The rise of the price
companies that operate in pesos may think twice before acquiring an airplane. Clients who use private aviation services operate in dollars, as the aircraft and all related services, excluding jet fuel, are valued in this currency. While our personnel is Mexican, they are trained abroad, so international economic changes even affect our staff acquisition and their professional training.

The global economic crisis has influenced our FBOs and MRO because individuals are flying less all over the world and the number of flight hours has reduced across borders.

Latin American private jet users often own their personal aircraft or they know someone who does. But these private units are not always up to par, nor are the pilot’s skills. Piracy has become our greatest competitor in Latin America although Mexico’s and Brazil’s governments are now taking matters into their own hands. Charter aircraft must be certified with an XA registration number and Mexico is one of the few countries that can recognize a unit’s legality using its license plates. Still, Mexico’s regulations must be stricter, considering the large number of aircraft in the territory. Though costs are greater for companies that respect regulations, legality across all enterprises helps the industry as a whole. There is a clear interest from the European and Middle Eastern markets for our services, reflecting global trust in Mexican aviation, but our internal structure is not yet ready for that.

Private aviation reflects the state of the economy. When it is in recession, private owners sell their aircraft and when the economy is booming, they acquire more. We have identified certain trends by country that also affect our operations. Brazil has a strong private aviation industry but their approval processes are too slow, which makes traveling to the country harder. Permits to enter Brazil have to be submitted a week in advance, much longer than the time required to enter Mexico, making the South American giant one of the most complex countries to fly into. Mexico, on the other hand, has recently strengthened its entrance policies for flights from Latin America. Flights from those locations have to make a mandatory stop in Cozumel or Tapachula. The only way to avoid this stopover is by acquiring a Safe Flight certification and by certifying all the passengers and crew members. We ensure that all our passengers have this paperwork to simplify their trips.