Mexico's Army-Run Airline, Mexicana, Launches First Flight

President López Obrador Hails Launch as 'Historic Event' in Expanding Military's Role in Economy

Mexico's army-run airline, Mexicana, launched its first flight from Mexico City to the resort of Tulum, marking a significant expansion of the military's role in the country's economy.
The airline's military-run holding company also operates a dozen airports, hotels, trains, the country's customs service and tourist parks.
Mexicana plans to carry tourists from Mexican cities to resorts like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco and Mazatlan, with flights scheduled every three or four days, largely on weekends.
The airline began operations with three Boeing jets and two smaller leased Embraer planes, and hopes to lease or acquire five more jets in early 2024.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called the launch a 'historic event' and a 'new stage,' marking the return of the formerly government-run airline Mexicana, which had been privatized, then went bankrupt and finally closed in 2010.