Aeromexico has followed Viva Aerobus by scheduling a significant expansion to its U.S. operations following the restoration of Mexico’s Category 1 safety rating by the FAA.
The airline announced on Oct. 2 that it planned to add 17 transborder routes over the coming months, but did not reveal specific start dates or frequencies for the proposed services. Nine of those new routes have now been added to the SkyTeam alliance member’s schedule, with the first of them set to begin before the end of the year.
Starting on Dec. 14, Aeromexico will begin flying from Monterrey International Airport (MTY) to Los Angeles International (LAX), operating daily. Two more routes will launch from MTY during the first quarter of 2024—with daily service to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) from Jan. 8 and Salt Lake City (SLC) from March 14—followed by daily service to New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) from May 16. All four routes will use Embraer 190 aircraft.
A further three routes will connect Mexican airports with joint venture partner Delta Air Lines’ ATL hub during the first quarter of 2024. Daily E190 flights from Guadalajara International Airport (GDL) will begin on Jan. 8, followed by Leon/Guanajuato’s Bajio International Airport (BJX) on March 14 and Merida (MID) on March 18.
Queretaro (QRO) will also receive 6X-weekly service to Detroit (DTW) from Jan. 8, and GDL will be connected daily to DTW from March 14.
Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that all four services to Atlanta represent resumptions, as Aeromexico previously served BJX-ATL until September 2019; GDL-ATL until March 2019; MID-ATL until Aug. 2018; and MTY-ATL until April 2018. Services from MTY to JFK and LAX are also restarting after being paused during the pandemic.
The additions mean that 19 U.S. routes have been confirmed by Aeromexico and Viva Aerobus since the FAA restored Mexico to its highest safety rating in September, ending a period stretching more than two years that prevented Mexican airlines from adding new routes, increasing frequencies and upgauging equipment.
Additionally, Aeromexico intends to resume flying from QRO to ATL; from BJX to DTW; from Mexico City Benito Juarez to BOS, DTW, IAD and SLC; as well as launching new routes from Felipe Ángeles International Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth and McAllen International Airport, Texas.
Although the schedule for each of these is yet to be confirmed, the latest data indicates that Aeromexico will be offering more than 82,000 two-way weekly seats between Mexico and the U.S. by the start of the northern summer 2024 season. This compares with 61,000 at present.