New Orleans resumes first international flights since Katrina

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of services and plans were either indefinitely delayed or removed altogether as the city worked to rebuild and reestablish. One of those discontinued normalcies of New Orleans life included international flight service from Louis Armstrong International Airport. That changes today.

In an article written by the Associated Press, the service provides a pleasant story to remind Gulf Coast residents that New Orleans continues to bring back some of its pre-Katrina traits details how flights from MSY to Mexico are returning. Starting today, AeroMexico’s will be establishing a route to Mexico City.

The AP reports

AeroMexico will use 50-seat jets to connect the two cities six days per week. Service will continue from Mexico City to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Airline officials said the two-hour flight will allow business travelers to go back and forth between New Orleans and Mexico City in the same day.

“There’s a market for people from this region to go to Mexico to do business, to visit, for tourism and that there’s a lot of interest in Mexico, in knowing New Orleans again,” said Sal Figueroa, the head of international relations for the economic development group GNO Inc.

Frank Galan, AeroMexico’s North American division vice president, said the New Orleans-to-Mexico City service is an important expansion for the company.

“We started discussions on this over a year ago,” he said. “So, it’s taken a lot of work, a lot of hard work, to ensure this happens. There is a huge customer base of Mexicans and Latin Americans.”

While not earth shattering news, it’s good to see businesses putting faith in the New Orleans market, as well as reestablishing the city as a travel hub for residents as well as those who put be making their way through but stay for a night or more.

Contact Information