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Aeromar

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For the Dominican Republic airline, see Aeromar Líneas Aéreas Dominicanas.
Aeromar
IATA ICAO Callsign
VW TAO AEROMAR
FoundedJanuary 29, 1987 (1987-01-29)
Commenced operationsNovember 5, 1987 (1987-11-05)
Ceased operationsFebruary 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
AOC #TVRF761K[1]
HubsMexico City International Airport
Secondary hubsGuadalajara International Airport
Frequent-flyer program
Fleet size9
Destinations15
Parent companyGrupo Aeromar
HeadquartersMexico City, Mexico
Key peopleLic. Fernando Flores (President)
Websiteaeromar.mx/en

Transportes Aeromar, S.A. de C.V, doing business as Aeromar, was a Mexican airline that operated scheduled domestic services in Mexico and international services to the United States, and Cuba. Its main base was Mexico City International Airport.[2][3]

The airline ceased all operations on February 15, 2023, following a financial collapse.[4]

History

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Foundation and development

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The airline was established on January 29, 1987, and started operations on November 7, 1987, as Transportes Aeromar.[citation needed]

It was owned by Grupo Aeromar (a private company) (99.99%) and had 864 employees in July 2010.[2] On April 1, 2010, Aeromar signed a commercial alliance with Continental Airlines. Aeromar then announced it would lease two Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets. These twin-jet aircraft were subsequently removed from the airline's fleet.[citation needed]

On August 30, 2010, Aeromar and Continental Airlines announced a frequent flyer partnership that allowed each carrier's passengers to earn and redeem miles on either airline. In addition, Continental international first and business class passengers, Presidents Club members, and Star Alliance Gold customers were able to access Aeromar's Salon Aeromar lounge in Mexico City at that time. When Continental Airlines merged into United Airlines, the codeshare agreement was transferred over to United.[5]

As of 2018, Avianca had expressed interest in acquiring or merging with Aeromar to become "Avianca Mexico".[6] The airline awaited a 100 million USD injection from Avianca's parent company, Synergy Group.[7] Avianca would've had to first acquire up to 49% of the airline over the next five months.[8] The deal did not go through.[9]

Demise

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As of 2023, it was reported that the airline was $600 million USD in debt, primarily due to efforts to avoid a Mexican government financial collapse, and faced the possibility of cessation of operations after February 14, 2023.[10] Operations have declined since 2020, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] At the same time, reports also emerged that Brazilian start-up carrier Nella Linhas Aéreas had acquired Aeromar, according to logo updates on its official website and social platforms.[11][10] The deal was reported to be pending, but would not proceed if debts were not canceled by the Mexican Federal Government.[9]

Aeromar announced on February 15, 2023, the definitive cessation of its operations, due to financial problems, after 35 years of flying uninterruptedly in Mexico, the United States, and Cuba.[citation needed] Aeromar owes over MX$5 billion pesos (US$268 million) to different creditors, including the Mexican authorities.[12] Several laid off employees have been offered jobs for airlines such as Aeroméxico, Aerus, and Volaris.[13][14]

Destinations

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Main article: List of Aeromar destinations

Codeshare agreements

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On February 1, 2011, Aeromar and Continental Airlines implemented codesharing on all routes at Aeromar's hub in Mexico City International Airport. Aeromar then started operating additional domestic services such as flights to Durango, Matamoros, Ixtapa, and Piedras Negras; and announced it would re-evaluate its international services. Currently, the only international destination served by the airline is McAllen, Texas although Aeromar previously served Austin, Texas and San Antonio, Texas. When Continental Airlines merged into United Airlines, the codeshare agreement was transferred over to United.[5]

On August 1, 2019, Aeromar and Turkish Airlines signed a codeshare agreement, after the latter carrier commenced operations to Mexico City.[15][16] On August 3, 2021, Aeromar and Emirates signed an interline partnership that will provide customers with connectivity between destinations in Mexico and the United States through Mexico City with the Emirates global network.[17] On March 29, 2022, Aeromar and Air Canada signed an interline agreement to boost connectivity between Mexico and Canada. The agreement was planned to grow by the summer season.[18]

