Aeromexico

Aeroméxico (abbreviated name of Aeronaves de México) (IATA: AM, ICAO: AMX, BMV: AEROMEX), is the flag carrier of Mexico founded in the year 1934, with its base at the International Airport of Mexico City. It has a fleet of 105 aircraft with 17 new orders, and is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange.

The airline operates direct flights to/from Mexico, the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania; additionally, it offers codeshare flights with the companies associated with the Skyteam alliance of which it is a founding member together with Delta Air Lines, Air France and Korean Air. It has its corporate headquarters in the Mapfre Tower on Paseo de la Reforma in Colonia Cuauhtémoc from Mexico City.

History

Stinson SR-5A Reliant de Aeronaves de México exhibited at the Military Aviation Museum in Saint Lucia, Mexico.

An Aeromexico Bellanca Airplane used for the Acapulco-Mexico route in 1935.

Douglas DC-8-51 of Mexican Aircraft at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 1971.

Douglas DC-9-32 of Aeromexico at Miami International Airport in 1975.

Boeing 757-200 Aeromexico at Mexico City International Airport.

Boeing 767 Aeromexico at Los Cabos Airport.

It was founded by Antonio Díaz Lombardo as Aeronaves de México. The first plane was a Stinson SR, manned by pilot Julio Zínser, who piloted the inaugural flight on the Mexico City-Acapulco route on September 14, 1934.

The shortage of airplanes, spare parts, and engines caused by World War II forced Díaz Lombardo to look for a partner in the aeronautical field, so on April 30, 1941, Aeronaves de México (as it was known in those years and until 1988) sold 25% of its shares to Pan American World Airways.

In 1955 the company had offices in 21 cities across the country and two in the United States. Its fleet consisted of 15 aircraft (12 were DC-3, two DC-4 and one C-47 freighter) and four Convair 340-51 would soon be added, with the registrations XA-KIN, XA-KIL, XA-KIM and the XA-KOU.

In 1957, permits were obtained to fly the Mexico City-New York and Acapulco-Los Angeles routes. In the same year, Mexican shareholders recovered the shares held by Panamerican World Airways. Two years later, the federal government acquired by decree all the shares and assets of Aeronaves de México. In 1964, Aeronaves de México had 2,980 employees, offered service to 32 national destinations as well as cities in the United States, Europe, Canada, and South America; Acapulco, its first route, had nine frequencies a day and on August 14 of this year it inaugurated its first non-stop flight between Mexico City and Tijuana with DC-6 equipment.

It is at the end of the sixties that its first regional subsidiary, Aeronaves Alimentadoras, is created. In March 1971, two DC-8-63CF were rented with the license plates N4865T and N4866T. In February 1972 the company changed its trade name to Aeroméxico. On October 19, 1973, Aeroméxico received authorization to purchase two DC-10-30s. On April 17, 1974, its first DC-10-30 arrived with the registration XA-DUG and the name "Mexico City". 3. 4; the second would arrive the following month with the registration XA-DUH and with the name "Castillo de Chapultepec", on June 30, 1981 Aeroméxico received its first DC-10-15 "Anahuac" with the license plate N10038, the second would arrive that same year on November 12 with the name "Independencia" and the license plate N1003N. In December 1983 another DC-10-30 (N3878P) would arrive and in September 1989 one more with the registration XA-AMR.

In 1982, the economic crisis raised the debt in dollars of the aeronautical sector and made operations in that currency difficult. International passengers decreased 27% and national passengers 7%.

In the summer of 1987, the Bogotá-Mexico City flight extended to Tijuana (AM480) with the DC8-62

On April 15, 1988, a strike broke out at Aeroméxico that led to the bankruptcy of the company and the suspension of operations. Aerovías de México, S.A. was born on October 1, 1988. de C.V., keeping only the commercial name of Aeroméxico and the emblem of the Eagle Knight. The airline started its operation with 25 planes and a workforce of around 3,500 employees. The company's priorities were to consolidate the business and achieve standards of punctuality, reliability, care in baggage handling and service, to win over the public's preference.

In mid-1995, after a $75 million fraud by CEO Gerardo de Prevoisin Legorreta, Aeroméxico became part of the International Air Transport Corporation (CINTRA) together with Mexicana de Aviación.

In 1996, it began codeshare with Delta Air Lines and Air France, and in 2000 became a founding member of SkyTeam.

In 2003 the renewal of the fleet began with the acquisition of Boeing 737-700 aircraft equipped with winglets, the first (XA-AAM) arrived in October 2003 and began its flights on November 1 on the route Mexico City - Cancun (AM579).

