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FILE PHOTO: A Qatar Airways plane is seen at Aden International Airport
MEXICO CITY, April 8 (Archyde.com) – Qatar Airways has held preliminary talks about starting flights to Mexico City, the airline said on Friday, confirming rapprochement with the Mexican government.
The Mexican government said on Thursday that the airline is interested in establishing a route for the upcoming 2022 Soccer World Cup in Qatar and due to the great fans in Mexico.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry said the two sides intended to determine next week when they would begin follow-up talks on the route, after Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the airline had expressed interest in flying to a new airport in Ciudad from Mexico.
“Qatar Airways confirms that it held initial informal discussions regarding flights to Mexico City with the Mexican government and both parties will remain in close contact on the matter,” a Qatar Airways spokesman said in a statement.
The airline, which earlier this week said it had no plans to start flying from the new Felipe Angeles International Airport, declined to say when the talks might take place or to give more details about what was being discussed.
Critics argue that the new airport, located north of Mexico City, is difficult to access and was opened before it was fully ready, which the government rejects. A train is scheduled to connect the facility to the capital next year. Until now, airlines such as Aeroméxico, the main airline in the country, Volaris and Viva Aerobus have confirmed that they will fly there.
(Reporting by Valentine Hilaire, editing by Nick Zieminski, translated by Adriana Barrera)