Mexicana de Aviación
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1921, Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V. (commonly known as Mexicana) was Mexico
's oldest airline
, before ceasing operations on August 28, 2010. The group's closure was announced by the company's recently installed management team a short time after the group filed for Concurso Mercantil (Mexican law equivalent to US Chapter 11) and US Chapter 15
. Their headquarters were in the Mexicana de Aviación Tower
in Colonia del Valle
, Benito Juárez
, Mexico City
.
In addition to domestic services, Mexicana operated flights to various international destinations in North America
, Central America
, the Caribbean
, South America
and Europe
(until August 31). Their primary hub
was Mexico City
's Benito Juarez International Airport, with secondary hubs at Cancún International Airport
, and Guadalajara's
Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport
.
Mexicana's main competitors were Aeroméxico
(although the two companies "codeshared" on several routes), and low-cost carrier
s such as Volaris
and Interjet
. Mexicana was North America's oldest airline and the world's fourth oldest airline operating under the same name, after the Netherlands' KLM, Colombia's Avianca
and Australia's Qantas
.
In 2009, the Mexicana group of airlines (including Mexicana Click and Mexicana Link) carried just over 11 million passengers (6.6 million on domestic routes and 4.5 million on international routes), using a fleet of some 110 aircraft.
Over the three years prior to folding, the Mexicana group had increased their share of what was a burgeoning domestic market, from around 22% at the beginning of 2007 to somewhere between 28% and 30% for most of their final 12 months. This was achieved through downsizing mainline Mexicana operations whilst ramping up activities at Mexicana Click (originally envisaged as a low-cost carrier) and Mexicana Link (its CRJ-operating subsidiary based at Guadalajara).
After first joining Star Alliance
in 2000, Mexicana left the alliance
in 2004 before joining Oneworld
on November 10, 2009. Mexicana entered bankruptcy protection in August 2010 in an attempt to restructure its business operations. On August 27, 2010, Mexicana announced it would suspend operations indefinitely effective noon August 28, 2010. Its subsidiaries Click and Link have since ceased their operations as well.
Formations: 1920s
William Lantie Mallory and George Rihl headed Compañía Mexicana de Aviación ("Mexican Aviation Company" or "Mexican Airline Company"), a competitor to CMTA; they acquired the latter's assets in 1924 and the company that emerged existed until 2010. In 1925 Sherman Fairchild purchased a 20% stake in the Mexican airline, introducing Fairchild FC2
airplanes in 1928. In February 1929, Juan Trippe
of Pan Am
took over the majority of the airline's stock, and the company opened its first international route, with service to the United States. Mexicana used the Ford Trimotor
plane to operate the Mexico City-Tuxpan
-Tampico
-Brownsville, Texas
, USA, route. Charles Lindbergh
piloted the first flight on this route.
The mining engineer William Lantie Mallory Sr. " a great entrepreneur " and that he had been in World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, had the vision to create the first international competitive airline for Mexico.
William Lantie Mallory Sr, wanted his son William Lantie Mallory Jr continue as head of the company and direct blood line his grandson, Paul John Mallory (who had actually been general manager), for the Mallory family owners continue to be provided " Mexicana de Aviacion ".
But the death of William Lantie Mallory Sr, the Company's shares are sold, and his son could not go in front of Mexicana de Aviacion.
, stopping over at Veracruz
, Minatitlán
, Ixtepec and Tapachula
. In addition, new routes were opened to El Salvador
, Costa Rica
and Cuba
, in addition to Nicaragua
and Panama
, made possible by their association with Pan Am via Pan Am's Miami
base (Pan Am had undertaken flights from Mexico City to Miami.) Mexicana became the first foreign airline ever to fly to Los Angeles
, when it began flights on January 3, 1936. The company expanded its fleet during that decade, with the addition of eight Fairchild FC2
s and three Fokker
F.10
s.
. Routes were opened to Monterrey
, Nuevo Laredo
, and Mérida
. Additionally, a night flight to Los Angeles
was established, which added to the company's night-time service to Mérida. Though Mexicana initially used Douglas DC-2
s for these flights, over time they were replaced by larger aircraft, such as the Douglas DC-3
s - known as El Palacio Aéreo (The Air Palace) for their luxury and comfort - and, later, Douglas DC-4
s. The DC-4 allowed Mexicana to offer a non-stop service from Mexico City to Los Angeles. During the decade, Mexicana established a certified pilots' school in Mexico City.
s, and staff training improved with the opening of a flight attendant school. The DC-6s were put to work on the Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta
and Mexico City to Oaxaca routes. Service to San Antonio, Texas
began later in the decade.
Comet
s were bought: one is currently being restored by Seattle's Museum of Flight. The Comets' arrival saw Mexicana join the jet age on July 4, 1960, with its first service from Mexico City to Los Angeles At the time, Mexicana was still a Pan American Airways subsidiary and these Comets were intended to replace Pan American's Boeing 707
s were the type not to fulfill the expectations of Pan American's owner, Juan Trippe
. Despite its use of technologically advanced aircraft types, competition was stiff, and by the late 1960s, the company faced bankruptcy. Amidst the difficulties, the airline received its first Boeing 727
.
The difficult financial situation brought about a change in the airline's administration and on January 15, 1968, Mexican Crescencio Ballesteros, took over as chairman. Manuel Sosa de la Vega was appointed as President and CEO. The new management team implemented a strategic plan that soon saw the airline recover financially.
Despite its economic revival, 1969 was a difficult year for the airline as it lost two Boeing 727
jets. The first loss occurred in bad weather on a flight from Mexico City to Monterrey, with the second occurring on an international flight between Chicago and Mexico City.
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- a route it would maintain for more than 25 years without interruption -, and to Denver, Colorado
. The jet fleet kept expanding and eventually consisted of 19 jets, the largest jet fleet in Latin America
at the time. They also started a flight simulator
service with a 727 simulator at their hub in Mexico City International Airport
. By this time Mexicana had the largest fleet of 727s outside the USA.
