Mexicana has suspended ticket sales for international services, although it says it will "continue to operate its flights as scheduled to protect its passengers"
The carrier's website advises travellers that:
"On Wednesday, August 4, at 1800 hours, Mexicana Airlines (Compañía Mexicana de Aviación) suspended its ticket sales. However, Mexicana Airlines announced it will continue operations as scheduled in the interest of protecting passengers whom already have tickets and flight itineraries."
The airline added that "domestic flights continue to operate and can be purchased normally as they are operated by MexicanaClick and MexicanaLink, unaffected by Compañía Mexicana de Aviación (CMA)."
Oneworld member Mexicana filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Mexico earlier this week, following the release of a statement saying its financial and labour situation is "no longer sustainable".
Media reports say Mexicana has filed for chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in the US, to protect its US assets from creditors.
The carrier, a subsidiary of Nuevo Grupo Aeronáutico, released a statement this week saying that while "concerted efforts have been made over the last four and a half years to restructure costs, efforts that have translated into savings of some US$800 million as a direct result of investment in IT systems, new routes and more efficient aircraft", these measures "have not been sufficient to offset its crew costs", which it claims are up to 185 per cent higher than "the average pilots flying Airbus A320s for other Mexican low cost airlines".
The airline has registered losses of US$350 million from 2007 to date, and says it has now presented its pilots' and flight attendants' unions with two alternatives: effectively cuts in wages of around 40 per cent, or the sale of the airline to the unions for a token sum of $1 peso.
However Mexicana adds that representatives of the pilots union have stated both options would be rejected, and says that "it is time to acknowledge reality, that the paradigm of commercial aviation has changed worldwide and that only airlines that operate at competitive costs can hope to survive and continue flying" The airline says it will continue to negotiate with its unions.
The situation has forced Mexicana to make several changes to it international schedules, including a cut in the number of flights to Pamana City and Orlando from Mexico City. At present the airline has not advised of any disruption to flights between London and Mexico, although website airlineroute.net is reporting that European services will be cancelled from September 1.
Mexicana joined Oneworld in November last year having previously been a member of the Star Alliance. The carrier currently flies four-times weekly between Mexico City and London Gatwick.
www.mexicana.com