Aeromexico Reveals United States Expansion

In May 2021, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2. With this, airlines from Mexico couldn’t add any new routes to the United States. Finally in September 2023, the FAA once again upgraded Mexico to a Category 1 rating, meaning that Mexican airlines can finally add new routes to the United States.

Unsurprisingly, Aeromexico has just announced a significant expansion to the United States, which will see the airline adding 17 new routes.

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Aeromexico adding 17 new routes to United States

In 2024, Aeromexico plans to launch 17 new routes to the United States, departing from seven airports in Mexico to nine airports in the United States. The airline will be using many of the more than 50 new aircraft that it has added to its fleet in the past two years to facilitate this growth.

By July 2024, Aeromexico intends to operate nearly 60 daily frequencies to the United States to a total of 36 destinations, representing a 35% increase compared to departures in 2023. While we don’t yet have exact launch dates, frequencies, or schedules, here are the 17 new routes we can expect:

• Bajio (BJX) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Bajio (BJX) to Detroit (DTW)
• Guadalajara (GDL) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Guadalajara (GDL) to Detroit (DTW)
• Merida (MID) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Mexico City Benito Juarez (MEX) to Boston (BOS)
• Mexico City Benito Juarez (MEX) to Detroit (DTW)
• Mexico City Benito Juarez (MEX) to Salt Lake City (SLC)
• Mexico City Benito Juarez (MEX) to Washington (IAD)
• Mexico City Felipe Angeles (NLU) to Dallas (DFW)
• Mexico City Felipe Angeles (NLU) to McAllen (MFE)
• Monterrey (MTY) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Monterrey (MTY) to Los Angeles (LAX)
• Monterrey (MTY) to New York (JFK)
• Monterrey (MTY) to Salt Lake City (SLC)
• Queretaro (QRO) to Atlanta (ATL)
• Queretaro (QRO) to Detroit (DTW)

This expansion makes a lot of sense

Keep in mind that not only does Delta own a stake in Aeromexico, but the two airlines also have a joint venture between the United States and Mexico, meaning they can coordinate routes, schedules, and even fares.

It’s exciting to see Aeromexico finally adding more capacity to the United States, now that it’s allowed to. As far as these routes go:

• A majority of these routes are to Delta hubs, and feed into Delta’s network; this is particularly true for the Atlanta, Detroit, and Salt Lake City routes, and also (to a lesser extent) true for Boston, Los Angeles, and New York (though those markets are more about point-to-point demand)
• The service out of Mexico City’s new Felipe Angeles Airport is intended to serve some point-to-point markets with significant demand, without using up an slots from Mexico City’s main Benito Juarez Airport
• The Mexico City to Washington route isn’t to a Delta hub, but that seems like it fills a gap that exists in Aeromexico’s network

Bottom line

For the first time in well over two years, Aeromexico is expanding to the United States. The airline is adding a total of 17 new routes from seven airports in Mexico to nine airports in the United States. For the most part, these are services to Delta hubs, which makes sense, given the joint venture between the carriers. So really this is just as much growth for Delta as it is for Aeromexico.

What do you make of Aeromexico’s new service to the United States?