During the 1980s, Mexicana's growth was static. However, a few events touched the company. In 1981, three DC-10-15s joined the company's fleet and began making their way through the airline's Caribbean
routes. This was the first "wide-body" aircraft type Mexicana ever operated and was intended for use on high-density routes. In 1982, the Mexican government acquired 58% of the airline, before privatizing it in August 1989. In 1984, construction of the company's new corporate headquarters on Xola Avenue, Mexico City finished - the resulting 30-story building was designed to resemble an air traffic control tower. In March 1986, a Boeing 727
, Mexicana Flight 940
, en route to Puerto Vallarta
caught fire in-flight and crashed in the mountains of western Mexico, killing everyone on board. This is the most recent fatal accident involving a Mexicana aircraft. In 1988, Aeronaves de Mexico (AeroMexico), Mexicana's closest rival, declared bankruptcy. Consequently, Mexicana took over some of AeroMexico's longer flights during the 1990s, including flights to Canada and South America.
s in 1991 and Dutch Fokker F100
s in 1992. In 1993, a reorganized AeroMéxico took over as the company struggled financially. During the mid-1990s, the Mexican economy was hard-hit by the devaluation of the Mexican peso and Mexicana, AeroMéxico, and their regional affiliates were nationalized when their parent company, CINTRA (Corporación Internacional de Transporte Aereo), was taken over by the government. The airlines remained in their merged state until 2005. As happened in 1967, a new management team was hired, this time headed by President and CEO, Fernando Flores. The company was reorganized and rationalized, with a new emphasis placed on international service. Unprofitable routes were cut and the DC-10s were retired. The airline ventured deep into South America by adding flights to Lima
, Peru
, Santiago de Chile, and Buenos Aires
, Argentina and further into North America, adding flights to Montreal
, Quebec. To operate these new and longer routes, the airline leased Boeing 757
s. Another aspect of this reorganization involved the creation of alliance
s. Mexicana was part of regional alliances LatinPass and Alas de America, and they later formed an alliance with United Airlines
. This latter alliance brought Mexicana into the network of global alliances, as it eventually led the airline into the Star Alliance
. Recognizing the usefulness and importance of the Internet, the airline launched a website and eventually included a reservation center. Also around this time, Mexicana adopted a new color scheme, with assorted colors on the tails of their planes.
. In 2003, the airline retired their last Boeing 727 after operating the type for almost 40 years. These aircraft were replaced with newer A320s, A319s and A318s. Once an important Boeing Company operator, Mexicana is now an important Airbus Industrie airline, although it still operates one Boeing aircraft. The airline's long haul operations are conducted by Boeing 767s, introduced in December 2003, although fleet renewal plans may see long haul operations taken over by Airbus types and the Boeing 757s were phased out of the fleet.
2005
2005 was an important year as the airline was sold and several low cost carriers were established in Mexico. Mexicana rebranded its regional subsidiary, AeroCaribe, as "Click Mexicana" and promotes it as a low cost carrier. This is part of the company's plan to remain competitive as the aviation industry changes and competition intensifies. Another component includes increasing international presence. Also, the color scheme was changed again to a dark blue tail and blue lettering on a white background.
, to the Mexican hotel chain Grupo Posadas
for US$
165.5 million. The road to privatization was long and winding. The government reversed its course on several occasions. At times, they proposed to sell Mexicana and AeroMéxico separately; other times, they proposed to sell them together to increase the bid price. They also proposed to sell the companies merged, but separate from their regional affiliates to increase competition. Several companies expressed interest in purchasing one or both of the airlines. For example, Iberia Airlines
of Spain announced plans to buy part of both Mexicana and Aeroméxico
. However Mexicana's owners rejected the offer possibly because another Iberia-owned Latin-American airline, Viasa
of Venezuela, had gone bankrupt under Iberia's ownership. Further, Aerolíneas Argentinas
had previously rejected a similar offer by Iberia.
On July 12, 2006 Mexicana announced that it intends to begin service to several new destinations in the United States: Seattle
, Detroit
, Charlotte
. It intended to return to Puerto Rico
, but the service came back only as a charter operation. It is also negotiating with the state of Arkansas
officials to begin service to Little Rock National Airport
. Mexicana is named "Best Airline in Latin America" in 2006 and "Best business in Central and Latin America".
invited Mexicana to join the alliance and the airline was expected to join the alliance on 11 November 2009, together with its two subsidiaries
MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink
, thus adding 26 destinations to the network. Iberia
was the sponsor of Mexicana's invitation into the Oneworld alliance. Mexicana was to compete with SkyTeam
members Aeroméxico
and Copa Airlines
(which later left SkyTeam, possibly to join Star Alliance
because of Continental Airlines
' move to that alliance) and Star Alliance
potential member TACA
and member TAM
for service between the US and Europe and Latin America. Mexicana was to start new flights to the US, Europe and Brazil to better leverage its position.
In October 2008, Mexicana announced three new destinations, London (Gatwick), São Paulo (Brazil) and Orlando (U.S.). Service commenced December 8 for São Paulo (GRU) and Orlando (MCO), followed by London (LGW) on January 9. With this service expansion, Mexicana became the second Mexican airline with service to Europe and Brazil (Aeromexico has long established service to Paris, Madrid
, Rome and Barcelona
in Europe, and São Paulo in Brazil), and first with service to the United Kingdom. The Orlando route was operated with a medium range Airbus 320, London and São Paulo were operated with 2 leased Boeing 767-200ER
. In addition, Mexicana announced a Mexico City to Madrid route to compete with Aeromexico and compliment its partner's (Iberia) existing service. Mexicana announced that it will begin service to Madrid beginning in Feb/09 through the acquisition of 2 Airbus A330-200
not taken by XL due to bankruptcy. These aircraft types are well suited for medium-density, long-range travel. The company also unveiled the new colorful livery on November 27, along with "Mexicana Click" brand-new name for Click Mexicana.
Also in February 2009, Mexicana applied to the US Department of Transportation to initiate daily, non-stop service between Guadalajara, Jalisco and New York utilizing either an Airbus A319
or the larger Airbus A320
. On the 25 of February Mexicana joined the Airbus MRO network evaluating the Airbus A350
.
Mexicana officially joined the Oneworld
alliance on November 10, 2009. It left Star Alliance
in 2004.
on August 3, 2010 in both the U.S. and Mexico, following labor union disputes; a debt of US$125 million was reported. Subsequently, the airline scaled back its operations, suspending ticket sales and announcing termination of selected routes. In early August 2010, the airline offered pilots and flight attendants a stake in the business in exchange for new labor terms. On August 24, a Mexican consortium called Tenedora K announced that it had bought 95% of Nuevo Grupo Aeronáutico; pilots would hold the other 5%.
After 89 years of service, Mexicana suspended all operations at noon CDT on August 28, 2010. Aeroméxico
offered discounted tickets to passengers stranded by Mexicana's suspension of operations. American Airlines
and American Eagle Airlines
also offered assistance, providing help to passengers between the 48 contiguous U.S. states and Mexico.
The proposal would have seen the airline return with 28 planes, flying 17 international routes to the U.S. and Central America and seven domestic services. Creditors including Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB and Mexican development bank Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior SNC viewed the proposal favorably, as did the government.
The proposal had Government support, with Mexico's government hopeful that the grounding would have been resolved in time for the December travel season, when millions of local and foreign tourists will flock to resorts such as Cancun for holidays. "Our goal must be that Mexicana returns to the skies by the December high season," Labor Minister Javier Lozano said at a press conference.
