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Textron Aviation delivers the first flagship Cessna Citation Longitude registered in Mexico

WICHITA, Kansas (BUSINESS WIRE) – Textron (NYSE: TXT) Aviation today announced that it has delivered the first flagship Cessna Citation Longitude super-midsize business jet registered in Mexico to a customer who plans to utilize the aircraft for business travel throughout Mexico and North America. The Longitude received certification from the Mexican Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) in 2022.

The Citation Longitude incorporates the latest technologies throughout the aircraft like integrated autopilot, autothrottles, and emergency descent mode (EDM). The aircraft is equally designed around the pilot experience, passenger comfort and overall performance, delivering an aircraft that lives up to its designation as the flagship of the Citation family of business jets. No other super-midsize business jet offers more range, greater payload or higher cruise speed at a lower direct operating cost. Longitude owners and operators in Mexico can appreciate city pairs such as Monterrey, Mexico to Asuncion, Paraguay; Toluca, Mexico to Belem, Brazil; and with only one stop, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to Tokyo, Japan.

The company recently announced that the 100th production unit of the Citation Longitude rolled out of the factory and is expected to deliver later this year.

About the Cessna Citation Longitude

The clean-sheet design of the Longitude integrates the latest technology throughout the aircraft, bringing customers the lowest direct operating cost in its class. Powered by FADEC-equipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines, the Longitude combines on-condition engine overhaul periods to best-in-class airframe intervals of 18 months / 800 hours, whichever occurs first. Textron Aviation’s full time diagnostics recording system (AReS) and 3D Technical Publications combine advanced technology to reduce maintenance downtime and overall costs to operation.

Aeromexico Starting Service Between Cancun, Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil

Cancun, Quintana Roo, August 16, 2021, – As of December 15 to April 17, 2022, Aeromexico will launch seasonal service between Cancun and São Paulo with three weekly flights and operated with its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The airline has offered service to Brazil for more than two decades, and this new route will increase the carrier’s total monthly seats offer between both countries by 43%.

Mexico is one of Brazil’s strategic markets that has shown substantial growth during the last few years, and one of the important boosters has been the tourism offer of the state of Quintana Roo. Among Cancun’s main visitors are Brazilians.

This route is in addition to the nonstop service that Aeromexico announced last week from Guadalajara and Monterrey to Madrid.

The carrier currently serves 81 domestic and international routes and continues to apply the industry’s highest health and cleanliness standards in all its operations.

Aeromexico Cargo Inaugurates Route Between Wuhan, China and Mexico City

Aeromexico Cargo inaugurated a direct route between the Wuhan-Tianhe International Airport and the Mexico City International Airport for exclusive cargo transportation. This was celebrated at an event held at Wuhan airport, in the presence of the Mexican Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, airport authorities and airline business partners.

The route will be operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which has a load capacity of more than 30 tons or 130 m3, depending on the type of cargo.

Wuhan is one of the fastest growing cities in China and has become a hub for air transport in the central region of the country. The growth of e-commerce, medical supplies and high-tech products shipping from this city to the rest of the world, has been exponential during the last year reaching more than a 500% increase. Due to its infrastructure, the Wuhan airport stood out in the first position among 22 other airports in China in the ranking of passenger transport in the country.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Aeromexico Cargo has completed more than 235 exclusive cargo flights from China to Mexico and 16 other countries, transporting more than 4,000 tons of essential medical supplies. All these operations represented more than 8,000 hours of flight and 6 million kilometers traveled, which is equivalent to travel 170 times around the world.

Aeromexico Cargo can operate in more than 40 airports in Mexico and in multiple international destinations in the US, Canada, Central and South America, Asia and Europe. The most common cargo is perishable products, live animals, high-value goods, technology, medicines, and medical supplies, among others.

Grupo Viva Aerobus Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and 2020

Mexico City, February 22, 2020. – Grupo Viva Aerobus today reported operating and financial results for 4Q20 and full year 2020, reflecting a recovery trend, amid the challenges of the pandemic, which began in the third quarter. This performance is the result of an adequate financial management, a strict expense control protecting the company’s liquidity and a responsible operational recovery which prioritizes health and safety for all passengers and staff.

