Mexicana de Aviación
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| Mexicana | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA MX | ICAO MXA |
Callsign Mexicana |
| Founded | 1921 | <tr><th colspan="2">Hubs</th><td>Mexico City International Airport|
| Fleet size | 61 | |
| Destinations | 48 | |
| Headquarters | Mexico City, Mexico | |
| Key people | Emilio Romano Mussali (CEO) | |
| Website: http://www.mexicana.com | ||
Mexicana de Aviación (commonly known by the shorter name Mexicana) is Mexico's second-largest airline - after Aeroméxico - and the world's fourth oldest airline still using its original name, after the Netherland's KLM, Colombia's Avianca, and Australia's Qantas.
Contents |
[edit] History
Mexicana was founded on July 12, 1921, as Compañía Mexicana de Transportación Aérea, (CMTA). Its purpose was to transport wages to the oil fields near Tampico, on the Gulf of Mexico. Mexicana's first aircraft type was a Lincoln Standard, a two-seat biplane.
The 1920s were groundbreaking times for the airline, with air mail service being established and other services like aerial photography being undertaken. In 1929, 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 1930s saw route expansion and service improvement. Mexicana opened a route from Brownsville to Guatemala City, stopping over at Veracruz, Minatitlán, Ixtepec and Tapachula. In addition, flights were started to El Salvador, Costa Rica and Cuba, and the association with Pan Am gave them access to Nicaragua and Panama too, through Pan Am's Miami base. (Pan Am had undertaken flights from Mexico City to Miami.) Mexicana also became then the first foreign airline ever to fly to Los Angeles in 1936.
The fleet expanded during that decade, as eight Fairchild FC2s and three Fokker F10s were incorporated.
The 1940s were primarily a period of domestic growth, although service was established from Mexico City to Havana. Routes were opened to Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, and Mérida. Additionally, a night flight to Los Angeles was established. The Mérida flights also operated at night. Mexicana initially used DC-2s for these flights but, as time went on, larger aircraft, such as the DC-3s, were acquired and, later, DC-4s. The DC-3s were known as El Palacio Aéreo(The Air Palace) for their luxury and comfort. The DC-4 allowed Mexicana to offer non-stop service on the Mexico City to Los Angeles route. By this decade, Mexicana was able to create a certified pilots' school in Mexico City.
The 1950s saw the airline's growth slow, but DC-6s were welcomed to the fleet, and a flight attendant school was opened. 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 was initiated later in the decade.
In the 1960s, four De Havilland Comets were bought and Mexicana entered the jet age on July 4, 1960. At this point, Mexicana was still a Pan American Airways subsidiary and these Comets were intended to replace Pan American's Boeing 707s should this type not fulfill the expectations of Pan American's owner, Juan Trippe. Despite its use of technologically advanced aircraft types, competition was stiff. By the late 1960s, the company faced bankruptcy. In 1967 however, Mexicana received its first Boeing 727 and, along with a new administration (headed by Manuel Sosa de la Vega) that implemented new strategic plans, the airline was able to recover from its economic problems soon after.
In 1968, the company's stock owned by Pan Am was purchased by Mexican interests, and the airline became 100-percent Mexican owned.
Despite its economic revival, 1969 was a difficult year for the airline as it lost two Boeing 727 jets in air crashes. The first occured in bad weather on a flight from Mexico City to Monterrey. The second occured on an international flight between Chicago and Mexico City.
In 1971, Mexicana started flights to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport 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, 3 DC-10-15s were received 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 54 percent of the airline (only to be reprivatized again in 1989). In 1984, construction was completed on the company's new corporate headquarters, a building 30 stories tall meant to resemble an air traffic control tower, on Xola Avenue in Mexico City. In March 1986, tragedy struck, as a Boeing 727, Mexicana Flight 940, en route to Puerto Vallarta suddenly caught fire and crashed onto 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.
For Mexicana, the 1990s kept bringing changes. The Mexican airline industry was deregulated, which allowed new competitors to form. Seeking to remain competitive and modern, the airline incorporated European-built Airbus A320s in 1991 and Dutch Fokker F100s 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, AeroMexico, and their regional affiliates were nationalized when their parent company, CINTRA (Corporacion Internacional de Aviacion), was taken over by the government. The airlines remained in their merged state until 2005. As 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, Canada. To operate these new and longer routes, the airline leased Boeing 757s, a medium-sized jet that is more modern and smaller than the DC-10 and better suited to the airline's needs at the time. Another aspect of this reorganization involved the creation of alliances. It was part of the regional alliances, LatinPass and Alas de America, and later formed an alliance with United Airlines. This latter alliance brought Mexicana into the network of global alliances, as it eventually brought the airline into the Star Alliance. Recognizing the usefulness and importance of the Internet, the airline launched a website meant to promote its service and eventually included a reservation center, allowing potential passengers another option for purchasing tickets.
In the 2000s, Mexicana has continued to grow. It celebrated its 80th anniversary in July, 2001, just before the terrorist attacks of September 11 sent worldwide aviation into a tailspin. Nevertheless, the airline continues to evolve. It officially joined the Star Alliance in 2000 amid much fanfare, only to exit in March, 2004. Current CEO, Emilio Romano, has stated in the airline's inflight 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 causing 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 Lufthansa. In 2003, the airline retired the Boeing 727 after operating the type for almost 40 years. These aircraft were replaced with newer A320, A319, and A318 types. Thus, the airline, once an important Boeing Company operator, is now an important Airbus Industry airline, although it still operates some Boeing types. Notably, the airline's long haul operations are partly conducted by Boeing 757s and Boeing 767s, the latter type introduced in December 2003, although fleet renewal plans may see long haul operations taken over by Airbus types and the Boeing 757s are being phased out of the fleet.
