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| Founded | 14 September 1934; 90 years ago (1934-09-14) (asAeronaves de México S.A. de C.V.) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations |
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| AOC # | ASMF152F[1] | ||||||
| Hubs | Mexico City[2] | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Aeroméxico Rewards | ||||||
| Alliance | SkyTeam/SkyTeam Cargo | ||||||
| Subsidiaries |
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| Fleet size | 123 | ||||||
| Destinations | 94[4] | ||||||
| Parent company | Grupo Aeroméxico | ||||||
| Headquarters | Torre MAPFRE,Mexico City, Mexico | ||||||
| Key people | Andrés Conesa Labastida (CEO) | ||||||
| Revenue |  US$ 1.3247 billion (2020) | ||||||
| Net income | -US$ 1.9753 billion (2020)[5] | ||||||
| Employees | 13,880 (2023) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.[6] (lit. 'Airways of Mexico,Public Limited') operating asAeroméxico (Spanish pronunciation:[a.e.ɾoˈme.xi.ko]; styled as AEROMEXICO), is theflag carrier[7] ofMexico based inMexico City. It operates scheduled services to more than 90 destinations[8] in Mexico, North, South and Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Its main base and hub isMexico City International Airport, with secondary hubs inGuadalajara andMonterrey.[9] The headquarters is in theTorre MAPFRE onPaseo de la Reforma.
Grupo Aeroméxico includes Aeroméxico andAeroméxico Connect (regional subsidiary). The group currently holds the No. 2 place in domestic market share behindVolaris, with 24.2%; and No. 1 place in international market share with 15.8%, in the 12 months ending March 2020, becoming Mexico's largest international airline group.[10][11] Aeroméxico is one of the four founding members of theSkyTeam airline alliance, along withAir France,Delta Air Lines andKorean Air.
Aeroméxico works closely with the U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines, which owns part of Aeroméxico and in 2015 announced its intention to acquire up to 49% of the latter's shares. On 8 May 2017, a joint commercial agreement (JCA), came into effect, whereby the airlines share information, costs, and revenues on all their flights between the United States and Mexico.[12][13]
In 2016, Aeroméxico flew 19.703 million passengers (up 5.0% vs. previous year), of which 13.047 million domestic (+3.7%) and 6.656 million international (+7.6%). It flew 34.776 million revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), had 43.362 million available seat kilometers (ASKs), and an 80.3% load factor.
| Timeline | |
|---|---|
| 1930s | |
| 1934 | Established as Aeronaves de México. Maiden flight isMexico City–Acapulco inStinson Reliant SR-5A |
| 1940s | |
| Grew with help ofPan Am, 25% owner | |
| 1950s | |
| Takes over #2 Aerovías Guest thus adding routes to Madrid, Paris. Added DC-3s, DC-4s, pressurized Douglas DC-6s, 2 Bristol Britannia turboprops. | |
| 1958 | Service begins to New York with Britannias |
| 1959 | Nationalized |
| 1960s | |
| 1961 | First jets, Douglas DC-8s |
| 1962 | Merged Aerovías Guest into Aeroméxico |
| Late 1960s | Service to Europe re-initiated with Comet-4Cs formerly of Guest |
| 1970s | |
| 1970 | Governments nationalizes all 9 Mexican airlines into integrated system under control of Aeronaves de México |
| 1972 | Commercial name changed to Aeroméxico |
| 1974 | Receives first Douglas DC-10-30 and DC-9-32s |
| 1980s | |
| 1986 | Cerritos mid-air collision |
| 1988 | Privatization starts |
| 1990s | |
| Early 1990s | Fare wars with other private airlines |
| 1992 | AcquiresAeroperú |
| 1993 | AcquiresMexicana |
| 1994 | Mexican peso crisis |
| 1996 | Government control again: Cintra created holding Mexicana and Aeroméxico |
| 2000s | |
| 2000 | FoundsSkyTeam alliance withAir France,Delta Air Lines andKorean Air |
| 2006 | Flights start to Tokyo |
| 2007 | Privatization. Banamex purchases for $249 million USD. |
| 2008 | Service toShanghai begins |
| 2010 | Mexicana goes bankrupt |
| 2010s | |
| 2011 | Cooperation agreement withDelta Air Lines |
| 2013 | First Boeing Dreamliner 787-8s delivered |
| 2014 | Delta-Aeromexico Querétaro TechOps opens |
| 2016 | First Boeing Dreamliner 787-9s delivered named Quetzalcóatl. WiFi introduced on-board. New website, check-in kiosks andchatbot launched. |
| 2017 | Antitrust immunity with Delta Air Lines and beginning of Joint Commercial Agreement (JCA) covering all US-Mexico routes. Service toSeoul begins. |
| 2018 | Aeroméxico Connect Flight 2431 plane crash on runway. |
The airline was established asAeronaves de México on 15 September 1934,[14][15] by Antonio Díaz Lombardo. Its first aircraft was aStinson SR Reliant 5A (registered XB-AJI[16]).Julio Zinser piloted the maiden flight on the Mexico City –Acapulco route on 14 September 1934.