During the 4Q, Viva Aerobus led the industry’s recovery, being the first airline in the Americas to resume 100% of its operational capacity, in November. Furthermore, Viva also consolidated as the first Mexican airline to grow its service at the end of the year by increasing its offer (available seats per kilometer) an 11% during December 2020 vs December 2019. In addition, the airline closed the year with 131 routes (103 domestic and 28 international), 12 more routes than the ones recorded at the end of 2019.

As a result of this recovery, added to an enhanced flexibility by permanently getting rid of charges for flight changes, Viva registered higher demand, closing 4Q20 with more than 2.9 million passengers, a 59% increase compared to 3Q2020. Moreover, the airline closed December with over one million of passengers registered, a similar figure reported in December 2019, before the pandemic.

This operational and passengers increase boosted the operating revenue to reach 3,237 million pesos in 4Q20, representing a 76.8% growth compared to 3Q20. Total operating revenue was composed 49% by fare revenue (1,589 million pesos) and 51% of ancillary revenue (1,647 million pesos). This revenue scheme represents the possibility that Viva Aerobus gives passengers to personalize their flights. Therefore, Viva takes care of their economy by offering low prices and giving the opportunity to pay only for what they need.

Due to this sequential increase in revenues, a positive EBITDAR was obtained for the second consecutive quarter, totaling 531 million pesos; this represented a sequential increase of 95% compared to 3Q20. Additionally, liquidity preservation stands out as attested in the cash and cash equivalents balance, recording 2,967 million pesos, a similar figure to the one reported in 3Q20. This reflects an assertive use of cash, taking advantage of an agile operational resumption, the support of the airline’s suppliers and the decisions to eliminate non-essential expenses.

These quarterly results softened the effects of the pandemic in the full year, considering that it was in the first half of 2020 when demand was most affected by the health emergency. Viva Aerobus registered more than 8.1 million annual passengers, a decrease of 32.4% compared to 2019. Consequently, total operating revenues reached 8,221 million pesos and EBITDAR totaled 946 million pesos, a 36.1% and 75.6% decrease, respectively.

To consult the full earnings report, please visit Viva Aerobus investor relations site: https://ri.vivaaerobus.com/en

Financial Indicators (MXN Million)4Q204Q19Ch. %20202019Ch. %
Total Revenue3,2373,728(13.2%)8,22112,874(36.1%)
EBITDAR*5311,122(52.7%)9463,875(75.6%)
EBITDAR Margin*16.4%30.1%(13.7 p.p.)11.5%30.1%(18.6 p.p.)
Operation (loss) income [EBIT]*(427)315(>100.0%)(2,619)935(>100.0%)
EBIT Margin*(13.2%)8.4%(21.6 p.p.)(31.9%)7.3%(39.1 p.p.)
Earnings Before Taxes (EBT)*(791)658(>100.0%)(3,881)579(>100.0%)
EBT Margin*(24.4%)17.7%(42.1 p.p.)(47.2%)4.5%(51.7 p.p.)
Net (loss) income*(558)420(>100.0%)(2,727)469(>100.0%)
Net Margin*(17.2%)11.3%(28.5 p.p.)(33.2%)3.6%(36.8 p.p.)

*Items not comparable with 2019 due to change in the functional currency conducted in 2020.

Operational Indicators4Q20*4Q19Ch. %2020*2019Ch. %
ASKs (million)4,3034,1533.6%11,67015,080(22.6%)
RPKs (million)3,4003,642(6.6%)9,39313,374(29.8%)
Total Passenger (thousands)2,9453,282(10.3%)8,12312,019(32.4%)
Load Factor (%)79.0%87.7%(8.7 p.p.)80.5%88.7%(8.2 p.p.)

Brazil to Lure Airlines to Fly Domestic, Taking Meetings with Three Carriers

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil is determined to lure airlines to operate domestic flights in Latin America’s largest aviation market, and is taking meetings with at least three carriers, a senior government official told Reuters.

