Struggling Mexican airline Interjet resumes its flights

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Troubled Mexican airline Interjet resumed flights Wednesday and pledged to pay back wages owed its employees, after the carrier suspended flights for three days, citing cash flow and maintenance issues.

Interjet has said it has suffered because of a drop-off in revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement, the company pledged to pay back wages “as soon as possible.”

The government consumer protection agency issued an alert Tuesday warning about “the risk of establishing commercial relationships” with the airline, noting “repeated failure to comply" with its responsibilities. The agency said the carrier “for the last several months has faced various problems in operating its business.”

The agency said Interjet had been plagued by “the suspension of various international routes, failures to pay employees, the suspension of its license to operate international air service to Canada and tax liens on its bank accounts, assets and brands.”

The company pledged to bring its tax payments up to date “by the end of the year.”

The agency said it had registered 1,542 complaints so far this year on Interjet, mainly regarding flight cancellations. In April, the agency cited Interjet for not having enough planes to meet its obligations.

While the company says it has offered to replace tickets for passengers on cancelled flights with new tickets, the agency said that in the past many passengers were unable to redeem such vouchers because the replacement flights were cancelled.

By Wednesday afternoon, Mexico City’s international airport listed five domestic Interjet flights as having taken off.

On Sunday. the company said it was cancelling flights for at least two days, saying: “Airlines have been the most affected by the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation has not spared Interjet, which has seen its operations and cash flow affected.”