WhenWorld War II began, the airline continued to grow with the help ofPan Am, which owned 40% of the new Mexican airline and upgrade the fleet withDC-2s andBoeing 247s.[15] Aeroméxico saw few changes for the next two decades. However, during the 1950s, renovation began, and the airline took over various small competitor companies across the country, including Aerovías Guest (the second airline of the country at that time) that held the routes toMadrid and Paris. Aeroméxico added aircraft including theDouglas DC-3 and its successor, theDouglas DC-4.
During the late 1950s, the Douglas DC-4s were replaced by some pressurizedDouglas DC-6s and twoBristol Britannias (the first turboprop passenger aircraft in the fleet) and in 1958, services were inaugurated toIdlewild Airport (now JFK) using the Britannias.[15] The Mexico City-New York route would prove profitable for "Aeronaves" and its North American competitors. The airline wasnationalised in 1959.[15]
In the early 1960s, the fleet of Aeronaves de México (Aeroméxico) included Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-6, and Bristol Britannia aircraft. Starting in 1961, "Aeronaves" began replacing its piston-engined aircraft with new jets. The first jet-engined aircraft were a pair ofDouglas DC-8s. The DC-8s were used on routes within Mexico and to New York City. In 1963, Aeronaves de México (Aeroméxico) took overAerovias Guest airlines and they were merged under the name Aeronaves de México.[15] Later in the 1960s, more DC-8s were added and service to Europe was resumed, operated by twode Havilland Comet 4C jet aircraft dry-leased by Aerovías Guest prior to the merger.
The 1970s brought dramatic changes for Aeroméxico. In 1970, under a government plan, Mexican domestic airlines were nationalized into an integrated air transport system under the control of Aeronaves de México. The system included eight smaller carriers, although these were later disbanded.[14]During the early 1970s, the remaining Douglas DC-6 and Bristol Britannia aircraft were retired. A new color scheme (orange and black) was introduced and the airline changed its name from "Aeronaves de México" to its current, shortened version of Aeroméxico in February 1972.
One of Aeronaves de Mexico's subsidiaries during that era was named Aeronaves del Sureste ("Southeast Air Ships").[17] That subsidiary had a mix of Twin-Otter and DC-9 jets aircraft.