From 1995 to 2005, Mexicana was merged with AeroMéxico as a part of CINTRA. 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 Mexicana, to the Mexican hotel chain Grupo Posadas for USD$165.5 million. The road to privatization was long and winding. The government reversed its course on several occasions. At times, it proposed to sell Mexicana and AeroMéxico separately; other times, it proposed to sell them together to increase the bid price. It 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 it had 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.
2005 was an important year for Mexican aviation as several low cost carriers were established in Mexico to compete with AeroMéxico and Mexicana. For its part, 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 of this plan includes increasing its internationl presence. On July 12, 2006, Mexicana announced that it intends to open new routes to the United States to Seattle, Ontario, Detroit, Charlotte, and Puerto Rico; it is also negotiating with Arkansas officials to serve Little Rock. Of greater interest, perhaps, the airline is studying the possibility of opening flights to to Shanghai, China in 2007. Should the airline undertake this challenge, it would mark an important achievement in its 85 year history.
[edit] Livery
In order to cut costs, Mexicana introduced a new livery in the second half of 2005. It consists of the old fuselage colors, but new colors and design for the tail fin and engines. The tail is now dark blue with the company's eagle logo outlined and cut-off in white. The engine cowlings are the same color and feature the company's website.
[edit] Destinations
[edit] Fleet
The Mexicana fleet includes the following aircraft (as of October 2006):
- 2 Boeing 767-300ER (being phased out under the new fleet plan)
- 4 Boeing 757-200 (being phased out under the new fleet plan)
- 29 Airbus A320-200
- 16 Airbus A319-100
- 10 Airbus A318-100
The average plane age in Mexicana's fleet is 6.3 years old as of May, 2006.
Mexicana is set to add 14 leased Airbus narrowbodies to its fleet under an expansion plan that could also introduce Airbus A340s or Boeing 777s to the carrier. The expansion, however, is contingent on the airline finalizing new productivity work rules with its unions. Under the expansion plan, Mexicana has already issued a request for proposal (RFP) to its current lessors (which include CIT, GE Commercial Aviation Services and International Lease Finance) to provide for at least 14 Airbus narrowbody leases and as many as 40 aircraft.
[edit] Other facts of interest
- Mexicana was featured prominently on the 2001 Hollywood production The Mexican.
- Mexicana employed Puerto Rican actress Margot Deben to advertise the airline on Puerto Rican television. Deben said that she goes to Mexico on Mexicana to shop and shop (more).
- Mexicana was the main sponsor of soccer team Chivas de Guadalajara for a period, and their planes were showcased on the team's uniforms. Conversely, one of Mexicana's airplanes, a Boeing 727 named "Guadalajara", was painted in the team's colors.
- Mexicana is the foreign airline with most activity in Los Angeles International Airport and Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
- Mexicana serves 7 US cities with a "Tecolote" (red-eye) flight.
- Mexicana is a sponsor of the 2011 Pan American Games.
- Is the only international airline with operations at the three international airports in the San Francisco Bay Area airports SFO, OAK and SJC.
- Was the first Mexican airline to operate a jet aircraft without propellers, the DH 4C "Comet" in 1960.
- Was the first Mexican airline to join a global alliance and was the first airline to voluntarily exit the Star Alliance. (Ansett Australia was technically the first airline to leave the alliance when it ceased operations).
- Unlike AeroMexico, which flies to Europe and now Asia, it is traditionally a North American airline, only venturing to another continent (South America) in the 1990s.
- Within Mexico, the airline's traditional markets have been in the southeastern portion of the country, around the gulf states.
- In the 85th anniversary issue of its inflight magazine, VUELO, Mexicana claimed to be the first airline to publish an inflight magazine in 1938.
- The airline dominates the LAX-GDL and LAX-MEX markets.
[edit] Timetable images note
The images of the Mexicana de Aviacion timetables are used with permission and as courtesy of Bjorn Larsson and David Zekria, and are part of their personal collections.
[edit] Codesharing
At July 31, 2006, Mexicana codeshared with the following airlines:
- Aeroméxico
- Air New Zealand
- American Airlines
- Avianca
- Copa Airlines
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- LAN Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Qantas
- Varig
[edit] External links
[edit] References
<references/>
| Members of the Air Transport Association | |
|---|---|
| ABX Air | Alaska Airlines | Aloha Airlines | American Airlines | Astar Air Cargo | ATA Airlines | Atlas Air | Continental Airlines | Delta Air Lines | Evergreen International Airlines | FedEx | Hawaiian Airlines | JetBlue Airways | Midwest Airlines | Northwest Airlines | Southwest Airlines | United Airlines | UPS Airlines | US Airways | |
| Associate Members: Aeroméxico | Air Canada | Air Jamaica | Mexicana | |
es:Mexicana de Aviación fr:Mexicana nl:Mexicana de Aviación fi:Mexicana de Aviación sv:Mexicana