“We are going to talk with Jet Blue, we are going to talk with Volaris, a Mexican group … we are going to talk with Sky Airline, which is Chilean,” Ronei Glanzmann, Brazil’s civil aviation secretary, told Reuters on the sidelines of the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum, an industry conference.

“These are conversations to introduce Brazil to them, they do not mean that the airlines are saying that they will come here,” he added.

Glanzmann said the meetings with Volaris and JetBlue Airways Corp <JBLU> will take place on Monday.

A representative for Sky said they had canceled their participation in the ALTA conference due to the civil unrest in Chile, but declined to comment on taking a meeting with the Brazilian government. Jet Blue and Volaris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brazil’s government has recently begun a push to open its aviation market, the largest in Latin America. Right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro has allowed foreign carriers to set up domestic carriers in the country.

Currently, Brazil’s domestic air travel market is highly concentrated among three airlines. Until earlier this year, there was a fourth player, Avianca Brasil, but the airline stopped operations in May after filing for bankruptcy operations late last year, highlighting the high risk and volatility of operating in Brazil.

Reaction to Brazil’s liberalization has been slow, but already Spanish airline group Globalia has declared its intention to operate a domestic airline in Brazil. But Glanzmann hopes others will too.

His strategy, he said, involves airlines dipping their toes in the Brazilian market first by operating international flights.

“We are working first with international routes, but we are already working so that those operations will become domestic operations in the Brazilian market,” Glanzmann said.

In the past year, four foreign low cost airlines have begun operating international flights to Brazil: JetSMART, which belongs to Indigo Partners, Sky Airline, Norwegian Air Shuttle <NWARF> and Argentina’s Flybondi.

Still, some industry watchers are skeptical that anyone will attempt to enter Brazil’s domestic market anytime soon.

“We don’t see anything changing in the short term regarding a new low cost airline operating domestically,” said Eduardo Sanovicz, who heads ABEAR, an industry group that represents Brazil’s two largest airlines. “For a company to start flying in Brazil, they will need to know that they will have the same costs as we do.”

Brazil’s carriers have long complained about high costs of operating in Brazil, especially value-added taxes on fuel that can be as high as 25%.

(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

General Motors to Restart Mexican Plants after Labor Deal Ratified

MEXICO CITY, Oct 25 (Reuters) – General Motors Co will gradually restart operations at several idled plants in Mexico beginning this weekend, after unionized workers for the U.S. automaker ratified a new labor contract, the company’s Mexican unit said on Friday.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union announced earlier on Friday that its members had formally approved a new four-year labor contract with General Motors, ending a 40-day strike with the top American automaker.

GM said that by the end of next week all of its Mexican operations should be operating normally with all employees back to work.

In a statement, GM’s Mexican unit said its Ramos Arizpe motors plant will resume operating on Saturday, while its transmissions plant and Chevrolet Blazer assembly line located at the same facility will start back up on Monday. The Ramos Arizpe facility is located in the Mexican border state of Coahuila, just south of Texas.

All of the plants located at GM’s Silao facility, in central Guanajuato state, will restart on Monday.

Thousands of Silao workers had been furloughed as anxiety grew earlier this month among residents who viewed the facility as the city’s economic anchor.

Tensions over the future of manufacturing in North America were at the heart of the striking GM workers. The debate pitted U.S. labor advocates eager to reduce Mexico’s cost advantage against Mexican trade unions fighting to protect local jobs.

The strike began in September with UAW negotiators demanding higher pay for workers, greater job security as well as a bigger share of profits and the protection of healthcare benefits.

(Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie Adler)

Mexico Fines Cancun Airport $3.7 Million over Taxi Monopoly

MEXICO CITY, Aug 22 (Reuters) – Mexico’s competition regulator said on Thursday it fined the airport at tourist hot spot Cancun $3.7 million for blocking new taxi operators, which it said reduced competition and effectively overcharged millions of passengers.

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR) , the Mexican company that runs the Cancun airport along with 15 others across Latin America, said it will challenge the ruling and the 72.5 million pesos fine.

The Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece) said that from 2010 to at least 2018, the airport gave mostly negative assessments to taxis wishing to operate at the Cancun airport, preventing them from receiving federal permits.

