This weekend, Grupo Aeromexico received its first Boeing 737 MAX 9, registration XA-IMH. Going forward, the Mexican carrier will see a surge in deliveries both of 737 MAX 9 and 737NG units, according to its CEO, Andrés Conesa. Let’s investigate further.
The first MAX 9 in the block
As of March 31, 2021, Grupo Aeromexico had a fleet of 106 aircraft. It possessed six 737 MAX units (all -8) and 35 Boeing 737 NG (composed of five B737-700 and 30 B737-800).
The airline still has an order for 23 MAX and four B787-9 Dreamliner units, as recently reported.
Last Friday, Andrés Conesa posted a message on its LinkedIn account. He said,
“I’m very proud to share with you that, in the next few days, we will receive our first five Boeing 737 of the 24 that we have on order.”
He added that these five aircraft will be both 737-9 MAX and 737-NG. Once these arrive, Aeromexico’s fleet would increase to 111, at least during this quarter.
According to Aeromexico, it will receive three MAX-9 brand new and two 737NG that had previous owners. One of the latter flew with Norwegian Air Shuttle, with registration 2-NNGG, according to Planespotters.net.
With the new planes, “we will continue operating with the most modern, efficient and eco-friendly aircraft, applying the highest safety standards in the industry, connecting our clients with Mexico and the world,” added Conesa.
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Where will these planes fly?
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico’s air safety rating to Category 2. For the four Mexican carriers that operate passenger flights to the US, this means trouble.
For example, none of these operators will launch new routes to the US or increase their capacity on existing routes. This means airlines won’t be able to add frequencies or change planes adjusting to the changing demand.
Therefore, Aeromexico will not be able to use its brand new 737 MAX-9 on routes to the US. At least not for now (Mexico hopes to exit from Category 2 as soon as possible).
Most likely, Aeromexico will use its brand new planes on Mexico’s highly contested routes. It will deploy the MAX-9 on routes from Mexico City to Cancun and Tijuana, for instance.
As demand picks up and borders open, Aeromexico could use its MAX-9 to cover some routes to South America and even Canada.
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Does Aeromexico need more capacity right now?
Before the FAA’s announcement, Mexico was quickly recovering from the COVID-19 crisis. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) even said that the Mexican airline industry will recover 100% of its domestic passengers before 2021 ends.
Nevertheless, most of this recovery has come from Mexico’s low-cost operators, Volaris and Viva Aerobus.
Meanwhile, Aeromexico is bouncing back but at a slower pace. Moreover, it is facing a bankruptcy process under Chapter 11, and it is cutting costs as quickly and effectively as possible. The airline has already rejected several leasing contracts, and it is expected to continue this trend.
While it is still unclear, maybe adding the three new 737 MAX 9 and two 737 NG means Aeromexico will exit some of its older units. I’m looking at those five 737-700.
According to ch-aviation’s database, four of the 737-700 are parked. The average age of this fleet is 16.6 years old, while Aeromexico’s whole fleet is 7.8 years old.
Would you like to fly onboard Aeromexico’s new 737 MAX-9? Let us know in the comments.
