Mexicana’s New Embraer Takes Off from AIFA to Tulum

Mexico City — The first Embraer 195E2 aircraft from Mexicana de Aviación departed from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) on Monday, bound for Tulum, Quintana Roo. This flight marks the inaugural commercial journey for one of the 10 new aircraft the state-owned airline, managed by the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), is set to receive between 2025 and 2027.

The aircraft took off at full capacity, carrying 132 passengers, as confirmed by the director of AIFA, General Leobardo Ávila Bojórquez.

"This first commercial flight with the E195-E2 reflects Mexicana's vision of incorporating cutting-edge technology into the service of Mexican aviation," stated Ávila Bojórquez. "Our fleet is beginning a transformation process that will allow us to offer more efficient and sustainable operations, with international standards that strengthen the country's competitiveness in the air sector."

The Secretary of Tourism, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at gate 110B of AIFA, stated that Mexicana provides Mexicans with access to competitively priced flights and is part of the "shared prosperity" promoted by the Federal Government.

Arrival of New Aircraft

This flight follows the arrival of Mexicana's third Embraer aircraft at AIFA on Saturday. This third unit is part of the new fleet of 10 aircraft and is the third vehicle received by the Sedena-managed company in less than two months. The first aircraft was received by President Claudia Sheinbaum on June 30, and the second arrived on August 8.

The first unit arrived at AIFA on June 30, one year after the company announced its fleet renewal plan.

“Mexicana de Aviación carried out the signing of a contract with Embraer for the acquisition of 20 new aircraft: 10 E190-E2 aircraft with 108 seats and 10 E195-E2 aircraft with 132 seats, both with a single-class design. The delivery of the aircraft will begin in the second quarter of 2025,” Mexicana reported.

The airline detailed that it will be the first operator of Embraer E2 aircraft in Mexico, which feature state-of-the-art technology. Consequently, the state airline will increment and modernize its fleet to strengthen connectivity for more cities to various national and international destinations.

Priscilla Doro Solymossy, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Latin America and the Caribbean of Embraer Commercial Aviation, welcomed Mexicana and acknowledged its success.

“The rapid growth that this airline has achieved since its restart of operations in December 2023 has been remarkable; flying to 18 destinations, transporting more than 115,000 passengers, and accumulating more than 3,280 hours in this short period, which reflects Mexicana's commitment to operational excellence and customer service,” said Solymossy.

Fleet Transition Plan

Throughout 2025, Mexicana de Aviación will return four aircraft that were loaned to it by the Secretariat of National Defense for its operations.

This was announced by Leobardo Ávila Bojórquez, Director General of Mexicana de Aviación, during the morning press conference of President Claudia Sheinbaum on July 16.

“We are following our strategic plan… we are serving 14 destinations. As the new fleet of Embraer aircraft is integrated, and we obviously have five, it is very important to highlight that five aircraft are being integrated and we will be operating four. The aircraft that are on loan from the Defense Secretariat will be returned to the Secretariat of National Defense,” detailed the general.

The federal official stated that the return of the planes is so that Sedena can attend to matters of National Security, while a “perfectly defined” plan for route expansion is in place for 2026.

“To enhance that connectivity to different regions such as Hermosillo, Ciudad Obregón, is very important. We have also been asked about Puerto Peñasco… but several destinations are indeed considered, they also deserve attention and national connectivity,” emphasized Ávila Bojórquez.

At the end of 2023, the state company began operations with three aircraft on loan from Sedena; as operations advanced, two more were integrated. On December 5 of that year, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) informed that Mexicana would “take off” with the Defense units, which were to be two Boeing 737-800 models and one 737-300 model, the latter with an age of over 15 years.