Interjet Airlines was established on March 5, 2005, and commenced its operations on December 1, 2005. This Mexican low-cost carrier had its headquarters in Mexico City. It provided scheduled flights within Mexico, as well as to and from Central America, North America, the Caribbean, and South America. The airline remained a family-owned business until December 2010.

The airline was led by its president and CEO, Miguel Aleman Magnani, the son of Miguel Aleman Velasco, who served as the president of the group that owned the airline, Grupo Aleman. Aleman Velasco had acquired considerable wealth during his term in office from 1946 to 1952.

In December 2010, the Chief Financial Officer, Erick Pena Bonola, announced the suspension of all operations and the airline's withdrawal from IATA due to unpaid debts. Currently, the airline's website is inactive. Interjet also served as a prominent sponsor for Liga MX team Club America from 2014 to 2020.

History

Interjet commenced its operations on December 1, 2005, primarily utilizing Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline initially placed an order for 25 new A320s to replace its second-hand fleet and later expanded this order with an additional ten aircraft on January 10, 2010.

Initially, most of Interjet's flights operated to and from Toluca International Airport, which served as a strategic base for low-cost carrier services in the Mexico City market. By 2008, the airline had established 14 routes from Toluca and three between other cities. Following the discontinuation of Aero California in August 2008, Interjet absorbed their vacant slots and initiated flights to Mexico International Airport.

Expansion and New Fleet

Interjet marked its entry into North American biofuel flights on July 21, 2011. In 2012, the airline committed to purchasing the Sukhoi Superjet 100, an aircraft priced significantly lower than comparable models from Bombardier Aerospace. Jose Luis Garza, then CEO of the airline, cited its suitability for the challenging conditions of Mexico City's high-altitude airport. In 2014, Interjet characterized itself as the 'JetBlue of Mexico.' By 2018, the airline had transitioned to a hybrid model offering low ticket prices and high-cost extra legroom, along with a generous luggage policy compared to traditional carriers.

The airline confirmed an order for ten SSJ100 aircraft valued at $350 million on March 2, 2015. However, Bloomberg reported that by mid-January 2018, four out of Interjet's 22 SSJ100s had been cannibalized for parts to maintain the others. In September 2018, there were reports that the airline was contemplating replacing its SSJ100s with Airbus A320neos to optimize its slots, but this was later denied by the airline on September 12.

Interjet also claimed that the capital cost for ten Superjets equaled the pre-delivery payment for a single Airbus A320, where this pre-delivery payment typically ranges from 15% to 30% of the aircraft's list price.

Financial Debt, COVID-19, New CEO, and Cancellation

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many operations were suspended, and the airline ceased all international operations. This situation persisted throughout 2020, and Interjet had to cancel all flights from November 1 to November 2 due to fuel payment issues. The airline had faced financial troubles since 2013, including unpaid taxes, which led to a 50% reduction in employee salaries. Despite its commitment to reimbursements, the airline again canceled flights in late November due to unpaid fuel bills.

Since April 3, 2020, a fixed percentage of the airline's fleet has been repossessed and grounded. On December 13, 2020, Interjet declared that it was on the brink of bankruptcy.