Tucson city officials were overjoyed in October of 2016 when Mexico City-based airline Aeromar announced direct flights to Tucson International Airport (TIA) to Hermosillo, with continuing flights to the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco, Mexico.
The city’s airport had not had direct flights to Hermosillo since 1998, when AeroMexico cancelled its prop-airplane flights between the two cities.
Aeromar CEO Andrés Fabre was quoted at the October ceremony as saying that Aeromar is committed to the cities of Tucson and Hermosillo. And he was – for 10 months. The Mexican airline cancelled all flights and pulled out of Tucson as of August 1, 2017.
It was the second blow for Tucson economic development and tourism officials in 2017.
A travel venture called Paradise Air had announced plans for direct flights from Tucson to Guaymas, Sonora in early 2016, and began to sell travel vouchers. The company blamed delays in initiating service on airline booking technical issues, like difficulties in establishing code sharing with other airlines.
In March of this year, Paradise Air laid off its employees and closed its doors before wheels ever went up. The following month the office of the Arizona attorney general reported that it had received several complaints over non-refunded travel vouchers.
So currently, commercial airline flights from Arizona to Sonora have become even more limited. Arizona flights from Phoenix Sky Harbor to General Pesqueira Garcia in Hermosillo will continue, although at about twice the price of what Aeromar had changed for its Tucson fares.
Other commercial airline service between the states of Sonora and Arizona is sparse. Unless you are interested in taking a private charter, that is.
Private charter services provide convenience, luxury and other advantages for charter flights that originate in Arizona with destinations in Sonora, Mexico. Read more.