“By being the only entity that can lease and grant spaces for taxi access… (the airport) took various actions to prevent new participants from offering said service,” Cofece said in a statement.

As a result of the airport’s moves to limit the market, fares were marked up about 8% on average for several million trips.

The regulator did not name any of the taxi operators that were blocked from the Cancun airport.

($1 = 19.8203 Mexican pesos)

(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon Editing by Leslie Adler)

JetBlue Relocates to George Bush Intercontinental Airport

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

New York-JFK and Boston Service Begins at Bush Intercontinental October 27, 2019

Airline to Introduce Nonstop Service Between New York-JFK and San José, Costa Rica

JetBlue (JBLU) today announced that the airline’s operations in Houston will relocate from William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) later this year. The final day of flying at Hobby Airport will be October 26, 2019 and the first day of flying at Bush Intercontinental will be October 27, 2019. JetBlue plans to operate from Bush Intercontinental’s Terminal A.

Recognizing the needs of today’s tech-savvy travelers, Bush Intercontinental is committed to providing customer-focused cutting-edge technology, like interactive visitor kiosks and fast, free Wi-Fi and plenty of outlets and charging stations through the terminal. Bush Intercontinental also features a variety of local food favorites like The Breakfast Club, Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar and The Hubcap Grill, all found in Terminal A.

JetBlue regularly evaluates network performance, demand and customer feedback to strengthen its focus city strategy. The move to Bush Intercontinental is aimed at strengthening JetBlue’s relevance in New York and Boston, while also growing the carrier’s customer base in Houston where travelers love the airline’s award-winning service and competitive fares to and from the Northeast.

Customers currently booked on JetBlue flights to and from Hobby Airport on or after October 27, 2019 will be automatically rebooked on flights to and from Bush Intercontinental. JetBlue Customer Support will contact travelers in the coming days to confirm the update to their reservations. Customers who wish to do so may also request a full refund on flights scheduled after the transition date.

Connecting Costa Rica with New York-JFK

JetBlue today also announced it will introduce new nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and San José, Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) beginning November 1, 2019 (a). Service will operate three times weekly on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays.

San José – Costa Rica’s capital and largest city – is home to more than 300,000 people and boasts museums, parks, cultural spots, as well as a variety of bars and restaurants. It also serves as a central jumping off point for travelers interested in hiking, visiting rain forests or exploring national parks.

New York-JFK service in San José will complement JetBlue’s daily service between Costa Rica’s capital and the airlines’ focus cities in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. Additionally, JetBlue also offers nonstop service, including seasonal Mint flights, to Liberia, Costa Rica from the airline’s home at New York-JFK. JetBlue first began serving Costa Rica with San José service more than a decade ago in March 2009.

JetBlue will operate both Houston and San José flights using its Airbus A320 aircraft offering the airline’s award-winning service featuring the most legroom in coach (a); free Fly-Fi, the fastest broadband internet in the sky (b); complimentary and unlimited name-brand snacks and soft drinks; free, live DIRECTV® programming and 100+ channels of SiriusXM® radio at every seat.

About JetBlue Airways

JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 42 million customers a year to 100+ cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of more than 1,000 daily flights. For more information, please visit jetblue.com.

Delta & Aeromexico Celebrate Second Year of Key Partnership

Story by Sarah Lora

The two airlines have jointly transported more than 14.4 million passengers since the Joint Cooperation Agreement launched.

  • Highlights include introducing eight new routes and two new joint destinations in Mexico, strengthening the network’s power in the transborder market.
  • Airlines have eliminated 80% percent of the differences in service and standardized processes to create a seamless travel experience.

Since Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico departed together on a journey to pioneer the first transborder airline alliance between the U.S. and Mexico, more than 14.4 million passengers have benefitted from the carriers’ integration during the last two years.

Today, Delta and Aeromexico jointly offer more than 1,100 weekly flights on 64 routes between 11 cities in Mexico and 33 in the U.S. The Joint Cooperation Agreement has launched eight new routes and two new joint destinations in Mexico, and allowed terminal co-location in 12 airports in the U.S., 10 of which are Delta hubs, and three Aeromexico hubs in Mexico.

