Repatriations on the Rise and Commercial Flights Declining

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the arrival of 280 Mexican citizens on airplanes from the Mexican Air Force from Argentina. To date, the SRE has repatriated approximately 8,301 people from different continents since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The quarantine, which was extended by health authorities until 30 April, and the closure of beaches and other touristic places are some of the factors that have limited national flights.

Now, let’s jump into the Week in Aerospace!

NATIONAL

• Lessors have repossessed at least 27 Interjet aircraft in Mexico, according to a company that tracks leased aircraft, making the airline one of the first to lose a large portion of its fleet to the COVID-19. Moreover, the retired Airbus aircraft have flown mainly to Arizona and California, said the UK-based aviation consultant, IBA Group. 

• The Pacific Airport Group (GAP) announced this Wednesday that it will exclude 100 percent of payments for landings, parking, overnight stays and rental of spaces for airlines and complementary service providers that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic during April and May and expresses its willingness to cooperate with authorities in the emergency.

• North Central Airport Group (OMA) has announced that Aeroméxico will be the only airline in operations with the highest number of flight times. Meanwhile, Aeroméxico points out that it will resume all flights from May 1 when the pandemic situation returns to normal. Meanwhile, destinations such as Mazatlan, Durango, Saltillo, Leon, Guadalajara, Cancun, Matamoros and Poza Rica have been cancelled. 

INTERNATIONAL

• Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group prepares to launch its first Golden Bauhinia No.1 satellite. The Golden Bauhinia Constellation seeks to achieve commercial implementation and development of communications, navigation and remote sensing systems with global 24-hour online tracking and the ability to revisit key areas in less than 30 minutes using mobile target monitoring, spatial artificial intelligence and dynamic change monitoring.