Aeromexico announced it would become the first international airline to serve New Orleans since prior to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Starting July 6, Aeromexico said it would offer six (Mondays through Saturdays), nonstop flights a week between New Orleans and Mexico City, with continuing service to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Aeromexico will operate the route with 50-seat regional jets. Frank Galan, vice president of Aeromexico's U.S. division, said the airline is hoping to capitalize on New Orleans' fast-growing Hispanic population, which includes some 80,000 people of Honduran descent living in the Crescent City and its environs.
"We see a very healthy market that will only grow stronger," Galan said. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, TACA Airlines flew between New Orleans and Honduras, and Air Canada flew to Toronto from New Orleans. Neither airline has re-entered the market since the storm.