 there was an accident without any fatalities, it was a Saab 340B's with registration XA-ACK which crash-landed 15 miles southeast of Tijuana
. The airplane suffered fuel starvation
, due to a false indication in the flight deck fuel gauges, caused by a defective element on the system, reflecting more fuel than the aircraft actually had.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
AeroLitoral experienced a drop in air traffic and downsized the fleet in order to survive. Services to San Diego, California
, El Paso
, and Laredo, Texas
were cancelled, San Antonio, Phoenix
and Tucson were reduced, moreover with the growth of Aviacsa
on the domestic market with its Boeing 737-200
fleet invading the most profitable routes from Monterrey
to León
, Ciudad Juárez
, Culiacán
, and Guadalajara
. The small conmmuter experienced severe financial troubles and in 2002 many employees were laid off, among them 50 pilots. In 2002 services to Los Angeles and Ontario, California
were introduced on behalf of AeroMéxico, while services to Phoenix
and Laredo
were cancelled.
In early 2003 with a fleet of 3 Fairchild Metro and 22 Saab 340B's, the load factors were recovering like happened with many other airlines around the globe. That same year, AeroLitoral announced the acquisition of the first 5 Embraer ERJ 145
, with deliveries starting in mid-2004. In December 2003, after operating a peak fleet along 13 years of 28 planes, the biggest fleet outside the US, the last 3 Fairchild Metro were retired. Early next year, the first 3 ERJ-145's arrived from Brazil to Monterrey
and started replacing the Saabs on the routes from Monterrey lasting over 1 hour 50 minutes. The first flights were mainly to Chihuahua
, Guadalajara
and Ciudad Juárez
, and two of the same aircraft were added later that year. In this same year, a wet lease
contract from was signed between Aerocaribe
and AeroLitoral. The agreement stated that AeroLitoral, would provide service in the routes on the South East of the country on behalf of Aerocaribe the contract covered the wet lease of 3 Saab 340B's operating the routes to Mérida
, Tuxla Gutierrez and the shuttle between Cancún
and Cozumel
. The agreement lasted a year and ended in late May 2005.
and Los Mochis
, using ERJ-145 aircraft. During this year 5 more ERJ-145's were introduced to the fleet totaling 10, introducing new routes to Central Mexico and the Southeast of the country.
In 2006, AeroLitoral took over services from Mexico City to Campeche
and Durango
, previously operated by Aeromar
on behalf of AeroMéxico, and resumed operations to Reynosa
, Oaxaca
and other Aeroméxico non revenue city pairs. By the end of 2006, an ERJ crew base in Mexico City was established, 13 more ERJ's were introduced to the fleet, most of them in addition, bringing the number of 23 by the end of the year.
2007: This year AeroLitoral returned to Austin on behalf of AeroMéxico from Mexico City, reopened the hub in Guadalajara
with ERJ's, fleet which grew to 32 frames. In November 2007, Aeroméxico announced that AeroLitoral was going to become AeroMéxico Connect once the E-190's arrived, and so did. The airline changed its corporate name, image, and introduced a new philosophy of complementing AeroMéxico on some domestic and international flights, instead of only feeding the airline's hubs. The first 4 brand new Embraer ERJ 190
arrived in October 2007 and early 2008, and the airline already announced an order for 12 more frames that will start arriving in early 2009. On November, SkyTeam
panited Aeromexico Connect's E-145 in SkyTeam
livery.
The AeroMéxico Connect fleet consists of the following aircraft (at June 2011):
At June 2011, the average age of AeroMéxico Connect's fleet is of 8.7 years.
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
of AeroMéxico
Aeroméxico
Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia...
operating Embraer
Embraer
Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....
ERJ-145 and ERJ-190 aircraft, with crew bases in Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
, Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, and Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. It is headquartered in Monterrey. It operates feeder services to AeroMéxico's hub airports, using 4 digit flight numbers. It is considered the biggest and most important regional airline in Mexico, offering more than 257 scheduled flights daily to 41 destinations in Mexico and 4 in the United States. Its main bases are the General Mariano Escobedo International Airport
General Mariano Escobedo International Airport
General Mariano Escobedo International Airport is an international airport located in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico. Together with Del Norte International Airport, General Mariano Escobedo International Airport handles domestic and international operations for the city of Monterrey and its...
, Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport
Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport
Guadalajara International Airport , also known as Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport . It opened in 1966 and is located 16 km south of the city centre of Guadalajara. In 2010, the airport handled 6,953,900 passengers, representing a 7.8% increase from 2009...
, and Mexico City International Airport
Mexico City International Airport
Benito Juárez International Airport , in Venustiano Carranza, one of the sixteen boroughs into which Mexico's Federal District is divided, is a commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico...
, with focus cities at General Ignacio Pesqueira Garcia International Airport
General Ignacio Pesqueira Garcia International Airport
General Ignacio Pesqueira García International Airport , also known as General Ignacio L. Pesqueira International Airport , is an international airport located in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. The airport is named after Ignacio Pesqueira, a general who helped the Mexican army resist the French during...
in Hermosillo and General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport
General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport
Tijuana International Airport , sometimes referred to as General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, is Mexico's second northernmost airport after Mexicali International Airport...
at Tijuana, as well some point-to-point services in a many destinations in Mexico and as well in Los Angeles.
1988 to early 1990s
The airline was established in 1988 as Servicios Aéreos Litoral, to later become a subsidiary of AeroMéxico on December 1, 1990. It started with a fleet of 4 NAMC YS-11NAMC YS-11
The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner built by a Japanese consortium, the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The program was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1954, the aircraft was rolled out in 1962, and production ceased in 1974.-Development and design:In...
aircraft in 1988 (XA-ROL, XA-ROV, XA-RPU and XA-RRG) and was originally based in Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
. In February 1992, AeroMéxico started another regional feeder airline, Aerovías de Poniente, S.A. de C.V. based in Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
using Fairchild Metro
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
s. The fleet was replaced and expanded quite fast between 1991 and 1995 and grew to a total of 29 Fairchild Metro III and Fairchild Metro 23 aircraft between the two feeders.
Mid-1990s
In 1991, the main base was moved to MonterreyMonterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
and in 1992, Aeroponiente started operations from Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
. The pilot seniority list was merged, and a common paint scheme was adopted using the AeroMéxico logo. Since 1992 Aerolitoral has been the only source of pilots for AeroMéxico with more than 400 pilots transferred until today. In 1993, a small base was opened in Culiacán
Culiacán
Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
and after 3 months was moved to Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
. By 1995 the commuter airline had 3 bases with 29 airplanes.
The route network expanded all across the north of Mexico and some routes to the United States were operated for a brief period like Harlingen
Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than , and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the sixth largest in the Rio Grande Valley...
, McAllen
McAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
, Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
and Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The main US routes operated in this period were San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
and Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
In 1996 the two airlines were merged into AeroLitoral S.A de C.V., causing some labor problems to continue during 1997, and a pilot strike in the same year. There was a high demand for a bigger airplane in the route network and the Fairchild Metro 19 seater was not enough. After a long selection, Saab 340
Saab 340
The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
B's were introduced in late 1997. In 1998 new services to the United States were added from Piedras Negras, Coahuila
Piedras Negras, Coahuila
-Natural Resources:This region generates a large amount of the national production of coal, one of the most economically important non-metallic minerals in the state.-Tourism:Piedras Negras' main tourist attractions are:...
. and from Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
to Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
In early 1999, AeroLitoral was operating 29 Fairchild Metros and 6 Saab 340Bs. One Fairchild Metro XA-RYY had been converted to freighter and operations to Mexico City were resumed on behalf of Aeromexpress
Aeromexpress
Aeromexpress was an all-cargo company based in Mexico City, Mexico. It operated air cargo services transporting general cargo, perishables, printed matter, live animals, works of art, securities and restricted products.- History :...
. In August 1999 a new CEO was appointed and Raúl Sáenz Campos replaced Carlos Treviño Treviño after a long time being at the airline. On December of the same year, the directive board decided to start a fleet renewal process, by replacing the first 3 Fairchild Metro's .
Early 2000s
In the period between the years 2000 and 2002 13 more Saab 340B's were added to replace Metros, with a peak fleet of 22 Saab 340B's.On the third quarter of 2001, services to San Diego via Mexicali
Mexicali
Mexicali is the capital of the State of Baja California, seat of the Municipality of Mexicali, and 2nd largest city in Baja California. The City of Mexicali has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 936,826.The city...
