Aeromexico CEO Dr. Andrés Conesa will Receive APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award at APEX FTE EXPO in Singapore
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The APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award honors airline leaders whose careers have advanced the passenger experience through long-term vision, dedication, and measurable impact, while creating a positive influence that extends beyond their own airline to strengthen the broader industry. In 2026, that recognition will be presented to Aeromexico CEO Dr. Andrés Conesa during APEX FTE EXPO Asia in Singapore, where he will become the first Latin American airline CEO to receive the honor in APEX’s five-decade history.
Over more than two decades, Conesa has helped transform Aeromexico from an airline focused on survival into one of North America’s most reliable, premium, and internationally respected carriers. Under his leadership, the airline has rebuilt its fleet, elevated its customer experience, strengthened its financial position, and emerged as a global benchmark for operational reliability.
His influence extends well beyond Aeromexico. Through service as Chairman of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Board of Governors and Chairman of the SkyTeam alliance, Conesa has also helped shape a more connected, efficient, and passenger-focused global aviation system.
“What distinguishes Dr. Andrés Conesa comes down to a rare alignment of operational discipline with customer excellence,” APEX Group CEO Dr. Joe Leader shared. “Under his leadership, Aeromexico has delivered the world’s most on-time global performance two years in a row while creating a journey travelers actively choose for its quality. Aeromexico’s rise as the first non-US carrier named APEX Best Global Airline in North America signals a decisive shift in traveler sentiment. That momentum reflects years of deliberate investment and steady leadership, not chance. His leadership has shown our industry that passenger trust grows through every part of the journey, from operational reliability and premium service to alliance connectivity and consistent customer care.”
“I love my job. I love being part of this family,” Conesa said. “The fact that we have, at this point of my career, been recognized with such an important award just gives me more tailwind to continue working.”
That outlook helps explain why this recognition carries such significance. Conesa has not simply led Aeromexico through change. He has rebuilt the airline around safety, reliability, service, and national pride.
Rebuilding Aeromexico from Survival to Strength
When Conesa joined Aeromexico in 2005, he inherited an airline under serious financial and operational pressure. At the time, Aeromexico was part of a government-owned structure alongside Mexicana, but without the kind of direct support often associated with state carriers. “The first need was survival, to keep the airline from going out of business,” he said.
Stabilizing the company required more than short-term cuts. Conesa believed Aeromexico needed long-term investors willing to fund growth, modernization, and competitiveness. The goal, he said, was to place the airline “in private hands, in long-term investors, so that they can really capitalize the airline and fund it.”
Once the balance sheet stabilized, attention turned to efficiency. Aeromexico operated roughly 100 aircraft across eight different aircraft types, creating unnecessary complexity. Today, the airline has nearly doubled the size of its fleet while simplifying operations around three core aircraft types.
That simplification improved maintenance planning, crew efficiency, and schedule reliability while helping create a more consistent passenger experience. The product itself also needed investment. “The product was not what we wanted to offer, especially as the flag carrier of Mexico,” Conesa said.
Aeromexico then began a long-term rebuild through newer aircraft, refreshed cabins, improved connectivity, upgraded entertainment, and stronger service consistency across the journey. “It’s been a long journey in really improving the products that we offer to our clients,” he said.
A Different Kind of Airline Leader
Conesa’s path to airline leadership did not begin in aviation. Before joining Aeromexico, he built his career in economics and public policy, earning a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and later serving in Mexico’s Ministry of Finance. That background gave him a different lens than many airline executives who rise through traditional commercial or operational roles. Furthermore, that experience shaped the way he would later lead the airline.
“Academic training really teaches you to think differently, to organize yourself in a different way,” he said. “Being outside the industry also gives you a fresh pair of eyes.”
That outside perspective became central to his leadership style. Rather than copying strategies from other airlines, Conesa focused on Aeromexico’s own market realities, competitive environment, and role as Mexico’s flag carrier. “It’s not the same recipe for everyone,” he said.
Conesa believes one of the risks in aviation is assuming that a successful model can be transplanted directly from one market to another. “There is a tendency, that if something worked in another airline, it should work in a new airline, which is not necessarily the case,” he said. That mindset pushed Aeromexico to build its own strategy rather than imitate competitors, balancing premium service, operational discipline, and Mexico’s unique geographic position between North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
His time in government also gave him a broader view of aviation’s role in economic development. As head of public credit at Mexico’s Ministry of Finance, he became involved with the airline during a period of government ownership. That experience helped him understand the importance of aviation beyond the balance sheet.
“I realized how important an airline is for an economy,” Conesa said. “The positive externalities that you have as an airline to a country are huge.”
That systems-level view helped him connect finance, operations, regulation, and customer experience. It also gave him valuable insight into how regulators and public officials think in a heavily regulated industry. “When you have been lucky enough to be in the two camps, it’s much easier to do your job,” Conesa said. That ability to bridge public and private interests became a lasting advantage as Aeromexico expanded, restructured, and strengthened its global position.
Reliability as a Passenger Promise
Conesa has made reliability one of Aeromexico’s defining strengths. The airline was recognized by Cirium as the world’s most on-time global airline in both 2024 and 2025.
