Mexicana, Mexico’s Military-Run Airline, Set to Launch with Boeing 737 Fleet

Mexico’s revived airline, Mexicana, is to launch again in September 2023 powered by a fleet of Boeing 737-800 jets, the government has confirmed.

The airline will be run by the nation’s army, which also administers its trains, law enforcement and tourism.

In a press conference on August 10, 2023, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval, announced that the government will lease 10 737-800 aircraft from Boeing.

The first aircraft will be delivered on September 30, 2023, followed by seven more on October 30, 2023.

The design of the aircraft will be painted in green, white and red, with the new name of the airline, Mexicana de Aviación, also included.

The initial government investment will be around $235 million, which includes rental of aircraft, maintenance, fuel, rental of destination real estate, ground support equipment and company equipment.

Sandoval confirmed that tickets for flights will be on sale for September and that prices would be 18% to 20% below private competitors.

The government is currently looking at operating 20 routes among Mexico’s biggest and midsize cities, plus its popular tourist destinations, such as Cancun.

As part of the agreement to purchase the Mexicana brand, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ensured that the 8,500 former employees who lost their jobs when the original airline collapsed in 2010 have received compensation.