Aeroméxico

When a dark blue Dreamliner with a warrior’s head on the tail crosses the threshold in Madrid, Paris or Amsterdam, it’s almost always Aeroméxico. The Mexican network airline is one of those long-haul guests that doesn’t show up every day at every airport in Europe – and that is exactly why it’s worth planning for it. Here you’ll learn how to recognize Aeroméxico reliably, which fleet it flies and where you’re most likely to catch it in Europe.

Aeroméxico at a glance

Aeroméxico is Mexico’s largest network airline and the country’s traditional flag carrier. The story begins in September 1934: Under the name Aeronaves de México, the first flight went from Mexico City to Acapulco. In the following decades, the airline grew by taking over smaller competitors, was nationalized in 1959 and has carried the shortened name Aeroméxico since 1972. After the state company went bankrupt, today’s company Aerovías de México emerged in 1988 in the course of privatization.

The heart of the network is Mexico City Benito Juárez Airport with the code MEX. From there, Aeroméxico distributes passengers within Mexico, to the US and Canada, to Central and South America, to Asia and to Europe. Guadalajara and Monterrey serve as additional nodes that now see long-haul flights to Europe themselves.

The more recent history has been turbulent. In June 2020, the airline filed for creditor protection under Chapter 11 in the US because of the COVID slump but kept flying. In March 2022, it completed its restructuring. In November 2025, Grupo Aeroméxico returned to the stock exchanges in New York and Mexico City.

Codes and callsign

• IATA code AM: appears in the flight number, on the departure board and on the ticket.
• ICAO code AMX: appears in the air traffic control flight plan and on flight trackers.
• Callsign AEROMEXICO: this is how the crew identifies itself on the radio.

You need to be a little careful on flights within Mexico and to the US. There, Aeroméxico also uses its regional subsidiary Aeroméxico Connect, which flies under AM flight numbers but with its own ICAO code. In Europe that doesn’t matter: The main company operates all long-haul flights with the code AMX.

SkyTeam and Delta: the partner network

Aeroméxico is a founding member of SkyTeam. The alliance was formed in June 2000 from four airlines: Aeroméxico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air. What distinguishes the three big alliances is covered in the overview Star Alliance, oneworld and SkyTeam, and the alliance itself is introduced on the page for SkyTeam.

The most important partner is Delta. The two airlines have been closely linked since 2011, and in May 2017 a joint venture for flights between Mexico and the US was launched. Delta also holds a stake in Grupo Aeroméxico. For spotters, that means: If you’re looking for Aeroméxico at US airports, you’ll find it mainly at Delta hubs.

In Europe, Air France and KLM are the obvious partners. It is no coincidence that Aeroméxico flies to Paris CDG and Amsterdam – there passengers connect to the network of the Air France-KLM group.

The fleet: Boeing from front to back

The main company flies exclusively aircraft from Boeing. According to the company, the fleet comprised about 166 aircraft in the first quarter of 2026, including the subsidiary Connect’s Embraers. In August 2026, a leased 787-9 was added, which according to the airline is its 25th Dreamliner.

Type	Use	Spotter note
Boeing 787-9	Long-haul, including to Europe	Longer version with more seats, largest type in the fleet
Boeing 787-8	Long-haul, including to Europe	Shorter and stubbier than the -9
Boeing 737 MAX 9	Domestic, US, Caribbean, Latin America	Longest 737 in the fleet
Boeing 737 MAX 8	Domestic, US, Caribbean, Latin America	Backbone of short and medium haul
Boeing 737-800	Domestic, US, Caribbean	Older generation, smooth engine nacelles
Embraer E190	Regional service (Aeroméxico Connect)	Flies under AM flight numbers, not to Europe

Common fleet lists show 8 examples of the 787-8 and 17 of the 787-9 among the Dreamliners – that matches the 25 aircraft Aeroméxico cites. Exact numbers per type change constantly through lease returns and new arrivals, so treat them as a snapshot.

787-8 or 787-9? How to tell them apart

In Europe you see Aeroméxico only with the Dreamliner. The interesting question is therefore not whether it’s a 787, but which version. Both share the same distinctive features: the sweeping upward-curved wings, the serrated engine nacelles and the cockpit with four windows. You tell the difference by the proportions.

The surest way is to cross-check registration and tracker. If you also want to tell the Dreamliner apart from other widebodies, the guides Telling the Boeing 777 and 787 apart and A350 or Boeing 787? will help. At airports like Paris CDG or Amsterdam in particular, the Aeroméxico 787 often stands next to A350s of Air France or KLM.

