Aviation History
Mexico has one of the oldest aviation traditions in the Americas: Mexicana de Aviación was founded in 1921, and Aeronaves de México, later Aeroméxico, followed in 1934 and eventually became the flag carrier. Both major airlines passed through periods of state control and privatization amid Mexico's economic upheavals of the 1980s, and the 2000s brought a wave of low-cost carriers that reshaped domestic travel. The industry has also weathered major shocks, including Mexicana's 2010 bankruptcy after 89 years of operation and Aeroméxico's 2020-2022 Chapter 11 restructuring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regulatory oversight has been a recurring theme: the US FAA downgraded Mexico's safety rating in 2021 (restored in 2023), and Mexico City's airport infrastructure was reshaped when the partially built NAICM project was cancelled in 2018 in favor of the military-operated AIFA, which opened in 2022.
Compañía Mexicana de Aviación (CMA) was established, becoming one of the oldest continuously recognized airline brands in the Americas.
The airline that would become Aeroméxico was founded, later growing into Mexico's flag carrier.
Following a period of state intervention during Mexico's 1980s debt crisis, Mexicana and Aeroméxico were restructured and returned to private ownership.
Volaris began operations as one of Mexico's first ultra-low-cost carriers, part of a wave that included Interjet and expanded affordable domestic air travel.
Mexicana, one of the world's oldest airlines, shut down amid bankruptcy after 89 years of continuous operation.
Aeroméxico sought US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid pandemic-driven losses, emerging restructured with new ownership in 2022.
The US FAA lowered Mexico's aviation safety rating over oversight deficiencies, restricting Mexican carriers from adding new US routes; the rating was restored to Category 1 in 2023.
A new Mexico City-area airport built and operated by the military opened, after the earlier NAICM project at Texcoco was cancelled in 2018.
Aeroméxico · Volaris · Viva Aerobus · Interjet (defunct) · Mexicana de Aviación (historic; relaunched 2023 under new ownership)
General aviation-history and news sources; Mexico's FAA safety category, AIFA traffic growth, and the relaunched Mexicana's operating status are time-sensitive and should be reverified for the latest status.