, VivaAerobus, and its low-cost
competitor, Volaris
. On March 4, PC Capital announced that it was withdrawing from the process leaving Mexicana and the Mexican government without a viable option. Mexicana announced that it will plan to offer only charter flights.
On November 11, the mexican government announced that Iván Barona would invest 400 million dollars in Mexicana Airlines. Iván Barona stated that Mexicana will resume operations in December 2011, with an aggressive business plan in order to regain all the territory lost. The SCT (Communications and transport agency) said that Iván Barona has until wednesday 15th of November morning to cash in the 400 million dollars.
Up to date Iván Barona is the most advance and serious buyer. On November 14, Ivan Barona stated that the financial operations had begun in Mexicana Airlines, and it's expected to complete this process on wednesday 15 of november. In an interview stated that Mexicana will restart its operations on december 15th of 2011 with 9 Airbus 320, and quickly increase its fleet size to 100 airplanes in 18 months. Ivan Barona stated that his plans are to regain everything lost, and to once more turn Mexicana into the flag carrier of Mexico.
Evidence of a possible fraud in Mexicana:
In 2005 Aerocaribe
was renamed Click Mexicana and replaced its fleet of DC-9s with Fokker 100 aircraft. Click was a wholly owned subsdiary of Mexicana de Aviacion.
Mexicana used Click as a low-cost airline to counter low-cost competitors such as Aviacsa, Interjet, A Volar and Volaris. Mexicana employed Click as a domestic feeder line on lower-passenger routes and times, while Mexicana focused on international and longer domestic routes. Mexicana considered adding the A319 to Click's fleet to serve destinations in Central America and the Caribbean. Click had 22 F100 aircraft in an all economy-plus layout. The cabin had grey, leather seats with a 35° pitch and a Click logo on the headrests. In 2008 Mexicana and Click were invited to the Oneworld
alliance at the member and member affiliate level, respectively.
Mexicana rebranded Click Mexicana as MexicanaClick with the announcement of the new corporate livery late-November 2008. MexicanaClick highlighted the Mexicana linkage.
Mexicana said it signed an agreement in March, 2009, with Boeing to lease 25 airplanes for Click. The Boeing 717s were to replace the Fokker F-100 aircraft that Mexicana Click operated. 16 Of the planes were previously used by Midwest Airlines. Terms of the lease weren’t disclosed.
Other
, and Oneworld
partners, Mexicana codeshared with the following airlines:
Mexicana introduced new livery in the second half of 2008. It consists of a "eurowhite" fuselage with the front in marine blue outlining a stylized eagle. The tail features the same eagle in marine blue with a light-blue background. New graphic design is the work of Gabriel Martínez Meave, a renowned Mexican designer who has received several international awards, most recent of them from the Type Directors Club.
are 23 inches across and recline 160°; while seats on the Airbus 320 are 22 inches across and recline approx 100° degrees. The seats are dark blue with small Aztec logos embossed on the seat with a white headrest cover displaying Mexicana's logo in black.
On June 4, 1969, Flight 704 crashed near Salinas Victoria; some 20 miles north of the city of Monterrey. All 79 people on board were killed, including Mexican tennis star Rafael Osuna
. The aircraft was a Boeing 727-64, with tail number XA-SEL, and was approaching Monterrey's airport. It had made a continuous descent in the last 5 minutes before impact. The pilot turned left instead of right once the aircraft passed over the Monterrey VOR, apparently not knowing his exact position at the time.
On September 21, 1969, another Mexicana Boeing 727-64, with tail number XA-SEJ, crashed short of the runway 23L at Mexico City International Airport. Of the 118 people on board, 27 died. The aircraft had been cleared for an ILS approach when it suddenly lost altitude and hit the ground. After becoming airborne once again, the plane crashed into a railway embankment. At the time of the impact, the aircraft was in a normal landing configuration. Since the flight data recorder
had been installed improperly two days before and there was no cockpit voice recorder
, the cause of the crash couldn't be established.
On March 31, 1986, Flight 940
crashed in Las Mesas; near Maravatio, Michoacan. All 167 people on board the Boeing 727-264 were killed, making it the deadliest plane crash in the country's history and the deadliest ever to have involved this type of aircraft. After reaching an altitude of 31,000 feet, a tire in the left main landing gear burst and crippled the plane's controls, causing an in-flight fire and an explosive decompression in the process. It was found that the tire had been filled with air rather than nitrogen, leading to a chemical explosion within the tire itself.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's oldest airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
, before ceasing operations on August 28, 2010. The group's closure was announced by the company's recently installed management team a short time after the group filed for Concurso Mercantil (Mexican law equivalent to US Chapter 11) and US Chapter 15
Chapter 15, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 15, Title 11, United States Code is a section of the United States bankruptcy code that deals with jurisdiction. Under Chapter 15 a representative of a corporate bankruptcy proceeding outside the U.S. can obtain access to the United States courts...
. Their headquarters were in the Mexicana de Aviación Tower
Mexicana de Aviación Tower
Mexicana de Aviación Tower was the worldwide headquarters of Mexicana de Aviación and a landmark located in Colonia del Valle in Benito Juárez, Mexico City, Mexico. The 32-storey building is tall...
in Colonia del Valle
Colonia del Valle
Colonia del Valle is a neighborhood in the Benito Juarez borough of Mexico City. The city includes "...a great number of parks, vast and tree-lined streets, prestigious shopping malls, and some city landmarks..."...
, Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez, D.F.
Benito Juárez is one of the 16 delegaciones into which Mexico's Federal District is divided. It is a largely residential area, located to the south of historic center of Mexico City, although there are pressures for areas to convert to commercial use. It was named after Benito Juárez, president in...
, 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...
.
In addition to domestic services, Mexicana operated flights to various international destinations in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(until August 31). Their primary hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
was 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...
's Benito Juarez International Airport, with secondary hubs at Cancún International Airport
Cancún International Airport
Cancún International Airport is located in Cancún, Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is Mexico's second busiest airport, after Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City, but the biggest in Mexico and Latin America for International passengers...
, and Guadalajara's
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...
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...
.
Mexicana's main competitors were 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...
(although the two companies "codeshared" on several routes), and low-cost carrier
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
s such as Volaris
Volaris
Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A. de C.V., operating as Volaris, is a low-cost airline from Mexico, and the country's second largest airline after Aeroméxico, thus being a leading competitor in the Mexican domestic market, with a market share of around 13-14% of domestic...
and Interjet
Interjet
ABC Aerolíneas, S.A. de C.V., operating as Interjet, is a low-cost airline with its headquarters in Lomas de Chapultepec, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City, Mexico. The airline operates scheduled flights to 24 domestic and 3 international destinations out of Toluca Airport and Mexico City International...