, to Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
via Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
, and Monterrey were launched. Nevertheless, these services were discontinued shortly after 9/11 Attacks. On September 6, 2001 there was an accident without any fatalities, it was a Saab 340B's with registration XA-ACK which crash-landed 15 miles southeast of Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
. The airplane suffered fuel starvation
Fuel Starvation
Fuel starvation and fuel exhaustion are problems that can affect internal combustion engines fuelled by either diesel, kerosene, petroleum or any other combustible liquid or gas. If no fuel is available for an engine to burn, it cannot function...
, due to a false indication in the flight deck fuel gauges, caused by a defective element on the system, reflecting more fuel than the aircraft actually had.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
AeroLitoral experienced a drop in air traffic and downsized the fleet in order to survive. Services to San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
, and Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
were cancelled, San Antonio, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and Tucson were reduced, moreover with the growth of Aviacsa
Aviacsa
Consorcio Aviaxsa, S.A. de C.V., doing business as Aviacsa, is a low-cost airline of Mexico with its headquarters in Hangar 1 of Zone C on the property of Mexico City International Airport in Venustiano Carranza, Mexico City, Mexico...
on the domestic market with its Boeing 737-200
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
fleet invading the most profitable routes from Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
to León
León, Guanajuato
The city of León, formally León de los Aldama is the sixth most populous city in Mexico and the first in the state of Guanajuato. It is also the seat of the municipality of León...
, Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
, Culiacán
Culiacán
Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
, and Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
. The small conmmuter experienced severe financial troubles and in 2002 many employees were laid off, among them 50 pilots. In 2002 services to Los Angeles and Ontario, California
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
were introduced on behalf of AeroMéxico, while services to Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
were cancelled.
In early 2003 with a fleet of 3 Fairchild Metro and 22 Saab 340B's, the load factors were recovering like happened with many other airlines around the globe. That same year, AeroLitoral announced the acquisition of the first 5 Embraer ERJ 145
Embraer ERJ 145 family
The Embraer ERJ 145 family is a series of regional jets produced by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace company. Family members include the ERJ 135 , ERJ 140 , and ERJ 145 , as well as the Legacy business jet and the R-99 family of military aircraft. The ERJ 145 is the largest of the group...
, with deliveries starting in mid-2004. In December 2003, after operating a peak fleet along 13 years of 28 planes, the biggest fleet outside the US, the last 3 Fairchild Metro were retired. Early next year, the first 3 ERJ-145's arrived from Brazil to Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
and started replacing the Saabs on the routes from Monterrey lasting over 1 hour 50 minutes. The first flights were mainly to Chihuahua
Chihuahua, Chihuahua
The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It has a population of about 825,327. The predominant activity is industry, including domestic heavy, light industries, consumer goods production, and to a smaller extent maquiladoras.-History:It has been said that the...
, Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
and Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
, and two of the same aircraft were added later that year. In this same year, a wet lease
Wet lease
Aircraft leases are a number of types of leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons; to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide temporary increase in capacity...
contract from was signed between Aerocaribe
Aerocaribe
Aerocaribe was an airline based in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico. It was a regional affiliate of Mexicana operating services under the Mexicana Inter banner and codeshares with its parent company. It operated almost 120 flights a day...
and AeroLitoral. The agreement stated that AeroLitoral, would provide service in the routes on the South East of the country on behalf of Aerocaribe the contract covered the wet lease of 3 Saab 340B's operating the routes to Mérida
Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is located in the northwest part of the state, about from the Gulf of Mexico coast...
, Tuxla Gutierrez and the shuttle between Cancún
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
and Cozumel
Cozumel
Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the state of Quintana Roo...
. The agreement lasted a year and ended in late May 2005.
Mid 2000s
In 2005 the first scheduled services in and out of Mexico City on behalf of AeroMéxico were introduced to Ciudad ObregónCiudad Obregón
Ciudad Obregon is the second largest city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora and is situated south of the state's northern border with the U.S. state of Arizona. It is also the municipal seat of Cajeme municipality, located in the Yaqui Valley.- History :...
and Los Mochis
Los Mochis
Los Mochis is a coastal city in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the municipal seat of the municipality of Ahome. As of the 2010 census, the population was 256,613, which was 61 percent of the municipality's population....
, using ERJ-145 aircraft. During this year 5 more ERJ-145's were introduced to the fleet totaling 10, introducing new routes to Central Mexico and the Southeast of the country.
