The Mexican aviation industry continues performing strongly in 2023. Between January and May, the country had 48.46 million passengers, with 25.25 million being carried in the domestic segment and 23.20 million in the international market. Volaris leads the way in the domestic market, while Aeroméxico, American Airlines, Volaris, and United Airlines lead internationally.

A strong performance

Mexico had 48.46 million passengers in the first five months of 2023. That number is a 17% increase compared to the same period last year. Nonetheless, the gap between one year and the other has been closing due to the fact that Mexico faced a COVID-19 wave in January and February 2022, which decreased the number of passengers the country could receive.

As a comparison, in January 2022, Mexico had 7.52 million passengers, while in January 2023, it had 9.93 million, a 32% increase. In May 2022, Mexico had 8.89 million passengers versus 9.50 million in May 2023, a 7% increase. It is unlikely Mexico will maintain the double-digit growth when the year ends.

Domestically, Mexico had 25.25 million passengers between January and May 2023. The market was led by Volaris, with 10.21 million passengers. Viva Aerobus followed with 7.81 million passengers, and then Aeromexico with 6.94 million. The country also has small regional carriers called Aéreo Calafia, Aerus, Magnicharters, and Transportes Aéreos Regionales. Aeromar, a former ATR-based company, ceased operations in February.

Internationally, Mexico had 23.20 million passengers in this period. The largest international operator in the country is not a Mexican airline. Nope. American Airlines remain the strongest carrier in the country, with 3.23 million passengers in 2023. Aeromexico followed with 2.66 million passengers, and then Volaris with 2.31 million, and United Airlines with 2.29 million passengers.

Other key carriers in the international market are Delta Air Lines with 1.94 million passengers, Southwest with 1.039 million, and Copa Airlines with 561,511 passengers.

An update on Mexico’s Category 2 status

Mexico became, in 2023, the strongest Latin American aviation market, surpassing Brazil for the first time in history. Mexico did this despite being downgraded to Category 2 status by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The downgrade took place in May 2021, and Mexico has not been able to regain Category 1 status so far. According to experts, this has caused an impact of over one billion dollars on Mexican carriers, which have not been able to open new routes to the United States, among other sanctions.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying.

Nonetheless, there’s the general belief that Mexico is close to regaining Category 1 status. This week, the Mexican government updated on the topic saying the FAA held an IASA audit in the first days of June. The results were positive, and the country should regain Category 1 status shortly. Some believe the recategorization could be announced in July or August, although that depends solely on the analysis made by the FAA.

What do you think about Mexico’s air traffic results in 2023 so far? Let us know in the comments below.