CUSTOMER PROFILE DREAM FLEET First 787 ushers in ambitious fleet revitalization for Mexico’s global airline By Jim Proulx BOEING FRONTIERS / NOVEMBER 2013 53 Aeromexico has long been at the forefront of aviation in Mexico. As the flag carrier for that Latin American nation, Aeromexico founded and grew commercial aviation in the country beginning in 1934, and it has established a long and vital history for the region. And it is now leading the way into the next era for a new generation of passengers in Mexico and around the world. The airline has embarked on a fleet revitalization strategy that will give Aeromexico one of the most modern, advanced fleets in the industry over the next several years—including the 787 Dreamliner. “Aeromexico has led the way in aviation in Latin America, and is stepping forward to lead the world,” said Van Rex Gallard, vice president, Sales, Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean, for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. At a ceremony in August at Paine Field in Everett, Wash., Aeromexico took delivery of its first 787, bringing more than 100 of its company leaders, shareholders and key customers along, then flying them home in the brand-new airplane. And when the 787 arrived in Mexico City, it was greeted by a daylong celebration, including a media show, employee tours and a gala that featured a laser-light display. “This is a win-win situation for everybody,” Aeromexico Chief Executive Andres Conesa said about the introduction of the 787 into the airline’s fleet. “For the consumers, we will have simply the best product you can offer—the best in the world, there is nothing better. For the crews we will have the best working environment. And for the shareholders, we will have the best economics, and that’s key for them.” The delivery was the culmination of a series of landmarks in Aeromexico’s effort to build one of the most advanced fleets in the sky, a fleet that carries more than 14 million passengers every year around Mexico and the world. After committing to the Dreamliner in 2006, Aeromexico is now aiming to build a fleet of 19 787s, with plans to use the airplane on routes connecting Mexico City with destinations around the world, according to Conesa. The airline’s plans for the 787 include such destinations as New York, Paris and Tokyo. Aeromexico also has called on Boeing to help renew its single-aisle fleet. The carrier committed in the summer of 2012 to 90 737 MAX airplanes, along with 10 787-9s. That major order was yet another renewal of a 50-year relationship with Boeing, which dates back to the airline’s first DC-8 order in 1960 with heritage company Douglas Aircraft. Since then, Aeromexico’s Eagle Knight emblem has graced a range of Boeing-family products, including the DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, 737, 757, 767, 777 and now the 787. “It’s a relationship that has been a cornerstone for both companies,” Boeing’s Gallard noted. “We’re looking forward to working with this great carrier for decades to come.” n jim.proulx@boeing.com PHOTO: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Aeromexico livery. ED TURNER/BOEING
Frontiers November 2013 Issue
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