. Mexicana was North America's oldest airline and the world's fourth oldest airline operating under the same name, after the Netherlands' KLM, Colombia's Avianca
Avianca
Avianca S.A. is the flag carrier airline of Colombia since December 5, 1919 when it was initially registered under the name SCADTA. It is headquartered in Bogotá, D.C. with its hub at the El Dorado International Airport...
and Australia's Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
.
In 2009, the Mexicana group of airlines (including Mexicana Click and Mexicana Link) carried just over 11 million passengers (6.6 million on domestic routes and 4.5 million on international routes), using a fleet of some 110 aircraft.
Over the three years prior to folding, the Mexicana group had increased their share of what was a burgeoning domestic market, from around 22% at the beginning of 2007 to somewhere between 28% and 30% for most of their final 12 months. This was achieved through downsizing mainline Mexicana operations whilst ramping up activities at Mexicana Click (originally envisaged as a low-cost carrier) and Mexicana Link (its CRJ-operating subsidiary based at Guadalajara).
After first joining Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
in 2000, Mexicana left the alliance
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
in 2004 before joining Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
on November 10, 2009. Mexicana entered bankruptcy protection in August 2010 in an attempt to restructure its business operations. On August 27, 2010, Mexicana announced it would suspend operations indefinitely effective noon August 28, 2010. Its subsidiaries Click and Link have since ceased their operations as well.
History
William Lantie Mallory and George Rihl headed Compañía Mexicana de Aviación ("Mexican Aviation Company" or "Mexican Airline Company"), a competitor to CMTA; they acquired the latter's assets in 1924 and the company that emerged existed until 2010. In 1925 Sherman Fairchild purchased a 20% stake in the Mexican airline, introducing Fairchild FC2
Fairchild FC-2
The Fairchild FC-1 and its derivatives were a family of light, single engine, high wing utility monoplanes produced in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s...
airplanes in 1928. In February 1929, Juan Trippe
Juan Trippe
Juan Terry Trippe was an American airline entrepreneur and pioneer, and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the world's most prominent airlines of the twentieth century.-Early years:...
of Pan Am
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
took over the majority of the airline's stock, and the company opened its first international route, with service to the United States. Mexicana used the Ford Trimotor
Ford Trimotor
The Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...
plane to operate the Mexico City-Tuxpan
Tuxpan
Tuxpan is both a municipality and city located in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The population of the city was 78,523 and of the municipality was 134,394 inhabitants, according to the INEGI census of 2005, residing in a total area of 1,051.89 km²...
-Tampico
Tampico
Tampico is a city and port in the state of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located in the southeastern part of the state, directly north across the border from Veracruz. Tampico is the third largest city in Tamaulipas, and counts with a population of 309,003. The Metropolitan area of...
-Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
, USA, route. Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
piloted the first flight on this route.
William Lantie Mallory Sr
Pioneer of aviation and shareholder of Mexicana de Aviacion S.A. de C.V.The mining engineer William Lantie Mallory Sr. " a great entrepreneur " and that he had been in World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, had the vision to create the first international competitive airline for Mexico.
William Lantie Mallory Sr, wanted his son William Lantie Mallory Jr continue as head of the company and direct blood line his grandson, Paul John Mallory (who had actually been general manager), for the Mallory family owners continue to be provided " Mexicana de Aviacion ".
But the death of William Lantie Mallory Sr, the Company's shares are sold, and his son could not go in front of Mexicana de Aviacion.
1930s
The 1930s saw route expansion and service improvements. Mexicana opened a route from Brownsville to Guatemala CityGuatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, stopping over at 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...
, Minatitlán
Minatitlán, Veracruz
Minatitlán is a city in southeastern Mexican state of Veracruz in the Olmec region of the state and the north of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.In 2010 the greater metropolitan area had a population of 356,020...
, Ixtepec and Tapachula
Tapachula
Tapachula is a town and with a hot, humid climate in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It is located in southern part of the state on the Soconusco coastal plain, near the border with Guatemala, at 14.91° N 92.27° W...
. In addition, new routes were opened to El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, in addition to Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, made possible by their association with Pan Am via Pan Am's Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
base (Pan Am had undertaken flights from Mexico City to Miami.) Mexicana became the first foreign airline ever to fly to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, when it began flights on January 3, 1936. The company expanded its fleet during that decade, with the addition of eight Fairchild FC2
Fairchild FC-2
The Fairchild FC-1 and its derivatives were a family of light, single engine, high wing utility monoplanes produced in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s...
s and three Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
F.10
Fokker F.10
|-See also:...
s.
1940s
The 1940s were primarily a period of domestic growth, although an international service began linking Mexico City and HavanaHavana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. Routes were opened 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...
, Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo is a city located in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Río Grande, across from the United States city of Laredo, Texas. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo...
, and 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...
. Additionally, a night flight to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
was established, which added to the company's night-time service to Mérida. Though Mexicana initially used Douglas DC-2
Douglas DC-2
The Douglas DC-2 was a 14-seat, twin-engine airliner produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247...
s for these flights, over time they were replaced by larger aircraft, such as the Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
s - known as El Palacio Aéreo (The Air Palace) for their luxury and comfort - and, later, Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
s. The DC-4 allowed Mexicana to offer a non-stop service from Mexico City to Los Angeles. During the decade, Mexicana established a certified pilots' school in Mexico City.
1950s
The 1950s saw the airline's growth slow, though the fleet was modernized with the addition of Douglas DC-6Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
s, and staff training improved with the opening of a flight attendant school. The DC-6s were put to work on the Mexico City to 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 Mexico City to Oaxaca routes. Service to 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,...
began later in the decade.
1960s
In the 1960s, four De HavillandDe Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
Comet
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
s were bought: one is currently being restored by Seattle's Museum of Flight. The Comets' arrival saw Mexicana join the jet age on July 4, 1960, with its first service from Mexico City to Los Angeles At the time, Mexicana was still a Pan American Airways subsidiary and these Comets were intended to replace Pan American's Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
s were the type not to fulfill the expectations of Pan American's owner, Juan Trippe
Juan Trippe
Juan Terry Trippe was an American airline entrepreneur and pioneer, and the founder of Pan American World Airways, one of the world's most prominent airlines of the twentieth century.-Early years:...
. Despite its use of technologically advanced aircraft types, competition was stiff, and by the late 1960s, the company faced bankruptcy. Amidst the difficulties, the airline received its first Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
.
The difficult financial situation brought about a change in the airline's administration and on January 15, 1968, Mexican Crescencio Ballesteros, took over as chairman. Manuel Sosa de la Vega was appointed as President and CEO. The new management team implemented a strategic plan that soon saw the airline recover financially.
Despite its economic revival, 1969 was a difficult year for the airline as it lost two Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
jets. The first loss occurred in bad weather on a flight from Mexico City to Monterrey, with the second occurring on an international flight between Chicago and Mexico City.
