Grupo Aeromexico and Delta Air Lines to Build Joint Heavy Maintenance Facility in Queretaro

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Grupo Aeromexico (Mexico: AEROMEX.MX) and Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) plan to begin construction of a jointly operated aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center at the Intercontinental Airport in Queretaro, next to that State's Aerospace Park.

As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and continuation of their commercial alliance, the carriers will invest equal amounts in a project to move work currently being done at the Guadalajara International Airport and expand MRO capabilities for their own aircraft and other carriers. The new facility's heavy maintenance capacity will allow for up to seven aircraft to be serviced simultaneously.

Delta President Ed Bastian said, "With the site selection, the joint efforts now move to begin constructing this facility that will usher in lower maintenance costs without compromising the very high quality work that Aeromexico provides Delta."

While Andres Conesa, CEO of Grupo Aeromexico, noted that "This investment is a clear recognition of world class quality and service Mexico offers through its skilled manpower and particularly our company, as it will consolidate and complement the heavy maintenance and overhaul services both carriers have offered at the Grupo Aeromexico maintenance base in Guadalajara over the last six years."

This project represents one of the most important investments in aviation infrastructure in Mexico in history and proves that the joint efforts between the private and public sectors benefit the country's economic growth. Delta Air Lines acquired a 4.17 percent stake in Grupo Aeromexico in June of this year.

About Grupo Aeromexico

Grupo Aeromexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a holding company whose subsidiaries are engaged in commercial aviation in Mexico and the promotion of passenger loyalty programs. Its fleet includes Boeing 777, 767 and 737 aircraft and the latest Embraer 145, 170 and 190 models. The airline announced a major expansion plan in 2011, to acquire 20 new aircraft in the next 24 months. In 2012, the Group announced that it signed a letter of intent to buy Boeing 100 aircraft, including 90 Boeing 737 Max jet airliners and ten Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, becoming the largest investment plan in the history of aviation in Mexico.

Grupo Aeromexico operates its main hub out of Terminal 2 in the Mexico City International Airport, and offers 550 daily flights to different cities in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Central and South America, Europe and Asia.

Aeromexico is a founding member of SkyTeam, the global airline alliance partnering 17 airlines: Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM Romanian Air Transport and Vietnam Airlines. SkyTeam offers all partner airline passengers a large global network with more destinations and frequencies, and improved connectivity. Passengers can earn and redeem miles through the different airline partners' loyalty programs and enjoy the benefits offered at SkyTeam's 503 airport lounges around the world. SkyTeam offers its 531 million annual passengers more than 14.000 daily flights to 983 destinations in 178 countries www.skyteam.com.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta is working to become the best U.S. carrier in Latin America and the Caribbean. As part of that goal Delta has established a long-term exclusive alliance with GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes investing more than US $100 million in GOL. Likewise, Delta has invested more than US $65 million in Aeromexico as part of a long-term exclusive commercial alliance and entered a code sharing agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas solidifying its footprint in Latin America. Executive Travel magazine recognized Delta with the Gold Leading Edge Award for the Best Flight Experience to Mexico. Delta provides service in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reaching out to 32 countries and 54 destinations in the region offering more than 1,000 weekly flights between Latin America and the U.S. Spanish speaking Delta customers can receive assistance in Spanish through its Twitter channel @DeltaAssist_ES providing real-time, on-the-go travel assistance from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. During the past year, Delta was named domestic "Airline of the Year" by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was named the "Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline" by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology and won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to more than 330 destinations in 61 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

SOURCE Grupo Aeromexico