In 2006, Aeroméxico, continuing with the renewal of the fleet and in order to cover routes over longer distances, bought Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. One of these is the route that began on November 16, 2006: Mexico-Tijuana-Tokio, being the first Mexican airline to fly to the Asian continent after the defunct TAESA, which operated flights to this continent in 1995.

Aeroméxico went through a parastatal divestment process. The Mexican government (its previous owner) put 90% of the shares of Consorcio Aeroméxico up for sale. After the long process in which the following competed: Grupo Saba, Grupo Posadas (Mexicana de Aviación) and a group of businessmen led by Grupo Financiero Banamex, Aeroméxico was transferred to the private initiative on October 17, 2007, leaving as the new owner a group of several Mexican businessmen led by Grupo Financiero Banamex, which paid $249.1 million dollars. Grupo Financiero Banamex is a subsidiary of the Citigroup group.

2000

Between 2000 and 2005, Aeroméxico had an average fleet of 60 aircraft in mainline operation, plus 20 at Aerolitoral, as well as five CEOs during this time. On June 22, 2000, the airline, along with Air France, Delta and Korean Air, founded the global airline alliance SkyTeam. After 9/11 and the Iraq War, a fleet renewal program followed. In 2003, the airline purchased its first Boeing 737-700 instead of the Boeing 717 as a replacement for its aging DC-9 aircraft. On March 29, 2006, the general director of Aeroméxico, Andrés Conesa, announced the inauguration of direct flights between Japan and Mexico City via Tijuana. This was after the purchase of two Boeing 777-200ERs, making Aeroméxico the third Latin American airline to fly regularly to Asia, after Varig and the extinct VASP. Since the disappearance of Varig, Aeroméxico is currently the only airline with this service. Aeroméxico resumed its Mexico City-Tijuana-Shanghai route twice a week as of March 30, 2010. The suspension of this flight was due to the 2009-2010 Influenza A (H1N1) Pandemic.

On June 29, 2006, the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) and Aeroméxico announced that the airline would operate three Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Aeroméxico deliveries were scheduled to begin in early 2012. Since 2006, Consorcio Aeroméxico SA de CV, Aeroméxico's parent company at the time, was facing large debts and had no profit to pay them off, so it offered Aeroméxico for sale in 2007 In early October, a week-long auction was held in which Grupo Financiero Banamex, a unit of Citigroup, competed against the Saba family. On October 17, 2007, Banamex offered the highest offer and bought the airline for US$249.1 million. In October 2010, Aeroméxico's largest competitor, Mexicana de Aviación, filed for bankruptcy and was placed into administration.

2010

Delta/Aeromexico Alliance

In 2011, Delta Air Lines and Aeroméxico signed an enhanced business alliance, based on an original 1994 agreement. The 2011 agreement provided for codeshare on all of the airlines' US-Mexico flights; Delta invests US$65 million in Aeroméxico shares; and Delta winning a seat on the Aeroméxico board of directors.

On August 1, 2011, 11 days after Interjet made the first flight with lignocellulosic biomass on a domestic route in the Americas (and fourth worldwide), Aeroméxico made the first such transcontinental flight, with the route Mexico City-Madrid.

On June 4, 2012, the US airline Delta Air Lines acquired 4.17% of the capital stock of Aeroméxico, for a price of 65 million dollars. This financial operation is part of the global agreement signed in 2011 between both companies, which allows for the creation of a unique alliance in Latin America.

Currently, both airlines handle 93 codeshare destinations, which represents a total of 733 daily flights in 8 countries. They also work on more and better flight schedules based on the travel needs of customers in destinations such as New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Miami.

On July 25, 2012, Andrés Conesa, then CEO of the company, announced the purchase of 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner wide-cabin aircraft, making this company the first Mexican airline to have equipment of this last line. At the beginning of July 2012, it was reported that the company was analyzing the Airbus A320 and A350 models, but finally decided on the aircraft from the Seattle manufacturer. The new order is added to the package of 20 aircraft that the company had announced in 2011 and to another nine Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners already planned. The delivery of the Dreamliners will begin in the summer of 2013. The amount of the investment is 11 billion dollars, since it includes the acquisition of 90 Boeing 737-8 MAX and Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft, which will be delivered from of 2018.

In 2013, it launched the Aeroméxico Contigo product with 737-800 aircraft painted with said name, without Clase Premier (first class) to serve markets mainly between California and Chicago, and Guadalajara.