1970s
In 1971, Mexicana started flights to Luis Muñoz Marín International AirportLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
- a route it would maintain for more than 25 years without interruption -, and to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The jet fleet kept expanding and eventually consisted of 19 jets, the largest jet fleet in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
at the time. They also started a flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
service with a 727 simulator at their hub in 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...
. By this time Mexicana had the largest fleet of 727s outside the USA.
1980s
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
routes. This was the first "wide-body" aircraft type Mexicana ever operated and was intended for use on high-density routes. In 1982, the Mexican government acquired 58% of the airline, before privatizing it in August 1989. In 1984, construction of the company's new corporate headquarters on Xola Avenue, Mexico City finished - the resulting 30-story building was designed to resemble an air traffic control tower. In March 1986, a Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
, Mexicana Flight 940
Mexicana Flight 940
Flight 940 was operating its scheduled flight route Mexico City-Puerto Vallarta-Mazatlán-Los Angeles operated by Mexicana Airlines ....
, en route to 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...
caught fire in-flight and crashed in the mountains of western Mexico, killing everyone on board. This is the most recent fatal accident involving a Mexicana aircraft. In 1988, Aeronaves de Mexico (AeroMexico), Mexicana's closest rival, declared bankruptcy. Consequently, Mexicana took over some of AeroMexico's longer flights during the 1990s, including flights to Canada and South America.
1990s
The 1990s brought a series of changes. Deregulation of the Mexican airline industry brought new competitors. Seeking to remain competitive, the airline updated their fleet with European-built Airbus A320Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
s in 1991 and Dutch Fokker F100
Fokker F100
The Fokker 100 is a medium size twin-turbofan airliner from the Fokker company. Low operational costs and almost no competition in the 100-seat short-range class made it a best seller when it was introduced in the late 1980s, but decayed due to increasing competition. Production ended in 1997 with...
s in 1992. In 1993, a reorganized AeroMéxico took over as the company struggled financially. During the mid-1990s, the Mexican economy was hard-hit by the devaluation of the Mexican peso and Mexicana, AeroMéxico, and their regional affiliates were nationalized when their parent company, CINTRA (Corporación Internacional de Transporte Aereo), was taken over by the government. The airlines remained in their merged state until 2005. As happened in 1967, a new management team was hired, this time headed by President and CEO, Fernando Flores. The company was reorganized and rationalized, with a new emphasis placed on international service. Unprofitable routes were cut and the DC-10s were retired. The airline ventured deep into South America by adding flights to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Santiago de Chile, and Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina and further into North America, adding flights to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec. To operate these new and longer routes, the airline leased Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
s. Another aspect of this reorganization involved the creation of alliance
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
s. Mexicana was part of regional alliances LatinPass and Alas de America, and they later formed an alliance with United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
. This latter alliance brought Mexicana into the network of global alliances, as it eventually led the airline into the Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
. Recognizing the usefulness and importance of the Internet, the airline launched a website and eventually included a reservation center. Also around this time, Mexicana adopted a new color scheme, with assorted colors on the tails of their planes.
1995—2005
In 1995, Mexicana was merged with AeroMéxico as a part of CINTRA. In 1996, the assorted color scheme was dropped in favor of green tails with white on the majority of the plane and the word "Mexicana" in black letters. In the 2000s Mexicana continued to grow. They celebrated their 80th anniversary in July 2001, just before the terrorist attacks of September 11 sent worldwide aviation into a tailspin. Nevertheless, the airline continued to evolve. It officially joined the Star Alliance in 2000 amid much fanfare, only to exit in March 2004 in response to rapidly changing market conditions related to United Airlines bankruptcy, and the aftershocks of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. CEO Emilio Romano stated in the airline's in-flight magazine VUELO that the airline left the alliance to pursue more effective code-sharing relationships with other airlines. Simultaneously, the airline created an alliance with American Airlines and several Oneworld Alliance partners leading some to speculate whether the airline will join that alliance. Nevertheless, it has maintained ties to some of its former Star Alliance partners, such as LufthansaLufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
. In 2003, the airline retired their last Boeing 727 after operating the type for almost 40 years. These aircraft were replaced with newer A320s, A319s and A318s. Once an important Boeing Company operator, Mexicana is now an important Airbus Industrie airline, although it still operates one Boeing aircraft. The airline's long haul operations are conducted by Boeing 767s, introduced in December 2003, although fleet renewal plans may see long haul operations taken over by Airbus types and the Boeing 757s were phased out of the fleet.
2005
2005 was an important year as the airline was sold and several low cost carriers were established in Mexico. Mexicana rebranded its regional subsidiary, AeroCaribe, as "Click Mexicana" and promotes it as a low cost carrier. This is part of the company's plan to remain competitive as the aviation industry changes and competition intensifies. Another component includes increasing international presence. Also, the color scheme was changed again to a dark blue tail and blue lettering on a white background.
Sale
Despite government announcements indicating that the airlines were going to be privatized, that move did not occur until November 29, 2005, when CINTRA sold Mexicana and its subsidiary, Click MexicanaClick Mexicana
MexicanaClick, formerly Click Mexicana, was Mexicana's regional operator, serving most of Mexicana's domestic routes between more than 25 Mexican cities. It was founded as a low-cost carrier, but changed its market to regional operations after its acquisition by Mexicana...
, to the Mexican hotel chain Grupo Posadas
Grupo Posadas
Grupo Posadas is a Mexican firm owned by Gastón Azcárraga Andrade, a member of the family which controls Televisa. In 2005, Grupo Posadas took control of Mexicana de Aviación, Mexico's second largest airline group...
for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
165.5 million. The road to privatization was long and winding. The government reversed its course on several occasions. At times, they proposed to sell Mexicana and AeroMéxico separately; other times, they proposed to sell them together to increase the bid price. They also proposed to sell the companies merged, but separate from their regional affiliates to increase competition. Several companies expressed interest in purchasing one or both of the airlines. For example, Iberia Airlines
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
of Spain announced plans to buy part of both Mexicana and 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...
. However Mexicana's owners rejected the offer possibly because another Iberia-owned Latin-American airline, Viasa
Viasa
Venezolana Internacional de Aviación Sociedad Anónima , or VIASA for short, was the Venezuelan national airline between 1960 and 1997. It was headquartered in the Torre Viasa in Caracas. Launched in 1960, it was nationalised in 1975 due to financial problems, and re-privatised in 1991, with the...
of Venezuela, had gone bankrupt under Iberia's ownership. Further, Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas , formally Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A., is Argentina's largest airline and serves as the country's flag carrier. Owned in its majority by the Argentine Government, the airline is headquartered in the Torre Bouchard, located in San Nicolás, Buenos Aires...
had previously rejected a similar offer by Iberia.