Aeroméxico, as one of the launch customers of theMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 program, received the first of its aircraft in 1974. That same year, the airline also took delivery of its first sevenMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-32s.[citation needed]
During this period, the airline's popularity and visibility grew dramatically. This was due in part to Aeroméxico's involvement inMexican movies. Basically, every time characters in any movie produced in Mexico had to fly somewhere, they were depicted as flying on Aeroméxico aircraft.[citation needed]
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The early 1980s were marked by expansion. A new color scheme was introduced (orange paint and silver),[18] two DC-10-15s and a DC-10-30 were added in 1981 and in 1984. Aeroméxico, one of the launch customers of theMcDonnell Douglas MD-82 (an elongated version of the DC-9), received its first two in late 1981. Between 1980 and 1981, eight more DC-9-32 aircraft were added.On 31 August 1986, the company suffered its only fatal accident outside Mexico whenAeroméxico Flight 498, a Douglas DC-9, approachingLos Angeles International Airport was struck by alight aircraft. Both aircraft then fell to earth in the Los Angeles suburb ofCerritos, California. All 64 passengers and crew on board the DC-9-32 were killed, as were the three people in the light aircraft and 15 people on the ground. After three years and a long trial, the aircraft's crew and the airline were found not to blame. This was because the pilot of the Piper had strayed into an air traffic control zone reserved for commercial flights. That same year, the airline acquired the charter carrier GATSA and used it for charter operations until December.In April 1988, the state-owned company was declared bankrupt and grounded for three months because of lack of organization, a fleet with an average of 20 years without a renovation plan and a depredating administration by the Mexican Government. In August, a privatization program was underway. This involved retiring the eight Douglas DC-8s along with the remaining ten DC-9-15 aircraft. After a strike and bankruptcy between April and May 1988, a privatization process started and included a new corporate name (Aerovias de Mexico SA de CV). The airline restarted operations with some of its predecessor's assets, including the headquarters building, maintenance hangar, some aircraft, and some former Aeronaves de Mexico employees.
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The early 1990s were turbulent times, with the rise in fuel costs due to theGulf War, and a domestic fare war caused by start-up airlines likeTAESA,Servicios Aéreos Rutas Oriente,Aviacsa, among others, as well as constant labor problems. In April 1991, the first two 767-200ERs were introduced to the fleet to replace DC-10s in services to Europe, New York, and Tijuana, and another two 767-300ERs joined the fleet later that year. This was all a part of a renovation and expansion program to introduce 24 direct flights toMadrid andParis fromMexico City with Boeing 767s as well as services toFrankfurt via Paris and Rome via Madrid.
In 1992, Grupo Aeroméxico was among other investors that failed to consummate the acquisition ofContinental Airlines. After failing to invest in Continental, Aeroméxico acquired the bankrupt Aeroperú from thePeruvian government.[15]
In 1993, Aeroméxico Group took overMexicana, the second-largest airline in the Mexican market under the same management.[19] There was a great dispute in June 1993 with the pilot union regarding the transfer of flights to regional subsidiary Aeromonterrey, which had non-union pilots.[20] Between 1994 and 1995, the six DC-10 aircraft in the fleet were finally retired. Their last revenue flight was in 1995.
In December 1994, three weeks after Carlos Salinas de Gortari left the office, the first of several devaluations in the next 18 months started, giving way to theMexican peso crisis. As a consequence, Aeroméxico had to cut capacity and flights to Frankfurt and Rome were canceled, four McDonnell Douglas MD-80s and fourBoeing 767s were returned to their lessors, early retirement for pilots and other staff was underway, and a new Boeing 767 due for delivery in April 1995 was instead transferred to another airline. Flights to Madrid and Paris were operated only by two Boeing 767-300ER jets.
In 1996, Cintra was created to prevent the two main carriers from going bankrupt. SomeBoeing 757s of Aeroméxico's original renovation program were transferred to Mexicana andAeroperú. The market and the airline recovered between 1996 and 1998; eight McDonnell Douglas MD80s were leased back along with two Boeing 767-200ERs.
The sale of Grupo Cintra was scheduled after several delays in September 1999, and with the looming presidential elections in 2000, everything was delayed once again. The ruling party lost the election after 70 years in office and all the policies changed. Due to the recession in 2000, the new government put everything on hold, waiting for better economic conditions to start the stock sell-off, and just when everything was about to start, the11 September 2001 attacks occurred and nothing materialized since the two main carriers, Mexicana and Aeroméxico, were losing large amounts of money.