Dreamliners

On July 25, 2012, the CEO of Aeroméxico, Andrés Conesa, announced the purchase of six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The new order was added to the package of 20 aircraft that the company had announced in 2011 and nine Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners already delivered. Delivery of the Dreamliners began in the summer of 2013. The total investment is USD 11 billion and includes the acquisition of 90 Boeing 737 MAX 8s that began delivery from 2018. The airline took delivery of its first Boeing 787 -8 Dreamliner (sourced from the ILFC order book) in early August 2013 and officially launched commercial service on October 1, 2013. Between 2013 and 2015, the remaining eight (seven leased and two owned) were delivered. by Aeroméxico directly).

In September 2016, Aeroméxico took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This particular frame, registered XA-ADL, is named and painted in a unique commemoration of Quetzalcoatl, an important figure in the Aztec culture of pre-Hispanic Mexico, as the result of a "Design in the Air" competition.; organized by the airline that invites students at select universities in Mexico to present a potential design to paint on the fuselage.

Brand Fees

In February 2018, Aeroméxico introduced a brand new fare structure that included a new base fare that did not include a checked baggage allowance or allow for seat assignments, upgrades, or changes.

2020

Bankruptcy

The COVID-19 pandemic deeply affected the global aviation industry, including Aeroméxico. Aeroméxico's shares fell during the first half of 2020 and bankruptcy rumors appeared, however, on June 19, the company denied these rumors. On June 30, Aeroméxico voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Law of the United States. However, daily operations will continue as the company begins a financial review. Passengers should still be able to fly on their existing tickets, and employees will continue to be paid as usual, according to management.

On July 1, 2021, shareholder Delta Air Lines announced that it would purchase $185 million of the Mexican airline's Chapter 11 debt.

Destinations

A Boeing 787-9 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, with Quetzalcóatl's painting

Aeroméxico and Aeroméxico Connect fly to 43 destinations in Mexico, 20 in the United States of America, 18 in the rest of Latin America, 5 in Europe, 4 in Canada and 3 in Asia.

Destinations Dreamliner
City	Airport	Aeronave	Comments	Flight
Amsterdam	Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport	787-8	AM25	MEX-AMS
Barcelona	Airport Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat	787-9	Suspended	MEX-BCN
Buenos Aires	International Airport Minister Pistarini	787-8	AM28 and AM30	MEX-EZE
Cancun	Cancun International Airport	787-9	-	MEX-CUN
Guadalajara	International Airport of Guadalajara	787-9	AM36	GDL-MAD
London	London-Heathrow Airport	787-8	AM7	MEX-LHR
Los Angeles	Los Angeles International Airport	787-8	AM644	MEX-LAX
Madrid	Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport	787-9	AM1, AM21 and AM27	MEX-MAD
Monterrey	Monterrey International Airport	787-9	AM34	MTY-MAD
New York	John F. Kennedy International Airport	787-8	AM408	MEX-JFK
Paris	Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport	787-9	AM3 and AM5	MEX-CDG
Rome	Rome-Fiumicino Airport	787-8	Rest on 25 March 2023	MEX-FCO
Santiago de Chile	Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport	787-8	AM10	MEX-SCL
São Paulo	São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport	787-9	AM14 and AM16	MEX-GRU
Seoul	Incheon International Airport	787-8	Suspended	MEX-ICN
Tijuana	Tijuana International Airport	787-8	-	MEX-TIJ
Tokyo	Narita International Airport	787-8	Rest on 25 March 2023	MEX-NRT

Partnerships

The Aeromexico headquarters until October 2017. It is now in the MAPFRE Tower

Aeromexico Office in Paris.

Aeroméxico has a cross-border strategic alliance with Delta Air Lines, which owns a significant minority of Aeroméxico's shares and has a goal of reaching 49%. Profits, costs and knowledge are shared in the cross-border market United States-Republic of Mexico.

Aeroméxico was co-founder of the SkyTeam alliance, which in 2021 consists of 19 airlines in the world.

Aeromexico has codeshare flights with these airlines:

Shared codes with Skyteam member airlines	Shared codes with non-member Skyteam airlines
Aeroflot	Alaska Airlines
Airlines Argentinas	Avianca
Air Europa	Copa Airlines
Air France	Japan Airlines
Czech Airlines	Virgin Atlantic
Delta Air Lines	The Al
Garuda Indonesia	GOL
KLM	WestJet
Korean Air	LATAM

Fleet

Current fleet

As of February 2023, the average age of Aeroméxico's fleet is 6.9 years. The services between Tokyo-Narita and Mexico City are the longest commercial flights departing from that Japanese airport. Currently the MEX-NRT route is flown with Boeing 787-8.