2006—2007
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. It intended to return to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, but the service came back only as a charter operation. It is also negotiating with the state of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
officials to begin service to Little Rock National Airport
Little Rock National Airport
Little Rock National Airport , officially Little Rock National Airport/Adams Field, is located 2 miles east of the central business district of Little Rock, a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. It is Arkansas' largest commercial service airport, serving more than 2.1 million...
. Mexicana is named "Best Airline in Latin America" in 2006 and "Best business in Central and Latin America".
2008
On 9 April 2008, OneworldOneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
invited Mexicana to join the alliance and the airline was expected to join the alliance on 11 November 2009, together with its two subsidiaries
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink
MexicanaLink
MexicanaLink, a subsidiary of Mexicana, was a regional airline based in Guadalajara International Airport that operated as a feeder airline for both Mexicana and MexicanaClick. It operated into markets that were considered too thin to justify the use of larger aircraft...
, thus adding 26 destinations to the network. Iberia
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
was the sponsor of Mexicana's invitation into the Oneworld alliance. Mexicana was to compete with 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...
members 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...
and Copa Airlines
Copa Airlines
Compañía Panameña de Aviación, S.A., operating as Copa Airlines ', is an airline based in Panama City, Panama, and serves as Panama's flag carrier...
(which later left SkyTeam, possibly to join Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
because of Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
' move to that alliance) and Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
potential member TACA
TACA
TACA may refer to:* TACA Airlines, a group of five Central American airlines* Talk About Curing Autism* Turkish American Cultural Alliance...
and member TAM
TAM
-Finance:* Total addressable market, a financial term used to reference the revenue opportunity available for a product or service- Military :* TAM – Transporte Aéreo Militar , an airline in Bolivia...
for service between the US and Europe and Latin America. Mexicana was to start new flights to the US, Europe and Brazil to better leverage its position.
In October 2008, Mexicana announced three new destinations, London (Gatwick), São Paulo (Brazil) and Orlando (U.S.). Service commenced December 8 for São Paulo (GRU) and Orlando (MCO), followed by London (LGW) on January 9. With this service expansion, Mexicana became the second Mexican airline with service to Europe and Brazil (Aeromexico has long established service to Paris, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Rome and Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
in Europe, and São Paulo in Brazil), and first with service to the United Kingdom. The Orlando route was operated with a medium range Airbus 320, London and São Paulo were operated with 2 leased Boeing 767-200ER
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
. In addition, Mexicana announced a Mexico City to Madrid route to compete with Aeromexico and compliment its partner's (Iberia) existing service. Mexicana announced that it will begin service to Madrid beginning in Feb/09 through the acquisition of 2 Airbus A330-200
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
not taken by XL due to bankruptcy. These aircraft types are well suited for medium-density, long-range travel. The company also unveiled the new colorful livery on November 27, along with "Mexicana Click" brand-new name for Click Mexicana.
2009
On 4 February 2009, Mexicana won a concession to operate a new feeder airline to complement the routes currently covered by Mexicana and Mexicana Click. The new airline was to be called MexicanaLink and operate in low-density routes to feed mainline operations from Guadalajara's airport. The airline flew Boeing 717 aircraft.Also in February 2009, Mexicana applied to the US Department of Transportation to initiate daily, non-stop service between Guadalajara, Jalisco and New York utilizing either an Airbus A319
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
or the larger Airbus A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
. On the 25 of February Mexicana joined the Airbus MRO network evaluating the Airbus A350
Airbus A350
The Airbus A350 is a family of long-range, wide-body jet airliners under development by European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.A consortium originally comprising European aerospace companies from the UK, France, Spain and West Germany, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known...
.
Mexicana officially joined the Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
alliance on November 10, 2009. It left Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
in 2004.
Operations ceased: 2010
Mexicana filed for Commercial concurs (Mexican law equivalent to US Chapter 11) and US Chapter 15Chapter 15, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 15, Title 11, United States Code is a section of the United States bankruptcy code that deals with jurisdiction. Under Chapter 15 a representative of a corporate bankruptcy proceeding outside the U.S. can obtain access to the United States courts...
on August 3, 2010 in both the U.S. and Mexico, following labor union disputes; a debt of US$125 million was reported. Subsequently, the airline scaled back its operations, suspending ticket sales and announcing termination of selected routes. In early August 2010, the airline offered pilots and flight attendants a stake in the business in exchange for new labor terms. On August 24, a Mexican consortium called Tenedora K announced that it had bought 95% of Nuevo Grupo Aeronáutico; pilots would hold the other 5%.
After 89 years of service, Mexicana suspended all operations at noon CDT on August 28, 2010. 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...
offered discounted tickets to passengers stranded by Mexicana's suspension of operations. American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
and American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...
also offered assistance, providing help to passengers between the 48 contiguous U.S. states and Mexico.
2010
In November 2010, PC Capital SAPI, a Mexican private-equity firm, offered unions and other creditors a 1.9 billion peso ($155 million) proposal to rescue the bankrupt airline. The offer included giving unions 975 million pesos in cash and arrangement of a seven-year, 926 million peso loan paying monthly interest to the workers. The unions would have received an equity stake in exchange for the remaining 2.85 billion pesos Mexicana owes them.The proposal would have seen the airline return with 28 planes, flying 17 international routes to the U.S. and Central America and seven domestic services. Creditors including Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB and Mexican development bank Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior SNC viewed the proposal favorably, as did the government.
The proposal had Government support, with Mexico's government hopeful that the grounding would have been resolved in time for the December travel season, when millions of local and foreign tourists will flock to resorts such as Cancun for holidays. "Our goal must be that Mexicana returns to the skies by the December high season," Labor Minister Javier Lozano said at a press conference.
2011
Mexicana still plans to restart services in 2011, likely operating 11 routes with 7 leased aircraft. Many of its domestic destinations are currently taken over by its former partner, AeromarAeromar
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...
, VivaAerobus, and its low-cost
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
competitor, Volaris
Volaris
Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A. de C.V., operating as Volaris, is a low-cost airline from Mexico, and the country's second largest airline after Aeroméxico, thus being a leading competitor in the Mexican domestic market, with a market share of around 13-14% of domestic...
. On March 4, PC Capital announced that it was withdrawing from the process leaving Mexicana and the Mexican government without a viable option. Mexicana announced that it will plan to offer only charter flights.
On November 11, the mexican government announced that Iván Barona would invest 400 million dollars in Mexicana Airlines. Iván Barona stated that Mexicana will resume operations in December 2011, with an aggressive business plan in order to regain all the territory lost. The SCT (Communications and transport agency) said that Iván Barona has until wednesday 15th of November morning to cash in the 400 million dollars.
