Mexico's Air Connectivity Soars in 2019: AFAC

In its latest industry report, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) says that Mexico created 331 new international air routes, which have transported 683,000 passengers on 6,996 flights, under the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. These numbers are expected to continue rising once the Category 1 status is recovered, as it will allow Mexican airlines to open new flights to the US.

According to information from the AFAC and the Ministry of Tourism (SECTUR), the routes created between 2019 and 2022 have brought an estimated US$733 million in economic revenue. In 2019, 82 new international air routes were created, 58 of them to the North American region, seven to the EU, 16 to the Central, South American and Caribbean region and one to Asia, said Miguel Torruco Marqués, Minister of Tourism, in a press release. 

Only 5% of Mexicans travel to South America, according to South America holds great potential since, according to figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Therefore, airlines such as Grupo LATAM are seeking ways to increase the number of Mexicans traveling to South America, says Diana Olivares Abrego, General Director Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, LATAM Airlines. 

Nine national airlines operated domestic flights in the 2019-2022 period, of which Volaris, Viva Aerobus and Aeroméxico stood out. In 2022, Volaris transported 23.44 million passengers, 39.7% more than in 2019 and 28% more than in 2021. Viva Aerobus transported 17.38 million passengers, which represents a growth of 60.8% and 38.1% compared to 2019 and 2021, respectively. Meanwhile, Aeroméxico transported 10.29 million passengers, 87.3% more than in 2019 and 44.7% more than in 2021.