TAG Airlines continues to grow steadily

TAG Airlines, founded in 1961, is the pioneer company of civil aviation in Guatemala. In the preview of the Tianguis Turístico de México, we interviewed Julio Ganedo, CEO of the company. We share his responses below.

How significant is TAG Airlines for the displacement of certain destinations that you have, either nationally or internationally? 
What is happening with TAG today is a 2-year process of transformation and expansion. We are by vocation and by origin a Guatemalan airline, we serve unique destinations within the Guatemalan Republic, but in a Franco plan of expansion in recent years, in which we serve in countries such as Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and more recently in southern Mexico.

What are the destinations that you serve in southern Mexico? 
Currently we already have four destinations, which are Cancún, Mérida, Oaxaca and Tuxtla Gutiérrez. In this way we have the entire Mexican southeast well covered.

What is your goal for this year? 
Our goal is to be once again recognized as the airline of the Mayan world. Therefore, we have been developing a multi-destination product between the main city centers that have Mayan ceremonial centers. At the same time, on top of the tourist part there is also a commercial part and a very important cultural exchange part.

How have you ventured into the world of alliances?
We have recently received our IATA membership and have also completed the IOSA certification. Therefore, we already have Iberia, Air Europa and some other airlines in the region in our portfolio. Our idea is to continue growing in this sense.

What kind of fleet do they have? 
We have a fleet, which covers from 35 to 70 passengers. Unlike the larger airlines with fleets of up to 180 passengers, we have been able to develop more adequately. What we are looking for here is complementarity in the route network, for example in the case of Iberia, which previously did not directly serve the Belizean market and can now do so through TAG.

What is TAG Airlines' projection for the coming years? 
We are in a transformation process, we have carried out a complete renovation of our fleet to ATR 72 aircraft, which are friendly to the environment and are recognized worldwide for their excellence. From this, we seek to continue expanding our destinations.

Do you plan to fly to the United States?
Due to our flight range, usually up to two and a half hours, we do not plan to fly to the United States. Next, we have other destinations as a pending issue such as Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and probably to the north and even the center of the Mexican Republic.