As seamless as checking in at a Delta terminal and boarding an Aeromexico plane, “our goal is creating a familiar travel experience with standards that are common across Delta and Aeromexico. This partnership and the integration of both airlines allow us to offer a more powerful network, more benefits and standard policies, which result in a seamless service,” said Nicolas Ferri, Delta’s Vice President— Latin America and Alliances Americas.

True to its word, the JCA has so far eliminated 80% of the differences in services and has standardized many processes, such as purchasing tickets online or benefitting from loyalty programs. On board, customers will find uniformity on Delta and Aeromexico cabins, seat selection and checked and carry-on baggage policies; parallel access to Gogo’s WiFi portal and free text messaging; as well as having Spanish-speaking crew members on all transborder flights.

“Although the integration of commercial processes, products, airports and sales teams has been a great challenge, communicating with a cohesive voice has facilitated that assimilation. While Delta and Aeromexico have distinct and unique looks, we respect each other and share the same vision: to provide the best of each to our customers,” said Paul Verhagen, Aeromexico’s Senior Vice President – International Sales.

Providing the best isn’t limited to the airport experience. From sponsoring the Mexican National Soccer Team to the Latin GRAMMY Acoustic Sessions in Miami, L.A. and Mexico City, Delta and Aeromexico are committed to supporting the communities they serve. The airlines aim to foster unity, diversity and to uphold corporate values through their sponsorships of a variety of sporting and cultural events in both Mexico and the United States.

“Such a historic alliance between two iconic airlines is about making travel between the two carriers easier for customers. By working together, we have shared and applied best practices and business solutions, bringing our individual strengths into the partnership,” added Ferri.

Delta and Aeromexico sales professionals have formed a fully integrated sales team dedicated to promoting both operators in the U.S. and Mexican markets. Routes have been increasingly added throughout the two years under the JCA, strengthening the power of the network in the transborder market.

Customers from Atlanta can enjoy nonstop access to nine cities in Mexico including Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. The JCA also operates direct flights from New York, Detroit, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Los Angeles to multiple business and leisure points in Mexico.

Connectivity is crucial to driving business and boosting the economy of both countries, while offering customers the possibility of discovering new experiences through Delta and Aeromexico’s distinctive service in the coming years.​

No Survivors Found in Mexico Crash of Jet Carrying 13 People

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – All 13 people aboard were killed when a private jet crashed between the U.S. city of Las Vegas and Monterrey in northern Mexico, authorities said on Monday.

The wreckage of the plane was found via aerial surveillance in a remote mountainous zone in the northern municipality of Ocampo, the government of Coahuila state said in a statement.

A photograph published on local television network Milenio showed what it said were the burnt remnants of the plane, broken into pieces, spread over charred earth.

The Coahuila government said the flight plan listed 13 people on board. It said no survivors were found.

Mexican media reported that the passengers had been to a boxing match between Mexican boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and U.S. fighter Daniel Jacobs in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The nationalities of the victims were not immediately clear. The surnames of the three crew and 10 passengers published by the Coahuila government were all Hispanic.

The victims were aged between 57 and 19, according to a version of the passenger list published in Mexican media.

Newspaper Diario de Yucatan said on its website that among the victims were 55-year-old businessman Luis Octavio Reyes Dominguez, his wife, and their three children.

In a statement, Canada’s Bombardier Inc identified the jet as a Challenger 601 and said the plane had gone missing about 150 nautical miles from the northern Mexican city of Monclova.

Expressing its condolences to the victims, the company said it had been in touch with Canada’s transportation safety board and would work with the investigating authorities.

Mexican broadcaster Televisa reported the twin-engine jet lost contact on Sunday with air traffic controllers sometime after 5:20 p.m. local time (2220 GMT) as the pilot descended to avoid a storm.

Francisco Martinez, an emergency services official in Coahuila, told Milenio recent adverse weather conditions would form part of the investigation into the crash. However, he stopped short of saying weather had caused it.

(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon, Noe Torres, Ana Isabel Martinez, David Alire Garcia and Allison Lampert; Editing by David Gregorio and Tom Brown)