Up to date Iván Barona is the most advance and serious buyer. On November 14, Ivan Barona stated that the financial operations had begun in Mexicana Airlines, and it's expected to complete this process on wednesday 15 of november. In an interview stated that Mexicana will restart its operations on december 15th of 2011 with 9 Airbus 320, and quickly increase its fleet size to 100 airplanes in 18 months. Ivan Barona stated that his plans are to regain everything lost, and to once more turn Mexicana into the flag carrier of Mexico.
Mexicana Airlines fraud
When Mexicana Airlines announced the flight cuts and possible filling for bankruptcy the Gaston Azcarraga administration said to be the result of the high labor cost (pilots, flight attendants etc.). In a fast move Gaston Azcarraga left the company to a new administration leaving the employees alone with a new administration (Tenedora K). This new entity was unknown and with no resources to restart the company. Until then Gaston Azcarraga administration has been subject to criticisms. Mexicana Airlines was sold to Grupo Posadas for 180 millions of dollars, but Mexicana Airlines was valued at 146,000 millions of dollar by IPAB. Still today is unknown why Mexicana Airlines was sold to Gaston Azcarraga at 18% of it’s real value. Its said all this was a “personal favor” to Gaston Azcarraga in gratitude for its monetary cooperation with President Felipe Calderon presidential campaign. Also is evident that the mexican government did not support the airline in it’s Chapter 11 process (concurso mercantil) as the government did with Cemex and Comercial Mexicana Chapter 11 process.Evidence of a possible fraud in Mexicana:
- The administration of Gaston Azcarraga sold the Mexicana de Aviacion tower undervalued to a parent company of Gaston Azcarraga.
- Gaston Azcarraga created two Mexicana subsidiaries that used all the Mexicana de Aviacion services (catering, reservation, maintenance)
- Grupo Posadas hotels were used for the Mexicana Airlines crew operations but there were offer to Mexicana Airlines at a high price, Mexicana paid an excess on hotels for its crew overnight flights.
- Gaston Azcarraga asked for a loan to IXE and Bancomex of 1000 million dollars, up to date the destination of that money is unknown, its speculated was used for the construction of Grupo Posadas Hotels.
- At the beginning of the bankruptcy the initial plan of the Gaston Azcarraga administration was to cease all the Mexicana Airlines operations but takeover all the routes (including international) with MexicanaLink and MexicanaClick, as if it was all staged with months of anticipation, (this movement was not accomplished because Click and Link were unable to appear as a separate airline from Mexicana to the public and there were no tickets bought in that time)
- When Gaston Azcarraga lost control of the situation the company was sold to Tenedora K in a fast move with no government regulations or inspections.
Subsidiaries
- MexicanaClick
In 2005 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...
was renamed Click Mexicana and replaced its fleet of DC-9s with Fokker 100 aircraft. Click was a wholly owned subsdiary of Mexicana de Aviacion.
Mexicana used Click as a low-cost airline to counter low-cost competitors such as Aviacsa, Interjet, A Volar and Volaris. Mexicana employed Click as a domestic feeder line on lower-passenger routes and times, while Mexicana focused on international and longer domestic routes. Mexicana considered adding the A319 to Click's fleet to serve destinations in Central America and the Caribbean. Click had 22 F100 aircraft in an all economy-plus layout. The cabin had grey, leather seats with a 35° pitch and a Click logo on the headrests. In 2008 Mexicana and Click were invited to the Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
alliance at the member and member affiliate level, respectively.
Mexicana rebranded Click Mexicana as MexicanaClick with the announcement of the new corporate livery late-November 2008. MexicanaClick highlighted the Mexicana linkage.
Mexicana said it signed an agreement in March, 2009, with Boeing to lease 25 airplanes for Click. The Boeing 717s were to replace the Fokker F-100 aircraft that Mexicana Click operated. 16 Of the planes were previously used by Midwest Airlines. Terms of the lease weren’t disclosed.
- MexicanaLinkMexicanaLinkMexicanaLink, a subsidiary of Mexicana, was a regional airline based in Guadalajara International Airport that operated as a feeder airline for both Mexicana and MexicanaClick. It operated into markets that were considered too thin to justify the use of larger aircraft...
Other
- MexicanaLoyalty
- MRO Services
Codeshare agreements
In addition to its subsidiaries, MexicanaClick, MexicanaLinkMexicanaLink
MexicanaLink, a subsidiary of Mexicana, was a regional airline based in Guadalajara International Airport that operated as a feeder airline for both Mexicana and MexicanaClick. It operated into markets that were considered too thin to justify the use of larger aircraft...
, and Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
partners, Mexicana codeshared with the following airlines:
|
Fleet
The Mexicana fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at the time of shut-down):| Type | Total | Orders | Stored | Passengers (Elite/Coach) |
Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A318-111 | 10 | 100 (12/88) | Short / Medium haul Canada, Central America, Mexico, South America and the United States |
||
| Airbus A319-100 | 25 | 9 | 120 (12/108) | Medium haul Canada, Central America, Mexico, South America and the United States |
|
| Airbus A320-200 | 26 | 4 | 150 (12/138) | Medium haul Cuba, Mexico, South America and the United States |
|
| Airbus A330-200 | 2 | 211 (48/163) | Long haul Spain |
||
| Boeing 767-200ER | 2 | 156 (40/116) | Long haul Brazil, United Kingdom |
||
| Boeing 767-300ER | 2 | 169 (42/127) | Long haul Argentina |
Fleet entrance years
- 1921 Lincoln Estándar
- 1927 Curtiss RobinCurtiss Robin|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography*Bowers, Peter M. Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947. London: Putnam, 1979. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.-External links:* * ****...
- 1928 Stearman 75Boeing Stearman|-See also:-Bibliography:* Avis, Jim and Bowman, Martin. Stearman: A Pictorial History. Motorbooks, 1997. ISBN 0-76030-479-3.* Bowers, Peter M. Boeing Aircraft since 1916. London:Putnam, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-804-6....
Fairchild 71Fairchild 71-Bibliography:* Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.* Milberry, Larry. Aviation In Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-07-082778-8....
Fairchild FC-2Fairchild FC-2The Fairchild FC-1 and its derivatives were a family of light, single engine, high wing utility monoplanes produced in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s...
Travel Air 6000Travel Air 6000|-References:NotesBibliography* Auliard, Gilles. "Time Machine." Air Classics, April 2006.* Davies, R.E.G. Airlines of the United States since 1914. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998. ISBN 1-888962-08-9.... - 1929 Ford Trimotor 5-AT-BFord TrimotorThe Ford Trimotor was an American three-engined transport plane that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced...
Fokker F-VII - 1930 Fokker F-10AFokker F.10|-See also:...
- 1934 Lockheed Model 9 Orion
- 1935 Lockheed Electra 10ELockheed Model 10 ElectraThe Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a twin-engine, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2...
- 1937 Douglas DC-2Douglas DC-2The Douglas DC-2 was a 14-seat, twin-engine airliner produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247...
