“There is no fear of competition, on the contrary, the passenger needs many more options, but what we want is for what is charged to one to be charged to another,” said Diana Olivares, president of the National Chamber of Air Transport (Canaero). ).
The organization, which brings together more than 40 members, including commercial and cargo airlines, considers that “it will be necessary to see” how the new state company will manage to reduce its costs, because, it adds, fluctuating prices such as those of jet fuel They make it difficult to maintain rates below the market in the long term.
“If prices are going to be 20% lower, we have to see if it will be due to a reduction in TUA or how. We do not know how this 20% is going to be constructed, because at the level of margins we do not see where; As an airline there are many costs,” he adds.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said that the goal is for Mexicana to begin operating next month, however, the airline has already faced some challenges such as obtaining its Air Operator Certificate. He has recently had to change the plane model he was originally going to use, due to delays in delivery due to the lack of said document.
Until now, the authorities have remained on the sidelines to give notice to the airlines about the new competitor or how this will change their operations, so that Canaero is not certain if or when it will begin operating next December.
Given the uncertainty about whether Mexicana will have support subsidies, the organization highlights that after the recovery of Category 1, the sector will a comprehensive policy is still needed to support him.
“We need a policy not only for this six-year term, because this is long-term. Everything that is done must be planned, so we do need an urgent policy,” she asserted.
In recent weeks, the Government of Mexico has added turbulence to the sector with some regulatory modifications such as the increase in the payment of airport fees from 5% to 9%.
While operating costs for the industry are changing, the Government is acquiring a more active role in the sector, which puts the participation and performance of the new competitor in focus.
“There is no fear of competition, just that it is an even floor, so we will see what happens. Aviation is complex, many regulations, many costs, the issue of safety is very important, it is the first pillar in aviation, so Let’s see that they have everything under control and that it is the best for the passengers,” he concludes.