Líneas Aéreas Azteca

Líneas Aéreas Azteca
IATA ICAO Callsign
ZE LCD LINEAS AZTECA
Founded 2000
Commenced operations 2001
Ceased operations 2007
Hubs Mexico City International Airport
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Int'l Airport
Focus cities Gen. Mariano Escobedo Int'l Airport
Gen. Abelardo L. Rodríguez Int'l Airport
Fleet size 9
Destinations 19
Parent company Líneas Aéreas Azteca S.A. de C.V.
Headquarters Mexico City, Mexico, Mexico
Key people Pablo Francisco Patricio Gonzalez-Ulloa y Gonzalez. (President & CEO)
Website http://www.aazteca.com.mx

Líneas Aéreas Azteca [ˈlineas aˈeɾeas asˈteka] was an airline based in Mexico City, Mexico. It operated domestic scheduled services and international services to the USA. Its main base was Mexico City International Airport, with a hub at General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport, Tijuana.[1]

Operations of the airline were suspended by the government in March 2007 due to safety problems, and in October 2007 the Mexican government cancelled its concession of flying because the company hadn't fixed those problems, it was fined USD $417,000 for failing to correct the problems or refund airfare for canceled flights to consumers.[2]

History

The airline was established on May 9, 2000 and started operations on June 1, 2001 operating domestic services with Boeing 737 aircraft. It started up after TAESA closed down and some of the staff and assets were taken over.[1]

Under the name Azteca Airlines, the airline was a member of the Airlines Reporting Corporation. Líneas Aéreas Azteca has actively sought to expand international routes into the United States. In 2003, Azteca contributed a small amount to traffic through Ontario International Airport, California, constituting ~0.5% of passenger traffic in each of January and October.

Acapulco Travel & Tours (Orange County, Acatravel.com) reports that as of January 20, 2006, Azteca Airlines S.A. de C.V. is now a participating e-ticket carrier. This information may lead to a new layout of www.aazteca.com.mx, which is in construction and which currently does not offer online ticket issuance.

During the first two months of 2007, the airline transported 113,592 passengers, or 2.3% of total passengers in Mexico. Routes operated by Azteca are covered by 13 other airlines.[3]

Operations suspended in March 2007

Following weeks of speculation about the airlines' financial situation, on 26 March 2007, the Secretariat of Communications & Transport of Mexico (SCT) issued a 90-day operations-desist claim that will immediately halt the operations of the airline in order for it to respond to its financial credit, personnel training and aircraft maintenance issues.[4] The air operators certificate was suspended for safety reasons. An inspection carried out March 5–23, 2007 brought several deficiencies to light, including some in safety procedures and the periodic qualification of pilots, ground crew and maintenance personnel. The airline has 90 days to comply with regulations.[5]

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) suspended Líneas Aéreas Azteca from participation in their worldwide Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) operations on March 27, 2007, following the suspension of its operations by the Mexican civil aviation authorities.[6]

The suspension left thousands of passengers with unusable tickets. Azteca is in debt to Mexico City's airport and to its airplane lessor. A lessor temporarily seized one of Azteca's planes in February 2007 in the United States. The suspension of flights is said to affect up to 25,000 tickets. The airline flies to 19 Mexican destinations and Los Angeles, but is apparently authorized to fly 50 routes. Five of the airline's nine aircraft were out of day-to-day service when the suspension was announced.[7]

End of the operations

Líneas Aéreas Azteca, according to the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) of the Secretariat of Communications and Transport, ceased operations on October 10, 2007, for not having a good financial statement, after the suspension on March 2007.

Destinations served

Mexico

United States

Fleet

The Líneas Aéreas Azteca fleet consisted on the following aircraft:[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 106.
  2. ↑ Mexican Grounded Airline Is Fined
  3. ↑ "Líneas Aéreas Azteca airline service suspended". Mr.News.Mx. 2007-03-27. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  4. ↑ "Mexico halts Azteca airline on safety concerns". USA Today. 2007-03-27. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
  5. ↑ "Mexico suspends AOC of Líneas Aéreas Azteca". Aviation Safety Network News Item. 2007-03-26. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  6. ↑ "Líneas Aéreas Azteca". IATA Pressroom. 2007-03-29. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  7. ↑ Reuters (2007-03-27). "Mexico halts Azteca airline on safety concerns". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
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