The Aeroméxico Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has a new aircraft configuration compared to the Aeroméxico Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, the difference is that the 787-9 has 36 premier seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, unlike the 787-8 which has 32 premier seats and a 2-2-2 configuration. The 787-9 has on board a premier space in which there is a bar with drinks, food and snacks. It has 27 Am Plus seats and 211 economy seats, unlike the 787-8 which has 27 Am Plus seats and 184 economy seats.

Aeroméxico's fleet is made up of the following aircraft:

Aeromexico Fleet

Type of aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passenger capacity				Routes	Comments
			C	W	And	Total
Boeing 737-700	5	-	12	18	94	124	Towards: North America and national flights	Only one plane is operational.
Boeing 737-800	36	-	16	18	126	160	Towards: North America, South America and national flights	Boeing NG equipment with Sky Interior
			-	-	186	186	Towards: Cancun and others of high density	Equipment leased during the process of chapter 11.
Boeing 737-8MAX	33	13	16	18	132	166	Towards: South America and national flights. They have the greatest entertainment technology on board.	Includes additional aircraft announced in March and June 2022.
Boeing 737-9MAX	14		15	18	147	181
Boeing 787-8	8	-	32	27	184	243	Towards: Asia, Europe, South America, New York, Los Angeles, Tijuana and Cancun.	N782AM was baptized by Pope Francis as "Peace Missionary"
Boeing 787-9	11	3	36	27	211	274	Towards: Asia, Europe, South America, New York, Los Angeles, Tijuana and Cancun.	XA-ADL called and painted with colors Quetzalcóatl. New configuration in the premier class and tourist class. 3 planes are already ready to be delivered, but it is not yet known when they will be received by the airline.
Total	107	15

Note: The first Boeing 787-9 "Quetzalcóatl" landed for the first time at the Mexico City International Airport on October 12, 2016.

Historical fleet

Numbers

Annual figures for Aeroméxico and its position among Mexican airlines

Sources: Ministry of Communications and Transportation, except average fleet age (airfleets.net)

Multimodal Partnerships

Aeroméxico offers special discounts with its ground transportation partners.

• Ecobajatours

From the airport of San José del Cabo and La Paz to various points in Baja California - get a discount when presenting your boarding pass at the Ecobajatours counters.

• Galgos

Tapachula, Guatemala and El Salvador - get a 10% discount on established routes when presenting your boarding pass at the line counter.

• Intercalifornias

From Tijuana airport to various cities in the United States - your boarding pass will help you obtain preferential rates on all Intercalifornias routes, from Tijuana to different cities in California, United States.

• Taxiweb New Image

Mexico City International Airport and metropolitan area - book your taxi service from T2 of the Mexico City International Airport to various points within the metropolitan area and obtain a special rate.

• Tufesa

Hermosillo, Nogales and Guaymas - with your boarding pass you get a 15% discount leaving the Hermosillo Airport to Ciudad Obregón, Cananea, Guaymas, Nogales and Agua Prieta.

• Renfe

Aeroméxico joined Renfe, the most important railway company in Spain and one of the best in the world, to offer you a complete and quality service. Travel by air and land, living a unique experience. Connect from Madrid to and from the following cities: Barcelona, Seville, San Sebastián, Alicante, Zaragoza, Valencia, Málaga, Córdoba, Cádiz and Valladolid, aboard the most modern trains in Spain.

Corporate Image

• 1960s-1970s – Mexico's largest airline.
• 1990s – The most timely airline in the world.
• 1997-1999 - With the best of the world... and of heaven.
• Before 2009 – Let's get the world.
• 2010–2012 – Where your dreams take you.
• 2012–2013 – We never stop.
• 2013–presente – The line that unites us.

Accidents and incidents

On June 2, 1958, a Lockheed Constellation registration XA-MEV owned by Aeronaves de México, currently Aeroméxico, had taken off from the Guadalajara International Airport from the Tijuana and Mazatlán Airports, with its final destination being the Port of Acapulco, and with a stopover in Mexico City. Two minutes after takeoff from runway 28 with night rain and poor visibility, the aircraft performed a late turn procedure, approaching the Latillas or Picacho hill in Tlajomulco very soon due to a miscalculation by the pilot, crashing on the top of the hill. Its 45 occupants including crew died instantly. In addition to human error, another influencing factor was the lack of navigation equipment at the airport. During the investigations, more hypotheses emerged regarding the incident, from engine failure to a political attack against some of the passengers belonging to the Guadalajara aristocracy who had boarded the flight. The aircraft was 7 years old and had been acquired second-hand. Currently, the area of the accident is known as the Cerro del Avion, where there is a small memorial and small fragments of the Lockheed still remain.

