Aero Cuahonte

Aero Cuahonte

IATA ICAO Call sign — CUO AEROCUAHONTE
Founded	1957
Ceased operations	2007 (50 years)
Hubs	Uruapan International Airport
Focus cities	Morelia International Airport
Fleet size	6 (between 1992 and 2007)
Destinations	8 (while it was a regular carrier)
Parent company	Aero Cuahonte S.A. de C.V.
Headquarters	Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico
Key people	Enrique Cuahonte

AeroCuahonte (official legal name: Aero Cuahonte S.A. de C.V.) was a small regional airline headquartered at Uruapan Airport.

History

The airline was founded by Enrique Cuahonte and Marta Amezcua, beginning operations in 1957 with air taxi services in small Cessna aircraft. AeroCuahonte became a regular airline in 1992 with the introduction of a Fairchild SA-226. Another aircraft of the same model was introduced in 1994. One of these aircraft was lost in an accident that same year near Uruapan Airport, which killed 11 people. The crashed aircraft was replaced with another of the same model. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Due to strong competition from Sudpacífico, Aerocuahonte began operating as a scheduled airline in 1992, operating the same pair of Fairchild SA-226 aircraft. Later in 1997, a Cessna 402-C was acquired, which would be used on a scheduled basis and as an air taxi. Also in 1997, another Fairchild SA-226 was lost after a skid at Uruapan Airport, being replaced in 1998 with a Metro III, so that between 1998 and 2003 Aerocuahonte's fleet consisted of a Fairchild SA226, a Metro III and a Cessna 402-C. ^[1]

Since 2004, Aerocuahonte stopped operating as a regular airline, operating only as an air taxi company with a single Cessna 402-C, which maintained operations until 2007, when the aircraft was transferred to MAYAir and Aerocuahonte ceased operations. ^{[1] [2]}

Destinations

Aero Cuahonte operated the following destinations regularly during its existence. ^{[2] [4]}

City	State	IATA	ICAO	Airport
Apatzingán	(Michoacán)	AZG	MMAG	Pablo L. Sidar National Airport
Colima	(Colima)	CLQ	MMIA	Licenciado Miguel de la Madrid National Airport
Guadalajara	(Jalisco)	GDL	MMGL	Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo	(Guerrero)	ZIH	MMZH	Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport
Lázaro Cárdenas	(Michoacán)	LZC	MMLC	Lázaro Cárdenas del Río National Airport
Manzanillo	(Colima)	ZLO	MMZO	Playa de Oro International Airport
Morelia	(Michoacán)	MLM	MMMM	General Francisco Mujica International Airport
Uruapan	(Michoacán)	UPN	MMPN	Lic. & Gen. Ignacio López Rayón International Airport
Total: 8 destinations in Mexico

Fleet

Between 1992 and 2007, Aero Cuahonte operated the following aircraft. ^{[1] [2]}

Aero Cuahonte Fleet (1992-2007)

Aircreft	Units in Service	Passenger configuration	Registration	Notes
Fairchild Swearingen SA-226TC Metro II	4	19	XA-SLU, XA-HAO, XA-GUU, XA-SPO	XA-SLU crashed in UPN in 1994; XA-HAO crashed in UPN in 1997.
Fairchild Swearingen SA-227AC Metro III	1	19	XA-TML
Cessna 402C	1	9	XA-KOC	Transferred to MAYAir in 2007
Total	5

Accidents and incidents

• On December 1, 1988, a Cessna 210 aircraft registered XA-HAO operating an Aero Cuahonte air taxi service between Uruapan Airport and Mexico City Airport crashed near the town of Agostitlán, Hidalgo Municipality, Michoacán, killing the pilot and passenger. ^{[5] [6]}

• On June 13, 1994, a Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II aircraft registered XA-SLU operated by Aero Cuahonte in a commercial flight between Lázaro Cárdenas Airport and Uruapan Airport, crashed into a mountain in low visibility due to inclement weather during its approach phase, killing the 2 pilots and 9 passengers. ^[7]

• On February 4, 1997, a Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II aircraft registered XA-HAO, operated by Aero Cuahonte, went off the road while landing at Uruapan Airport, causing its landing gear to collapse. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. ^[8]

References

1. "Aviación mexicana en cifras" [Mexican aviation in figures](PDF) (in Spanish). Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT). 2017. pp. 112–113. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
2. "Boom de los 90's! Muchas Lineas Aereas Nuevas!" [90s Boom! Many New Airlines!]. FSMex (in Spanish). maik. 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
3. Hamill, Tom. "WORLD AIRLINE DIRECTORY 1993". Flight International. 143 (4362). Reed Business Information, Limited: 47. ISSN   0015-3710 . Retrieved 2025-10-20.
4. AFAC (2025). "Estadística Mensual Operativa" [Monthly Traffic Statistics] (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-07-18.
5. "Accident #199098". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
6. Osorno, Diego Enrique (2019-08-10). "Un accidente mexicano" [A mexican accidnet] (in Spanish). Milenio. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
7. "Accident #324964". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
8. "Accident #324269". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2025-10-20.