Aeromexico Launches New Service to Raleigh-Durham Int'l Airport

DALLAS — Aeromexico (AM) plans to expand its presence in the U.S. market by introducing a daily flight route on July 1, 2024, between Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Mexico City Airport (MEX). AM will operate this route using an Embraer E190 aircraft.

As airlinegeeks.com reports, this announcement was made in the latest Cirum Diio schedule update on Friday evening. Raleigh, which is a focus city for Delta Air Lines (DL), has experienced significant growth in air service over the past year, with the addition of airlines like Air France (AF), Lufthansa (LH), and Icelandair (FI).

At the start of October, AM and DL unveiled plans to enhance their partnership by introducing 17 new routes from various airports in Mexico to nine destinations in the United States. By the first week of November, AM had already announced a new daily year-round nonstop service between MEX and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), also starting on July 1, 2024.

Seizing the Moment

After a two-year plus hiatus, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reinstated Mexico’s category 1 aviation safety rating, which now allows Mexican-based airlines to expand their network to the United States of America.

The Mexican airline market is dominated by rapidly growing low-cost carriers such as Volaris (Y4) and Viva Aerobus (VB). This market has recently undergone liberalization, with a total of 79.9 million passengers served by the Mexican market from January to August 2023.

However, Aeromexico (AM), the national flag carrier, remains the sole full-service operator in the country and leads the international front. It is also the only airline that operates widebody aircraft on long-haul routes.

The airline's expanded route network will include flights connecting MEX to major U.S. cities such as Boston, Detroit, Salt Lake City, and Washington, D.C. Additionally, Mexico City Felipe Angeles International Airport (NLU) will offer flights to McAllen International Airport (MFE) and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Texas.

Featured image: Aeromexico Connect XA-GAI Embraer E190. Photo: Luke Ayers/Airways

https://airwaysmag.com/aeromexico-growth-plans-faa-cat-1/