Tulum, Q.R. — Mexico’s Mexicana de Aviación made its inaugural flight into the Tulum International Airport Tuesday five hours later than scheduled. The flight was delayed due to heavy fog.
While the plane left Mexico City on time, it was diverted to Merida where it sat for more than five hours while airport authorities in Tulum waited for the fog to lift. The plane was finally able to land at Tulum at 1:28 p.m.
The flight marks the restart of the airline after more than 13 years of being inoperative. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says the airline will cover 20 destinations, including destinations not covered by commercial airlines.
On Tuesday, Mexicana de Aviación began to cover 14 routes in the country. Another four destinations will be added that will cover the main destinations in Mexico, López Obrador reported.
The airline will be managed by the Ministry of Defense (Sedena) through the Olmeca–Maya–Mexica airport, railway and auxiliary services group. This group already has under its responsibility the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), in the State of Mexico, the Tulum and Chetumal airfields in Quintana Roo and those of Campeche, Puebla and Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas.
Upon the restart of Mexicana de Aviación, President López Obrador said it is the result of the rescue undertaken by his Government which promoted agreements and repaired damage committed in previous six-year terms against former company workers.
“Mexicana de Aviación flies again. This is an emblematic, historic airline which during the Fox government was privatized. (…) The important thing is that this Mexican airline is rescued after acts of corruption and these deliveries of public goods to individuals,” he reported.
The president indicated that the new airline of the people of Mexico will be strengthened in the remainder of his six-year term under the administration of the Secretariat of National Defense through the Airport, Railway, Auxiliary and Related Services Group Olmeca-Maya-Mexica.
“We are going to consolidate this line in the time we have left in the Presidency. We are sure that those who are going to replace us will finish the work of strengthening Mexicana de Aviación,” he added.
The first Mexicana de Aviación passengers flight took off Tuesday destined for the Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in Tulum. The Tulum airport will be Mexicana’s secondary base of operations.