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Between 2000 and 2005, Aeroméxico had an average fleet of 60 aircraft in mainline operation, plus 20 inAerolitoral, as well as five CEOs during this time. On 22 June 2000, the airline, along withAir France,Delta, andKorean Air, founded theSkyTeam global airline alliance. After 9/11 and the Iraq War, it pursued a fleet renovation program. In 2003, the airline acquired its firstBoeing 737-700 instead of theBoeing 717 as a replacement for its aging DC-9 aircraft. On 29 March 2006, Aeroméxico CEO Andrés Conesa announced the inauguration of direct flights between Japan and Mexico City viaTijuana. This was after the purchase of twoBoeing 777-200ERs, making Aeroméxico the third airline inLatin America to fly regularly to Asia, afterVarig and the now-defunctVASP. Since Varig's demise, Aeroméxico is currently the only airline with this service. Aeroméxico resumed its Mexico City-Tijuana-Shanghai route twice a week as of 30 March 2010. Suspension of this flight was due to the2009 flu pandemic.
On 29 June 2006, theInternational Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) and Aeroméxico announced that the airline would operate threeBoeing 787 Dreamliners. Aeroméxico's deliveries were scheduled to begin in early 2012. From 2006, Consorcio Aeroméxico S.A. de C.V., the parent company of Aeroméxico at the time, faced large debts and had no profits to pay them off, so it offered Aeroméxico for sale in 2007. In early October, a week-long auction was held, withGrupo Financiero Banamex, a unit ofCitigroup, competing against the Saba family. On 17 October 2007, Banamex offered the highest bid and purchased the airline for US$249.1 million. In October 2010, Aeroméxico's largest competitor, Mexicana de Aviacion, filed for bankruptcy and was placed in administration.
In 2011, Delta Air Lines and Aeroméxico signed an enhanced commercial alliance, building on an original agreement from 1994.[21] The 2011 agreement provided for codeshare on all the carriers' Mexico–US flights; Delta investing US$65 million in Aeroméxico shares; and Delta gaining a seat on the Aeroméxico board of directors.
On 25 July 2012, Aeroméxico CEO Andrés Conesa announced the purchase of sixBoeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The new order was added to the package of 20 aircraft that the company had announced in 2011 and nine moreBoeing 787-8 Dreamliners already provided. The delivery of the Dreamliners began in the summer of 2013. The total investment is US$11 billion and includes the acquisition of 90Boeing 737 MAX 8s, which began delivering from 2018.[24][25] The airline took delivery of its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (sourced from theILFC order book) in early August 2013 and officially launched commercial service on 1 October 2013. Between 2013 and 2015, the remaining eight were delivered (seven leased and two owned by Aeroméxico outright).[26]
In September 2016, Aeroméxico received its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This particular frame, registered XA-ADL, is named after and painted in a unique commemoratingQuetzalcoatl, a major figure inAztec culture of pre-Hispanic Mexico, as the result of a "Design in the Air" competition hosted by the airline inviting students at select universities in Mexico to submit a potential design to be painted on the airframe.[27]
In February 2018, Aeroméxico introduced a new branded fares structure, which included a new Basic fare that did not contain a checked luggage allowance, nor did it allow for seat assignments, upgrades, or changes.[28]
TheCOVID-19 pandemic deeply affected the global aviation industry, including Aeroméxico.[29] Aeroméxico's stock dropped during first half of 2020 and rumors about bankruptcy.[30] On June 30, Aeroméxico voluntarily filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States.[31] However, day-to-day operations continued as the company restructured. Existing tickets were honored and employees continued to be paid as usual.[32]
On July 1, 2021, shareholderDelta Air Lines announced it would purchase $185 million of the Mexican airline's Chapter 11 debt.[citation needed]
On August 28, 2024, Aeroméxico unveiled a new livery in celebration of the airline's 90th anniversary.[33]
Its headquarters are inColonia Cuauhtémoc,Cuauhtémoc Borough,Mexico City.[34]
_at_JFK_Airport_(2016).jpg)
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In 2016, Aeroméxico added 2KuWiFi service byGogo to some 737-800 aircraft,[41] including access toNetflix. On its Dreamliners, it added Panasonic broadband Internet, and on Embraer narrow-body aircraft, streaming entertainment viaGogo's Gogo Vision.[42][non-primary source needed]