On June 20, 1973, Aeromexico Flight 229, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashed into the side of a mountain while on approach to the Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport located in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. All 27 people on board died.

On July 27, 1981, Aeroméxico Flight 230 operated by a DC-9-32 that experienced a forced landing at Chihuahua Airport and became separated. A fire broke out and 32 people died.

On November 8, 1981, Aeroméxico Flight 110 operated by a DC-9-32 crashed into a mountain in the town of Mesas de Pineda, some 70 kilometers northeast of Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, when it was conducting a emergency descent and subsequent return to the Acapulco International Airport, due to decompression, killing its 18 occupants.

On August 31, 1986, Aeroméxico Flight 498, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 collided with a Piper Cherokee light aircraft on its final approach to Los Angeles International Airport. There were no survivors on both planes. Once the corresponding investigations were completed, it was concluded that the pilot of the plane entered the restricted area of air traffic control in an unauthorized manner, causing confusion among air traffic controllers.

On October 6, 2000, Aeroméxico flight 250 operated by a DC-9-32, left the runway of the Reynosa International Airport, finally colliding in the Riego Rodhe canal, all the passengers and crew of the flight survived, however the plane left 4 people dead in its wake.

Aeroméxico Flight 576, a Boeing 737-752, was hijacked on September 9, 2009. The plane landed at Mexico City International Airport where the passengers were released, the crew was also released, authorities five men were detained in connection with the hijacking, only one of the detainees in custody was identified by authorities as the perpetrator. The hijacker's main demand was to speak with the current president Felipe Calderón Hinojosa. There were no injuries on the flight.

On July 31, 2018, Aeroméxico Connect flight 2431, an Embraer ERJ-190AR aircraft with the registration XA-GAL bound for the Mexico City International Airport, impacted the ground when taking off from Durango International Airport. On board the aircraft were 99 passengers and 4 crew members who managed to get out shortly before the plane caught fire. Rescue forces reported the transfer of 18 injured people to General Hospital 450. In total there were 85 injured, 49 people have been transferred to various hospitals.

On August 10, 2018, Aeroméxico Connect flight 148 bound for Puerto Vallarta was evacuated at the Mexico City International Airport just before takeoff, the cause being that one of the flight attendants noticed a fire in one of the the engines. The plane was an Embraer ERJ-190AR with 65 passengers on board; none were injured or injured. Among them, a passenger reported all the details anonymously by telephone to the Reforma newspaper.

On January 3, 2021, Aeroméxico flight 549 covering the Cancun to Mexico City route, operated by a Boeing 787, aborted takeoff after one of the engines failed due to a bird strike. The passengers were evacuated, some with minor injuries.

On January 5, 2023, after the second arrest of Ovidio Guzmán López, three aircraft received bullet wounds at the Culiacán Airport: An Embraer ERJ-190LR with registration XA-ALW that operated Aeroméxico flight 165 between Culiacán International Airport and Mexico City International Airport received impacts to the rear of the fuselage during the taxiing phase before starting the takeoff run, for which the flight had to be canceled and the passengers had to be sheltered In the terminal. Following these events, the Culiacán airport was closed to civil aviation on January 5 and 6. No fatalities were reported, only minor damage to the aircraft.

Technology

Digital innovation

In 2016: Aeroméxico added Gogo 2Ku WiFi Service to some 737-800 aircraft, including access to Netflix. On its 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners it added Panasonic broadband internet, and on its "narrowbody" Embraer began offering Gogo Vision entertainment by Gogo.

In July 2016: the airline launched a completely new website, check-in kiosks (documentation) in airports including the one in Mexico City. In that same year, the airline was one of the companies founders of the launch of the incubator of "startups" MassChallenge in Mexico.

Chat platform

In September 2016, Aeroméxico was the first airline in the Americas to launch a chatbot, which allows you to search, buy, track flights by interacting with a virtual assistant on Facebook Messenger. During the Facebook world conference, Facebook F8 in April 2016 In 2017, Aeroméxico was recognized as one of the first companies in the world to launch "Chat Extensions", which allow users to engage Aeroméxico in a "chat" group in Messenger. The airline also launched the possibility of asking any question, using artificial intelligence techniques and natural language processing to provide answers. In August 2017 the company launched a new mobile application in conjunction with the Mediamonks agency. In September 2017 WhatsApp announced an "Enterprise" allowing large companies to serve customers on a large scale. Aeroméxico announced that it is participating in the tests of said platform.