Major Interjet Shareholder Arrested: the Week in Aerospace

A major shareholder of Interjet was arrested by local authorities in Mexico City. Airlines have expressed they have 'no desire' to operate in Santa Lucia airport but Mexico City International Airport (AICM) announced it will respect its operational limits. Meanwhile, FAMEX 2021 changes locations again.

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FAMEX 2021 Announces Location Change

Queretaro’s government suspended the latest edition of the Mexico Aerospace Fair (FAMEX), which was meant to be held at Queretaro’s Intercontinental Airport, given the raise in COVID-19 cases. Organizers decided to move the event back to Santa Lucia military base.

Concerns Arise as Mexico Works to Regain Category 1

Mexico continues to explore solutions to recover the lost Category 1 grade after the FAA downgraded the country’s airspace earlier this year. However, there are no certainties to whether this will be possible for 2022 as several obstacles continue to derail the country’s plan. The downgrade of the Mexican airspace category was a tough blow for the industry but the Federal Government expected a swift bounce back.

Alejandro del Valle, Major Interjet Shareholder Arrested

Mexico City authorities arrested Alejandro Del Valle, who owns 90.4 percent of Interjet's shares. Known charges are related to fiscal debt through one of Interjet's holdings. The airline remains in strike with no flights since December 11.

Air Canada has No Plans to Operate in Santa Lucia

New Felipe Angeles International Airport at Santa Lucia, State of Mexico, has yet to meet a foreign airline willing to operate at the new terminal. Air Canada announced via a press conference with Luis Noriege Benet that it “is not contemplating the new airport at the moment, there are studies missing," said Benet.

Mexico City International Airport To Keep Strict Operation Control

AICM will respect the 61 operations per hour to prevent airport saturation and to push airlines to choose the new airport at Santa Lucia. Even though airport operations are yet to return to 2019 levels, the airport administration announced it will not allow more than 61 operations per hour with a maximum of 40 arrivals. Records show that up to 70 operations per hour are regularly conducted.