Aviacsa

Aviación de Chiapas S.A., later Consorcio Aviaxsa S.A. de C.V., and commercially known as Aviacsa, was a Mexican airline founded in 1988 by the government of the State of Chiapas and ceased in 2011.

At first, Aviacsa managed to position itself in the southeast market of the country, covering routes in Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo and Oaxaca. In 1994, the company was sold to Aeroexo, a Monterrey-based charter company. This allowed Aviacsa to extend its coverage to northern and central Mexico, operate routes to the United States, and create a charter division. By the year 2000, Aviacsa covered routes to 25 destinations in Mexico and the United States, and operated a fleet of twenty Boeing 737-200 and six Boeing 727. In 2005, the company reported having transported 3.7 million passengers (around 13% of the Mexican market), the best figure in its history.

On June 2, 2009, the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) ordered Aviacsa to suspend the operation of 25 of its 26 aircraft, because, after an inspection by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), they they found irregularities in the maintenance of the aircraft. However, two days later, the company received an injunction that allowed it to resume operations, despite the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had seconded the SCT's decision. A month later, on July 7, 2009, the SCT revoked Aviacsa's use, enjoyment and enjoyment of Mexican airspace due to the debt of 22 million dollars that the airline maintained with Navigation Services in the Mexican Air Space (SENEAM).

In July 2009, Aviacsa entered into a bankruptcy process that ended in January 2011. The new investors presented a restructuring plan and in February 2011, ticket sales resumed. That same year, Aviacsa announced that due to the debt it had with the Mexico City International Airport and with Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, it would be impossible for it to restart operations and would indefinitely suspend the sale of tickets. The Mexican airline Aviacsa was very Known for its interesting logo of King Pakal in combinations of blue and white and gold with blue, the airline's main base was located at the Mexico City International Airport. After being founded in 1988, the airline grew rapidly and, in the year of 1998, it acquired its first Boeing 727 equipment, and in the year of 2004 it acquired its first 737-300 which was from the factory, that is, the plane was brand new as with the 737-200 and 727-200. In the year of 2011 Aviacsa would stop its operations, in that same period of time Interjet and Aeroméxico absorbed Aviacsa's routes and destinations.

History

Regional airline (1988-1994)

Chiapas Aviation S.A. was founded in 1988 at the initiative of the government of the State of Chiapas with the purpose of covering the transportation and communication needs within the state. The company was fully managed by the state government. When it started operations, its fleet consisted of two IAI Arava and two F27s that covered the Tuxtla Gutiérrez - Mexico City and Tuxtla Gutiérrez - Tapachula routes.

On May 10, 1990, an Aviacsa F27 with registration F-GHXA crashed during its approach to the Tuxtla Gutiérrez International Airport. The plane had taken off from Tapachula. Twenty-seven people died in the place, mostly pilgrims who were going to Mexico City to receive Pope John Paul II.

In June 1990, due to the insolvency of the company, the government of the State of Chiapas sold 60% of its shares to a group of private investors led by Luis de Pau and Patrocinio González. The airline, then, was refounded as Consorcio Aviaxsa S.A. de C.V., although it retained the trade name "Aviacsa".

In September of the same year, two BAe 146s were added to the company's fleet, which allowed the inauguration of routes to Oaxaca, Cancun, Chetumal, Mérida and Villahermosa, as well as eventual charter services to Miami and Santiago de Cuba.

In 1991, Luis de Pau, President of the Company, and Patrocinio González, President of the Board of Directors, were accused of embezzling funds destined for the pensions of company workers, for which changes were made in the company's administrative leadership. The same year, the BAe 146s were replaced by four Fokker-100 aircraft, with the purpose of increasing frequencies between destinations, as well as opening a route to Monterrey.

Merger with Aeroexo and national expansion (1994-2007)

At the beginning of 1994, the government of the State of Chiapas put its shares in the company up for sale, which was taken advantage of by Transportes Aéreos Ejecutivos, S.A. de C.V. —commercially known as Aeroexo, a Monterrey-based charter flight company—, to present a proposal to buy the company. Aviacsa was eventually acquired for a value of US$6 million.

737-200 Aviacsa with the design introduced in 1999, with the Pakal profile in the vertical stabilizer of the plane and a smile at the lower front.

After the purchase, the new owners of Aviacsa announced an investment of 80 million dollars to renew its fleet and acquire a batch of several Boeing 727s and DC-9s used by the recently defunct Pan Am and Eastern Air Lines. In addition, the airline established new offices in Monterrey, which allowed it to begin its expansion in northern Mexico, opening new routes to Morelia, Mexicali, Hermosillo, Tijuana, and the southern United States. Also, the airline announced the formal establishment of a charter flights division, operated by both Aviacsa and its subsidiary Aeroexo. However, the devaluation of the peso and the economic crisis that hit the country in 1994 greatly affected Aviacsa, since at the end of that year, the company owed more than 100 million dollars to various Mexican banks.

Around 1997, the company was able to recover its passenger transport levels and acquired two more DC-9s, to increase the frequency of its routes. That same year, Aviacsa announced that after three years, its charter division it had operated 1,020 flights in the United States, the Caribbean and Central America.