In July 2016, the airline launched a completely new website and new check-in kiosks at Mexico City Airport.[43] That same year, the airline also co-sponsored the launch of startup acceleratorMassChallenge in Mexico.[44]
In August 2017, the company became the Mexico launch customers of digital agencyMediaMonks and together, they released a new mobile app.[45][46]
Aeroméxico has been accused of racist behavior, with allegations including removing passengers from planes because they wereIndigenous.[47] Most complaints of discrimination against the airline have been reported as being due to skin color or ethnic origin.[48] In May 2022, Aeroméxico preventedNahuatl film maker David Cayetano from boarding a plane toAustralia, where he was to present his film "Tsontiajakatl, el último viento" (Tsontiajakatl, the Last Wind). Aeroméxico falsely claimed that Cayetano did not have the required vaccines, leading to accusations that he was instead prevented from flying due to his indigenous ethnicity.[49] A significant number of complaints emerged in August 2022 after a video of indigenous family being removed from a flight was shared on social media. The father of the family claimed he was removed "because of his appearance", though that cannot be heard in the video. Aeroméxico did not comment on the incident.[50]
In September 2016, Aeroméxico became the first airline in the Americas to launch achatbot, that enables customers to search, track and book flights interacting with avirtual assistant onFacebook Messenger.[51] During theFacebook F8 conference in April 2017, the airline earned praise fromFacebook for being among the first companies worldwide to launch the Chat Extension function, allowing users to pull up Aerobot during a group chat. It also launched the ability to ask any question, usingartificial intelligence andnatural language processing techniques to match the questions with answers.[52]
In September 2017, Aeroméxico announced that it would be among the first companies worldwide to start services onWhatsApp's new Enterprise solution – the first time large companies would be able to provide customer service to users at scale.[53][54][55][56] In February 2018, the company announced development of further features together with its partnerYalochat, such as purchase confirmation and flight notifications via WhatsApp, and deepening the artificial intelligence used on its chat platform.[57]
In an attempt to gain more worldwide presence and strengthen its network and to make connections easier and more frequent, Aeroméxico entered new international markets. In 2006, it started operations to Tokyo fromMexico City viaTijuana. Service toShanghai from Mexico City via Tijuana began in May 2008. New destinations in 2015–2016 included Panama City (Panama), Santo Domingo, Vancouver, Toronto, Boston, Medellín, Amsterdam, Cozumel, and Austin (Texas).[58] The airline launched service to Seoul from Mexico City (with a stop in Monterrey only on the outbound flight) on 1 July 2017.[59][60]
In the first year of the Delta–Aeroméxico joint venture (June 2017–June 2018) the companies worked to enhance connectivity between Mexico and the U.S., and launched new Aeroméxico or Delta flights, or additional frequencies, on Los Angeles–Cabo San Lucas, New York JFK–Cancun, Detroit–León, Atlanta–Mérida, Seattle–Mexico City, Atlanta–Querétaro, Atlanta–León, Portland–Mexico City, Los Angeles–Leon, Atlanta–Guadalajara, and Guadalajara–Salt Lake City.[61]
In 2023, Aeroméxico resumed flights to Rome[62] and in June 2024 to Barcelona.[63]
Aeroméxicocodeshares with the following airlines:[64]
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As of March 2025[update], Aeroméxico operates an all-Boeing mainline fleet composed of the following aircraft:[citation needed]
| Aircraft | In fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737-800 | 34 | — | 16 | 18 | 126 | 160 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 42 | 3 | 16 | 18 | 132 | 166 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 9 | 25 | 5 | 16 | 18 | 147 | 181 | |
| Boeing 787-8 | 8 | — | 32 | 9 | 202 | 243 | |
| Boeing 787-9 | 14 | 2 | 36 | 27 | 211 | 274 | One aircraft (XA-ADL) inQuetzalcoatl special livery. |
| Total | 123 | 10 | |||||
Not included are the fleets of subsidiary brandAeroméxico Connect.
Aeroméxico also formerly operated the following aircraft types:[citation needed]
Paseo de la Reforma 243, piso 25 Col. Cuauhtémoc, Ciudad de México, México
Media related toAeroméxico at Wikimedia Commons
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