Delta Air Lines and Grupo Aeromexico Inaugurate TechOps Mexico

-- New aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility is largest of its kind in Latin America; capacity allows up to nine aircraft to be serviced simultaneously

QUERETARO, Mexico, March 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Grupo Aeromexico (BMV: AEROMEX) inaugurated their aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul center, TechOps Mexico, in a ceremony led by the President of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto. TechOps Mexico is located near the Queretaro Intercontinental Airport.

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Both airlines invested a total of US $55 million, divided into equal shares, to construct these new facilities, which are located next to the Queretaro Aerospace Park. This project also received support from the state government of Queretaro.

The facility is the largest aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul center in Latin America, with its total surface area measuring over 100,000 square meters. Its three hangars can accommodate up to nine aircraft simultaneously. Aircrafts will be serviced with cutting-edge technology and the highest quality and safety standards.

This project represents one of the most important investments in aviation infrastructure of its kind and adds value to the aeronautic cluster the state of Queretaro has been developing over the last few years.

The crew that will service the airplanes is being trained and updated in the classrooms of the Aeronautics University of Queretaro, which collaborated with TechOps Mexico and agreed to prepare its graduates to enter the labor market with training of the highest quality.

In addition to featuring the most modern facilities of its kind in Latin America, TechOps Mexico is equipped with advanced systems for renewable and clean energy that reduce the use of traditional energy by one third, as well as a rainwater harvesting system, a recycling program, and other environmentally-friendly mechanisms.

"TechOps Mexico is a sign of the confidence foreign and domestic investors have in our country," said Eduardo Tricio, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Grupo Aeromexico. "This is a very important day for the aviation industry in Mexico, as these facilities put it at the global forefront and transform it into a leader of the business opportunities that our nation has to offer."

"The inauguration of this facility reflects the strong alliance between Aeromexico and Delta," said Gil West, Delta's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "We have an outstanding team of Delta and Aeromexico technicians certified to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards and committed to provide top maintenance to our fleet in an environmentally sustainable facility featuring use of solar energy, rain water harvesting system and its reuse and recycling."

The ceremony was also attended by the state governor of Queretaro, Jose Calzada Rovirosa, the CEO of Grupo Aeromexico, Andres Conesa, and the Director of Sales for Delta in Mexico, Carlos E. Hernandez. The ceremony included the CEO of TechOps Mexico Miguel Angel Uribe, and other special guests.

The launch of TechOps Mexico is a significant step towards strengthening the Delta-Grupo Aeromexico alliance, originally established in 2011, and reaffirming their commitment to continue to provide quality services to all their customers.

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. Aeromexico, the largest airline in Mexico, operates more than 600 daily flights from its main hub in Terminal 2 at the Mexico City International Airport. Its destinations network features more than 80 cities on three continents, including 47 destinations in Mexico, 17 in the United States, 12 in Latin America, three in Europe, two in Asia and one in Canada.

The Group's fleet of more than 115 aircraft is comprised of Boeing 787, 777, 767 and 737 jet airliners and next generation Embraer 145, 170, 175 and 190 models. In 2012, the airline announced the most significant investment strategy in aviation history in Mexico, to purchase 100 Boeing aircraft including 90 MAX B737 jet airliners and 10 B787-9 Dreamliners.

As a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance, Aeromexico offers customers 1,000 destinations in 178 countries served by the 19 SkyTeam airline partners rewarding passengers with benefits including access to 530 premium airport lounges around the world. Aeromexico also offers travel on its codeshare partner flights with Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, Avianca, LAN, TACA and TAM with extensive connectivity in countries like the United States, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia and Peru. www.aeromexico.com  www.skyteam.com  

About Delta Air Lines

Delta is working to become the best U.S. airline in Latin America and the Caribbean and was just recognized with the Best Airline to North America award by Premio Destaque Companhia de Viagem, by Grupo Companhia.  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 to 29 countries and 50 destinations in the region offering over 1,100 weekly flights between Latin America/Caribbean and the U.S. Spanish speaking Delta customers can receive real-time, on-the-go travel assistance in Spanish and Portuguese through its Twitter channels @DeltaAssist_ES and @DeltaAjuda 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. Brazilian customers can also access Delta's dedicated Brazil Facebook page visiting http://www.facebook.com/DeltaAirLinesBrasil.

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine, marking the first time in a decade that a North American-based carrier has earned the distinction. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 322 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.