- 1941 Cessna T-50
- 1943 Boeing 247Boeing 247The Boeing Model 247 was an early United States airliner, considered the first such aircraft to fully incorporate advances such as all-metal semi-monocoque construction, a fully cantilevered wing and retractable landing gear...
- 1944 Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
- 1946 Douglas DC-4Douglas DC-4The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
Douglas C-47 - 1950 Douglas DC-6Douglas DC-6The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
Douglas DC-6B - 1956 Fairchild Packet C-82C-82 PacketThe C-82 Packet was a twin-engine, twin-boom cargo aircraft designed and built by Fairchild Aircraft. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy following World War II.-Design and development:...
- 1957 Douglas DC-7Douglas DC-7The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. It was the last major piston engine powered transport made by Douglas, coming just a few years before the advent of jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8.-Design and...
- 1960 De Havilland Comet IV-CDe Havilland CometThe de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
- 1966 Boeing 727-100
- 1970 Boeing 727-200
- 1981 McDonnell Douglas DC-10-15
- 1991 Airbus A320Airbus A320 familyThe Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
- 1992 Fokker 100
- 1993 McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71F
- 1995 Boeing 757-200Boeing 757The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
- 1998 Airbus A319Airbus A320 familyThe Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
- 2004 Boeing 767-300ERBoeing 767The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
- 2005 Airbus A318
- 2008 Boeing 767-200ERBoeing 767The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
- 2008 Airbus A330-200
Livery
Elite Class (former Ejecutiva)
Mexicana offers "Clase Elite", or business class, on all flights. Warm meals are served on all domestic and international flights longer than 40 minutes. Passengers also receive snacks throughout the flight, selection of meals, and refreshments. The seats on the Boeing 767-300ERBoeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
are 23 inches across and recline 160°; while seats on the Airbus 320 are 22 inches across and recline approx 100° degrees. The seats are dark blue with small Aztec logos embossed on the seat with a white headrest cover displaying Mexicana's logo in black.
- Airbus A318/A319/A320
- Seats with adjustable headrests and electrical controls.
- Portable entertainment units with AVOD.
- Airline magazines Vuelo and Elite.
- Complimentary newspapers on flights departing from hubs and focus cities.
- 10 Music channels and complimentary headphones.
- Boeing 767-300
- Recliner seats with adjustable headrests, lowerback support, adjustable footrest, and electrical controls.
- Portable entertainment units with AVOD.
- Exclusive HermèsHermèsHermès International S.A., or simply Hermès is a French high fashion house established in 1837, today specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear...
Clase Elite kit of amenities on flights to Europe and to South America - Airline magazines Vuelo and Elite.
- Complimentary newspapers on flights departing from hubs and focus cities.
- 10 Music channels and complimentary headphones.
- Airbus A330/Boeing 767-200
- Electric bed-seats with 3.5 feet of separation between rows.
- Entertainment units with AVOD.
- Amenity Kit on flights to Europe and to South America.
- Airline magazines Vuelo and Elite.
- Tourist Class with personal TV
- Complimentary newspapers on flights departing from hubs and focus cities.
Economy Class
- Airbus A318/A319/A320
- Airline magazine Vuelo.
- Duty Free catalogue on select international flights.
- Complimentary newspapers on flights departing from hubs and focus cities.
- 10 Music channels and complimentary headphones.
- Visual entertainment provided through overhead-compartment-screens.
- Boeing 767-200/300
- Personal kit of amenities.
- Airline magazine Vuelo.
- Complimentary newspapers on flights departing from hubs and focus cities.
- 10 Music channels and complimentary headphones.
- Visual entertainment provided through overhead-compartment-screens.
- Airbus A330
- Personal kit of amenities.
- Airline magazine Vuelo.
- Complimentary newspapers on flights departing from hubs and focus cities.
- 10 Music channels and complimentary headphones.
- AVOD (Audio & Video On-Demand) displayed through personal screens
Mexicana 'Elite' Lounge
Mexicana has the following lounges in the following airports: Mexicana DestinationsMexicana destinations
This is the list of airports that Mexicana used to fly to before it ceased operations.-North America:*Canada**Calgary – Calgary International Airport**Montreal – Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport**Toronto – Toronto Pearson International Airport...
Accidents and incidents
Up to 2011, Mexicana has been involved in a total of 26 incidents, including 9 fatal.On June 4, 1969, Flight 704 crashed near Salinas Victoria; some 20 miles north of the city of Monterrey. All 79 people on board were killed, including Mexican tennis star Rafael Osuna
Rafael Osuna
Rafael Osuna Herrera is the most successful tennis player in the history of Mexico. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and is best remembered for his singles victory at the U.S. Open Championships in 1963, winning Wimbledon Doubles championships twice, the U.S...
. The aircraft was a Boeing 727-64, with tail number XA-SEL, and was approaching Monterrey's airport. It had made a continuous descent in the last 5 minutes before impact. The pilot turned left instead of right once the aircraft passed over the Monterrey VOR, apparently not knowing his exact position at the time.
On September 21, 1969, another Mexicana Boeing 727-64, with tail number XA-SEJ, crashed short of the runway 23L at Mexico City International Airport. Of the 118 people on board, 27 died. The aircraft had been cleared for an ILS approach when it suddenly lost altitude and hit the ground. After becoming airborne once again, the plane crashed into a railway embankment. At the time of the impact, the aircraft was in a normal landing configuration. Since the flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
had been installed improperly two days before and there was no cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
, the cause of the crash couldn't be established.
On March 31, 1986, Flight 940
Mexicana Flight 940
Flight 940 was operating its scheduled flight route Mexico City-Puerto Vallarta-Mazatlán-Los Angeles operated by Mexicana Airlines ....
crashed in Las Mesas; near Maravatio, Michoacan. All 167 people on board the Boeing 727-264 were killed, making it the deadliest plane crash in the country's history and the deadliest ever to have involved this type of aircraft. After reaching an altitude of 31,000 feet, a tire in the left main landing gear burst and crippled the plane's controls, causing an in-flight fire and an explosive decompression in the process. It was found that the tire had been filled with air rather than nitrogen, leading to a chemical explosion within the tire itself.
See also
- Oneworld allianceOneworldOneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
- Puertorriqueña de AviaciónPuertorriqueña de AviaciónPuertorriqueña de Aviación, previously known as Aerovías Nacionales de Puerto Rico was an airline company that operated during the 1930s...
(established 1941), inspired by Mexicana de Aviación and Cubana de AviaciónCubana de AviaciónCubana de Aviación S.A., commonly known as Cubana, is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline was founded on 8 October 1929, and has its corporate headquarters in Havana. Its main base is at José Martí International Airport...
.
External links
- Grupo Mexicana Informs
- Grupo Mexicana Informs / (Archive)