Mexicana (XN, México City Felipe Angeles) has signed a deal with Embraer to acquire 20 new aircraft composed of ten E190-E2s and ten E195-E2s, the airline and the manufacturer announced in separate statements.
The regional jets will be delivered starting in the second quarter of 2025. The E190-E2s will have capacity for 108 passengers, while the E195s will have 132 seats.
Once it introduces the E2s into commercial service, Mexicana will be the first operator of the E-Jets in Mexico. “With this strategic decision, the Mexican State Airline will increase and modernise its fleet to strengthen the connectivity of more cities with diverse domestic and international destinations,” said the carrier.
So far, the state-owned, military-run airline has been operating with a fleet composed of five wet-leased aircraft: three B737-800s from the Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Mexicana) and two E145s from TAR Aerolíneas (YQ, Querétaro). However, its parent entity - Grupo Aeroportuario, Ferroviario, de Servicios Auxiliares y Conexos, Olmeca-Maya-Mexica, S.A. de C.V. (GAFSACOMM) - recently requested the country’s finance ministry (Secretaría de Hacienda) for MXN20.87 billion pesos (USD1.75 billion) to acquire new aircraft.
The carrier has had trouble finding airframes on the secondary market (and it is involved in a breach-of-contract case after being sued for USD10 million by SAT Aero Holdings), thus forcing it to look elsewhere, even mooting a possible Boeing order along the way.
Mexicana recently disclosed a 1,130% increase in budgetary support. It is reported that it will likely have to depend on government subsidisation until at least 2027.
