Air France KLM Cargo will begin a second flight to Guadalajara International Airport starting next April, in response to the growth of cargo to European, Asian, African and even Middle Eastern markets.
Mathilde de Rocquigny, the airline’s director in the country, explained that this second frequency is due to the availability of cargo planes that the company has , as well as the increase in imports that they have registered during the past year.
“Imports in Mexico remain strong, and much cargo was passing through Cancun, which wasn’t ideal. That’s why we decided to add a flight frequency, something we were already working on, and it’s also due to the availability of cargo planes. Exports and the growth we’ve experienced in the last year reinforce this additional rotation,” he stated.
In the case of Cancun, he mentioned that cargo is handled through the belly of their passenger planes, however, changes to customs law make handling merchandise through that airport “a bit complicated,” so “if there is the potential to fill cargo planes, we prefer NLU (Felipe Angeles), since that platform is very good.”
He explained that the development of companies in Guadalajara from different segments, and not just perishable goods, during the last year made it possible to start this operation, whose destination is the aforementioned markets.
“Having a second flight to Guadalajara allows customers to rely on us. We’re going to take advantage of the mango season, as well as perishables, but it also gives us the possibility of carrying other types of higher-value cargo,” he said in an interview with T21.
It is worth remembering that in 2023, the airline restarted its Paris-AIFA-Guadalajara-Paris flight, after suspending it due to profitability problems.
Similarly, he reiterated that the airline is analyzing different markets, including Monterrey, however, they are not in their plans in the short term.
Regarding the end of 2025, De Rocquigny said that the airline had a 22% year-on-year growth , this increase was registered through the same capacity between Mexico and Cancun, as well as its cargo planes.
“The start of the year was very good compared to September-October; we weren’t able to reach the fare that customers wanted, but we managed to be profitable on all flights,” he said.
However, he stated that the growth stems from the resilience and stability they have recorded in the last two years, “we have not had any cancellations and we are sticking with the program that was planned, that gives confidence to the clients.”
He explained that last year they saw an increase in the handling of perishables, as well as in the movement of pharmaceuticals , technology, turbines, among other goods, but they also received recognition for the handling of horses.
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