In 2006, AeroLitoral took over services from Mexico City to Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
and Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
, previously operated by Aeromar
Aeromar
For the Dominican Republic airline, see Aeromar Líneas Aéreas DominicanasTransportes Aeromar, S.A. de C.V, doing business as Aeromar, is an airline based in Hangar 7 of Zone D of the General Aviation Terminal at Mexico City International Airport in Venustiano Carranza, Mexico City, Mexico. Aeromar...
on behalf of AeroMéxico, and resumed operations to Reynosa
Reynosa
Reynosa is a border city in the northern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from McAllen, Texas in the United States. As of 2010, the city of Reynosa counts with a population of 607,532...
, Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
and other Aeroméxico non revenue city pairs. By the end of 2006, an ERJ crew base in Mexico City was established, 13 more ERJ's were introduced to the fleet, most of them in addition, bringing the number of 23 by the end of the year.
2007: This year AeroLitoral returned to Austin on behalf of AeroMéxico from Mexico City, reopened the hub in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
with ERJ's, fleet which grew to 32 frames. In November 2007, Aeroméxico announced that AeroLitoral was going to become AeroMéxico Connect once the E-190's arrived, and so did. The airline changed its corporate name, image, and introduced a new philosophy of complementing AeroMéxico on some domestic and international flights, instead of only feeding the airline's hubs. The first 4 brand new Embraer ERJ 190
Embraer E-Jets
The Embraer E-Jets are a series of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium-range, jet airliners produced by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft. Announced at the Paris Air Show in 1999, and entering production in 2002, the aircraft series...
arrived in October 2007 and early 2008, and the airline already announced an order for 12 more frames that will start arriving in early 2009. On November, SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
panited Aeromexico Connect's E-145 in SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
livery.
Destinations
AeroMéxico Connect has grown through the past few years on the Mexican domestic market. It has come from being a feeder airline to a key on AeroMéxico's strategy to remain in the industry. As new aircraft have been added since 2004, Aeroméxico has been shifting many of its domestic and short-haul international routes to AeroMéxico Connect. The intended plan of the holding consortium of the two airlines is to keep developing AeroMéxico Connect on those markets where mainline AeroMéxico would not profit, moreover after the addition of the Embraer E-190 that is capable of operating on some longer routes that were formerly served by mainline AeroMéxico with DC-9 or McDonnell Douglas MD-87 aircraft.Fleet
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Routes | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | |||||
| Embraer ERJ-145 | 0 | 50 | 50 | Honduras, Mexico and United States | Leather seats XA-CLI painted in SkyTeam SkyTeam SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands... livery |
||
| Embraer E-190 | 11 | 88 | 99 | Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, United States | Leather seats Equipped with Clase Premier |
||
| Total | 49 | 10 | |||||
At June 2011, the average age of AeroMéxico Connect's fleet is of 8.7 years.
Accidents and incidents
- On 6 September 2001 at 12:35 local time, an Aerolitoral Saab 340Saab 340The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
(registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
XA-ACK) ecountered a failure of its two engine, forcing the pilots to perform an emergency landing on a field in Valle de Las PalmasValle de Las PalmasValle de las Palmas in English Palm Valley is located between two hamlets Espuela and Seco in the municipalities of Tijuana and Tecate, Baja California, Mexico...
. The aircraft had been operating Flight 2130 from Ciudad JuárezCiudad JuárezCiudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
to TijuanaTijuanaTijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
with 29 passengers and three crew members on board, none of which was seriously injured, even though the airplane was damaged beyond repair. - On 21 January 2010 at 12:24 local time, Aeroméxico Connect Flight 2051 from HermosilloHermosilloHermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...
to Tijuana veered off the runway upon landing at General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International AirportGeneral Abelardo L. Rodríguez International AirportTijuana International Airport , sometimes referred to as General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport, in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, is Mexico's second northernmost airport after Mexicali International Airport...
in bad weather conditions which included gusty winds. There were no injuries among the 39 people onboard the Embraer ERJ 145Embraer ERJ 145 familyThe Embraer ERJ 145 family is a series of regional jets produced by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace company. Family members include the ERJ 135 , ERJ 140 , and ERJ 145 , as well as the Legacy business jet and the R-99 family of military aircraft. The ERJ 145 is the largest of the group...
involved (registered XA-WAC), which could be repaired and returned to service.
External links
- AeroMéxico
- AeroMéxico Connect (Archive)
- Aerolitoral (Archive)
- Aerolitoral (Archive)