Fleet

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Aeromar ATR 72-600
Aeromar Bombardier CRJ200

Over the years, the Aeromar fleet consisted the following aircraft:[19][20][21]

Aeromar fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
ATR 42-300 3 1988 1997
ATR 42-320 8 1991 2018
ATR 42-500 12 1998 2021
ATR 42-600 3 2016 2023
ATR 72-600 8 2016 2023
Bombardier CRJ200 3 2010 2015
IAI Arava 1 1987 1993

Fleet development

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In early 2015, Aeromar decided to remove its Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet aircraft from operations. The airline then supplemented its fleet of fifteen ATR 42 turboprops with two new larger ATR 72-600 aircraft.[22] In November 2016, the airline ordered eight new ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft and optioned another six ATR 72s.[23] Aeromar's first ATR 42-600 was handed over by the airframer in December 2016.[24]

Services

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Frequent Flyer Programs

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Aeromar participated in the United Airlines MileagePlus program and the Air Canada Aeroplan program, despite not being owned by United Airlines Holdings or Air Canada, nor being a member of Star Alliance, of which those airlines are currently a member.[5]

Airport lounges

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Salon Aeromar was Aeromar's private airport lounge.[25][26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Aeromar Air Operators Certificate". av-info.faa.gov/detail.asp?. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 49.
  3. ^ "DIRECTORIO DE OFICINAS DE VENTAS Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine." Aeromar. August 16, 2007. 3/7. "CORPORATIVO MEXICO Hangar No. 1 Zona "D" Col. Federal 15620 México, D. F."
  4. ^ "Hit by pandemic, small Mexican airline Aeromar shuts down". KRGV.com. MOBILE VIDEO TAPES, INC. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Fly with Aeromar". United Airlines. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Avianca seeks to rename Aeromar as Avianca Mexico". 2018-03-04.
  7. ^ "Colombian airline Avianca Holdings files for bankruptcy". 10 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Aeromar: Se acorta a 5 meses el plazo de Avianca para invertir". 24 May 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Aeromar al borde bancarrota". AIRGWAYS (in Spanish). AIRGWAYS. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  10. ^ a b Ferreira, Carlos (2 February 2023). "Nella estaria com novo projeto, que pode ser a salvação da mexicana Aeromar". Aeroin (in Portuguese). AEROIN. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  11. ^ a b Villanueva, Dora; Laureles, Jared (3 February 2023). "Eventual rescue of Aeromar by Nella Airlines advances". La Jordana (in Spanish). DEMOS, Desarrollo de Medios, S.A. de C.V. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Aeromar announces the definitive cessation of its operations to Puerto Vallarta and other flights in Mexico and the United States". Vallarta Daily News. Vallarta Daily News. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Aeromar estuvo mal administrada, pero los dueños no quiebran: ALMO". El CEO (in Spanish). elceo.com. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  14. ^ "New Mexican airline set to launch next month". Mexico News Daily. Tavana LLC. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  15. ^ "News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry | CAPA".
  16. ^ "Aeromar se alía a Turkish Airlines tras su aterrizaje en México". August 2019.
  17. ^ "Emirates and Aeromar sign interlineal partnership". EnElAire (in Spanish). August 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  18. ^ Casey, David (30 March 2022). "Air Canada, Aeromar Seek To Boost Canada-Mexico Connectivity". Routes Online. Informa PLC. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Aeromar Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  20. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 21.
  21. ^ "Aeromar". Aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  22. ^ "Aeromar". Airliner World: 15. March 2015.
  23. ^ "Aeromar signs for 8 firm ATR 72-600 series aircraft". ATR. November 2016. Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  24. ^ Blachly, Linda (16 December 2016). "Mexico's Aeromar takes delivery of first ATR 42-600". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016.
  25. ^ "Aeromar Lounge | Aeromar". Archived from the original on 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
  26. ^ "Aeromar Salon Diamante - Terminal 2 - MEX".
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Media related to Aeromar at Wikimedia Commons

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