In December 1999, Aviacsa announced a plan to renew its fleet and acquired a batch of second-hand 737-200s that were incorporated between the end of that year and the following year. Likewise, it inaugurated new routes to Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Ciudad Juárez, Tampico, Culiacán and León. Also, in 1999 the company presented a change in its corporate image; The profile of the face of Pakal, the Mayan emperor whose tomb was found in the Temple of Inscriptions in the Palenque Archaeological Zone, was introduced as a design on the plane's vertical stabilizer, as well as a smile on the lower front part of the plane.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, most Mexican airlines recorded a decrease in passenger flow, with the exception of Aviacsa. In fact, in 2003, of the 13 air transport companies registered in Mexico, Aviacsa was the only one to record profits. That year, the company reported that it controlled around 13% of the market in Mexico, just after Aeroméxico and Mexicana de Aviation.

In 2005, the company unveiled a plan to renew its fleet by 2010 and reported the purchase of 20 737-300s—some with up to 10 years of use—for the purpose of removing DC-9s from service and maintain a fleet exclusively of 737-200 and 737-300. Also, Aviacsa slightly changed the decorative scheme of its aircraft and launched its online ticket sales platform. The following year, it began operations at the Toluca airport and inaugurated routes to Veracruz and Durango. However, it also stopped flights to Chicago and Miami, citing increased fuel prices and a large number of empty seats.

Low-cost airline (2007-2009)

With the incursion of Interjet, A Volar, Líneas Aéreas Aztecas and Volaris —all operating as Low Cost Airlines— in the Mexican market, Aviacsa was seriously affected. In fact, together with Aeroméxico, Aviacsa alleged before the Federal Competition Commission that low-cost airlines fostered unfair competition, since the low prices they offered left "little margin for healthy competition" between the companies. For this reason, Aviacsa made an effort to restructure and maintain prices that would allow it to compete with the new players in the Mexican air market.

737-300 from Aviacsa with the latest airline design.

Suspensions and cessation of operations (2009-2011)

On June 2, 2009, the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT) ordered Aviacsa to suspend the operation of 25 of its 26 aircraft, because, after an inspection by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), they they found irregularities in the maintenance of the aircraft. However, two days later, the company received an injunction that allowed it to resume operations, despite the fact that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had seconded the SCT's decision. A month later, on July 7, 2009, the SCT revoked Aviacsa's use, enjoyment and enjoyment of Mexican airspace due to the debt of 22 million dollars that the airline maintained with Navigation Services in the Mexican Air Space (SENEAM).

In July 2009 Aviacsa entered into a bankruptcy process that ended in January 2011. The new investors presented a restructuring plan and in February 2011 ticket sales resumed. This year, Aviacsa announced that due to the debt it had with the Mexico City International Airport and with Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, it would be impossible for it to restart operations and would indefinitely suspend ticket sales.

Destinations

Destinations (March 2009)

In March 2009, Aviacsa flew to the following destinations:

Country	City
Mexico	Tijuana
	Ciudad Juárez
	Beautiful
	Monterrey
	Tampico
	Puerto Vallarta
	Guadalajara
	Mexico City
	Veracruz
	Acapulco
	Oaxaca
	Villahermosa
	Tuxtla Gutiérrez
	Tapachula
	Chetumal
	Merida
	Cancun
United States	Vegas

Historic Destinations

In January 2000, Aviacsa reported having flown to the following destinations:

Country	City
Mexico	Mexicali
	Culiacán
	León
	Morelia
	Durango
United States	Chicago
	Los Angeles
	Houston
	Miami

Flight numbers

• 6A 333 - Mexico City to Acapulco
• 6A 473,209,161,443 - Mexico City to Cancun
• 6A 323 - Mexico City to Chetumal
• 6A 322 - Chetumal to Mexico City
• 6A 284 - Mexico City to Ciudad Juárez
• 6A 242 - Mexico City to Hermosillo
• 6A 708 - Monterrey to Las Vegas
• 6A 337,335 - Mexico City to Mérida
• 6A 241 - Mexico City to Oaxaca
• 6A 412 - Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta
• 6A 104 - Mexico City to Tampico
• 6A 225,235 - Mexico City to Tapachula
• 6A 478 - Mexico City to Tijuana
• 6A 439,440,441,445,478,479 - Guadalajara to Tijuana
• 6A 239,211,229,213,217 - Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutiérrez
• 6A 107 - Mexico City to Veracruz
• 6A 313,315 - Mexico City to Villahermosa
• 6A 284,278,250,150,286,288,256,406 - Mexico City to Monterrey
• 6A 478,302,310,304,332,326 - Mexico City to Guadalajara
• 6A 209,251,253,263,255,287,401,265,261 - Monterrey to Mexico City
• 6A 381,707 - Monterrey to Guadalajara
• 6A 329,305,301,303,479,439 - Guadalajara to Mexico City
• 6A 386,708 - Guadalajara to Monterrey

Numbers

Annual figures for Aviacsa:

Fleet

Aviacsa's fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of December 1, 2010):

• 20 Boeing 737-200
• 3 Boeing 737-300

Aviacsa's average fleet age was 25.4 years as of February 2009, the oldest among commercial passenger fleets flying in Mexico at the time of the suspension.

Historical fleet

• Boeing 727
• Boeing 737-300
• DC-9
• IAI Arava
• Fokker F27
• Fokker 100
• BAe146 100/200