< Reveal sidebar

Omicron Hits Aeromexico, Cancels More Than 260 Flights in Four Days

An Aeromexico Boeing 787 Dreamliner flares for landing. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Aeromexico canceled more than 260 flights from Jan. 6-10 due to a highly contagious outbreak of Covid-19 that has spread amongst its pilots and flight attendants. According to the Mexican government’s Consumer Protection Office (PROFECO) who provided the statistic, a high number of crew members on the sick list has caused staff shortages for the Skyteam carrier, resulting in subsequent delays and cancellations.

A majority of the cancellations originated at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, where Aeromexico is based. Hundreds of affected travelers this past weekend were not able to take their flights due to the cancellations, and the airline set up temporary modules inside Terminal 2 to provide information and accommodate affected travelers.

According to the union representing Aeromexico’s flight attendants (ASSA), at least 140 Aeromexico flight attendants were infected with Covid-19 and taken off flights. And according to the union representing Aeromexico pilots (ASPA), more than 83 pilots, including 14 from Aeromexico Connect, have developed symptoms and are also in quarantine.

According to a source close to the airline, many able pilots and flight attendants are now being flown in mass to the airline’s hub in Mexico City from other Aeromexico crew bases such as Guadalajara to cover the affected flights.

Aeromexico acknowledged the impact of the Covid-19 and flight delays due to this situation and is still bracing its customers for more cancellations as case numbers continue to increase among their staff. The airline has added a flexible travel waiver for flights booked on or after January 11 which allows travelers to change the date of their flight at no extra cost.

“The new wave of infections by Covid-19 has impacted world aviation causing effects on some flights. For Aeromexico, the safety of our customers and collaborators is and will always be the main priority,” said Aeromexico during a press conference in Mexico City.

“We focus efforts on minimizing the impact and we work to serve in the best possible way customers who have had modifications in their travel plans, to take them to their destination with the greatest safety and in the shortest possible time.”

Aeromexico added that a flight delay or cancellation is not a decision they take lightly and is always taken as the last resort. According to the airline, 95% of its 1,800 union pilots have a complete vaccination scheme against Covid-19.

Mexico’s VivaAerobus and Volaris have also seen an uptick in cases amongst its crew members and staff but very few flights have been delayed or canceled thus far.

Albert Kuan

Author

  • Albert Kuan

    Most people hate long flights or overnight layovers, but Albert loves them. The airport and flying parts of traveling are the biggest highlights of any trip for him – as this avgeek always gets a thrill from sampling different airline cabin products and checking out regional developments happening at local U.S. airports. He’s flown on almost every major carrier in the U.S. and Asia Pacific, and he hopes to try out the new A350s soon. Albert recently completed his undergraduate studies in Business Accounting at USC in Los Angeles and he is currently recruiting for a corporate analyst position at one of the U.S. legacy carriers. During his college years, he interned at LAX for Los Angeles World Airports working behind-the-scenes (and on the ramp) in public relations and accounting. Outside of writing for AirlineGeeks, he enjoys trekking the Hollywood hills, visiting new hotspots throughout SoCal, and doing the occasional weekender on Spirit Airlines.

Subscribe to AirlineGeeks' Daily Check-In

Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.

Related Stories

A Look at the Qatar Airways Stopover Program

Given that the majority of passengers traveling on the big Middle Eastern airlines are connecting, these airlines offer stopover packages…

The Large Air Carrier That Few Know Exists

The concept of an “airline” is a familiar one: a single company operates specific aircraft to specific places, either regularly…

New Turkish Airlines Subsidiary Receives Air Operator Certificate

AJet, a proposed low-cost airline owned entirely by Turkish Airlines, has received its Air Operator’s Certificate. This allows the carrier…