In many countries, airlines are deeply connected to the national military and government.
Everything from Air Tanzania to Croatia Airlines and the luxurious Etihad Airlines are owned entirely by their countries' governments while the governments of Singapore and Finland have a majority stake in the respective Singapore Airlines (SINGF) -) and Finnair (FNNNF) -).
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Most North American airlines do not operate in this way — the U.S. military owns a large supply of its own aircraft while major carriers such as Delta Air Lines (DAL) -), United Airlines (UAL) -) and Atlas Air (AAWW) -) will also charter flights. National Canadian airline Air Canada (ACDVF) -) does the same.
Why so many want to see soldiers aboard the new Mexican airline
While Aeromexico (GRPAQ) -) is the country's largest airline, the Mexican military is preparing to launch a new commercial airline. In an effort to move more of the transportation industry under its authority, the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador purchased the branding rights of bankrupt airline Mexicana de Aviacion for 815 million pesos (roughly $47.87 million USD.)
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The government secured a contract with Boeing (BA) -) and is preparing to launch the airline that will be known as Mexicana with 20 routes between Mexico City and other Mexican cities by September. It is also promising low-cost tickets that are up to 18% lower than competitors.
"There's no desire for profit," Lopez Obrador said in a spring press conference. "All the works that we have done in this government have been done with a public budget and are works of the nation."
News of a military-run commercial airline immediately caught the attention of both Mexicans and aviation junkies around the world. Some immediately wondered whether it being owned by the military meant that it would have soldiers in military uniforms as flight attendants — and, some joked, give formal orders for passengers to fasten their seatbelts or stay seated while the plane is taxying.
This is, of course, a myth born and spread on the internet. While the Mexican military owns the airline, the government committed to rehiring many of the 8,500 Mexicana de Aviacion workers who lost their jobs when the airline went defunct as well as make efforts to attract new talent.
Mexican administration makes moves to tackle corruption in transportation, hospitality industries
While the efforts to create a military-run airline have been largely well-received by the Mexican public, hiring goals could prove difficult to meet given that the airline industry globally is struggling with staffing.
The Mexican government also spent $4.1 billion building a new airport outside Mexico City. While the Mexicana flights will go to some popular destinations like the Yucatan, it will be used primarily to expand the network between mid-size regional cities in the country.
The move to nationalize more of the transportation industry (Obrador's administration is also looking at building new train lines and hotel infrastructure) is meant to tackle corruption in a sector that has come to frustrate the Mexican public.
"It's important that everyone knows how people thought before, how the authorities acted, like little pharaohs," Obrador said in an April press appearance before journalists. "Not anymore."
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