How to recognize Aeroméxico

The most important feature is the tail: dark blue with the stylized head of an eagle warrior, in Spanish Caballero Águila. The figure stands for the elite warriors of the Aztecs and has been the airline’s emblem since the late 1950s. On the fuselage, the titles “AEROMEXICO” appear on a white background.

For its 90th anniversary, Aeroméxico unveiled a revised livery in August 2024. The eagle warrior got finer feathers, a more expressive eye and a helmet whose shape at the top recalls an aircraft fuselage. Also new is a gradient from blue to violet that extends from the tail onto the engines. The red accent stripe of the previous livery is dropped. An Embraer E190 was the first aircraft to receive the new look, and the rest of the fleet is being repainted step by step. For you, that means: For a while, both variants fly in parallel – a good collecting goal.

There are special liveries too. The 787-9 with the registration XA-ADL in the “Quetzalcóatl” design, which came out of a design competition and entered service in 2016, became well known. Such aircraft don’t show up on a fixed schedule – how to catch them anyway is shown in the guide Finding special liveries.

Aeroméxico in Europe

Europe is a pure Dreamliner region for Aeroméxico. As of October 2026, the airline flies from Mexico City to Madrid, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Rome Fiumicino and Barcelona. In addition there are long-haul flights from the secondary nodes: Madrid is also served from Guadalajara and Monterrey, and since April 2026 Aeroméxico has connected Monterrey directly with Paris CDG.

Destination	Departure in Mexico	Note
Madrid Barajas	Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey	Most important European market, up to 40 flights per week to Spain in summer 2026
Paris Charles de Gaulle	Mexico City, Monterrey	Connection to Air France; additionally announced from Guadalajara from April 2027
Amsterdam Schiphol	Mexico City	Connection to KLM
London Heathrow	Mexico City	First flight 2012, back on the schedule since April 2022 after the COVID pause
Rome Fiumicino	Mexico City	Back in the program since 2023
Barcelona El Prat	Mexico City	Served again since March 2026
Milan Malpensa	Mexico City	Announced for March 2027

No German airport is currently in the program. Frankfurt used to be part of the network, and today you have to travel to neighboring countries to see Aeroméxico. The easiest way is Amsterdam or Paris, where you can combine the aircraft with many other SkyTeam guests.

The best spots for Aeroméxico in Europe

Because there is usually only one arrival per day and airport, the right position matters. A few proven places:

• Madrid: The hill La Muñoza offers a good view of the Barajas runways. What else you need to know in Madrid is in the guide Plane spotting at Madrid Barajas.
• Amsterdam: At the Polderbaan, many long-haul flights land when Schiphol is operating in the right runway configuration.
• London: On Myrtle Avenue, the aircraft pass very low over you in westerly operations – ideal for detailed Dreamliner pictures.
• Paris: For Charles de Gaulle, the guide Plane spotting at Paris CDG helps you choose your location.

The runway direction in use decides which end of the airport you should stand at. How to judge it is covered in the guide to runway direction in use at the airport. For that, Planetrack shows you weather, wind and active runways at the airport, and on the spot map directions, best light and photos from the community.

Aeroméxico and Mexico’s other airlines

In the Mexican market, Aeroméxico stands rather alone as a network airline with an alliance and long-haul. The big competitors are low-cost airlines: Volaris with Airbus A320neo-family aircraft and Viva Aerobus from Monterrey. For spotters in Mexico, that gives a handy rule of thumb – a Boeing with an eagle warrior is Aeroméxico, while an Airbus is almost always one of the budget carriers.

Historically, Mexicana de Aviación was long a second major flag carrier. The traditional airline ceased operations in 2010. From 1993, the two companies were even under common management, later under the umbrella of the holding company Cintra.

Common mix-ups

• Equating the AM flight number with the main company – on domestic and US routes, Aeroméxico Connect with Embraer E190s often flies.
• Confusing the 787-8 and 787-9 – the -9 is much longer; when in doubt, the type code in the tracker decides.
• Taking the new and old liveries for two airlines – both belong to Aeroméxico, and the new one has the gradient down to the engine.
• Taking Aeroméxico for part of LATAM – Aeroméxico belongs to SkyTeam, while LATAM belongs to no alliance.
• Counting on a Delta flight number – codeshares are common, but the ICAO code AMX on the tracker shows who is really flying.

Conclusion

Aeroméxico is one of the most beautiful long-haul guests from Latin America that you can photograph in Europe. The airline flies here exclusively with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and usually comes only once a day – that makes every sighting something special. With the new look since 2024, the growing European network and the differences between the 787-8 and 787-9, there are enough reasons to have the airline in your logbook several times.