That momentum continued in 2026 when Aeromexico became the first non-US carrier to receive the APEX Best Global Airline in North America Award, based on independently verified passenger feedback.
“It’s huge,” Conesa said. “We work every day to be better, and that’s a recognition that we are
For Conesa, reliability begins with safety. “Our top priority is safety,” he said. “Everything else follows safety.”
Aeromexico’s business model places heavy emphasis on corporate travelers and premium leisure passengers, making punctuality and consistency essential.
“Every Aeromexico employee has it in their DNA to put safety first and to do everything possible to run a reliable, consistent, on-time airline,” he said.
That achievement becomes even more significant because reliability can be expensive. Airlines often need extra crew, spare aircraft, and operational buffers to protect on-time performance. Conesa said Aeromexico has worked to balance reliability with profitability, rather than sacrificing one for the other.
“Achieving both, being highly profitable and best in class on-time, is really difficult,” he said. “Last year, we recorded our highest profitability while also becoming the world’s most on-time airline. That’s a huge achievement.” Aeromexico also posted its highest-ever EBITDAR margin at 31% in 2025.
The airline’s customer perception has also climbed sharply. Aeromexico’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) surpassed 50 for the first time, reflecting stronger passenger sentiment.
Yet Conesa insists product alone does not build loyalty. “At the end of the day, you can have the best planes, seats, and Wi-Fi, but without the best people, you won’t achieve that NPS,” he said. “Our employees are the ones who truly make the difference.”
Turning Crisis into Opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic became one of the defining tests of Conesa’s leadership. With around 70% of Aeromexico’s seats tied to international markets and much of its demand linked to business travel, the collapse in traffic was severe.
At one point in April 2020, revenues were down 95%. “There weren’t many options,” he said. Unlike some carriers, Aeromexico did not receive direct government financial support. “The Mexican government chose not to support any industry, and I think that was the right decision, because in the end, there simply wasn’t enough money to support everyone.”
The airline made the difficult decision to file for Chapter 11 restructuring in the United States. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make,” Conesa said. “When you file, you know when you’re going in, but you never know when you’re coming out.”
The restructuring was especially complex because Aeromexico needed to address labor contracts under Mexican law, outside the direct jurisdiction of the United States bankruptcy court. Conesa said the airline had to work closely with labor groups and local vendors to move forward.
Yet, he saw the process as a chance to accelerate transformation rather than simply survive. Aeromexico had entered Chapter 11 with a viable business model, not because of fraud or structural failure. Just weeks before COVID-19 escalated globally in February 2020, the airline had successfully placed a $400 million unsecured bond, which it later repaid in full.
“If you’re there for the right reason, like COVID, something nobody could have expected, it gives you the chance to change faster and more efficiently,” he said. “A turnaround can take ten years. We were able to do it in one.”
Rather than stop investing, Aeromexico used the downturn to modernize aggressively. The airline expanded its Boeing 737 MAX fleet from six aircraft before the pandemic to around 80, while also adding Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
“We took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said.
The recovery that followed became just as important as the restructuring itself. Aeromexico returned to the public markets and reached its highest valuation, reflecting renewed investor confidence.
“We have a very strong balance sheet after Chapter 11,” Conesa said. “We have one of the lowest leverage levels in the industry.”
That stronger foundation now supports major passenger experience investments funded with Aeromexico’s own resources. “We are able to fund our CapEx plan, which is directed to improving the customer experience,” Conesa said. “We are investing heavily in the next generation of the widebody cabin, which will begin arriving in 2028 with our own resources.”
A Flag Carrier with Global Reach
Aeromexico’s transformation under Conesa extends far beyond Mexico. Through its joint cooperation agreement with Delta Air Lines, the carrier has strengthened one of the world’s most important cross-border markets between the United States and Mexico.
“For the joint venture to succeed, passengers need a seamless experience whether they’re flying on a Delta aircraft or an Aeromexico one,” he said.
The partnership today extends beyond schedules and codeshares into broader operational and strategic cooperation. “We have talent exchanges, and we even make joint fuel purchases outside Mexico,” he said.
Conesa has also used his leadership roles at SkyTeam and IATA to improve the broader global travel experience. His focus has been practical: get the basics right.
Those priorities include online check-in across member airlines, loyalty recognition, lounge access, baggage tracking, and stronger visibility during connections. “If you focus on four or five basics, you’re already in a much better place,” he said.
This philosophy reflects a practical view of global partnerships. Conesa said it is unrealistic to expect every airline to have the same app, loyalty program, or onboard product, but it is realistic to make journeys easier and less stressful. “It’s really difficult to create one exact experience across every member,” he said. “So focus on the basics.”
That same thinking applies on the ground. Aeromexico has invested in upgraded check-in areas, lounges, and airport touchpoints in Mexico City as it works to improve the full passenger journey. “People sometimes think the experience is only about what happens in the air,” he said. “It’s key.”
For Conesa, Aeromexico’s role as Mexico’s flag carrier remains deeply personal. The airline often gives travelers their first impression of the country, whether arriving from Asia, Europe, South America, or the United States. “A flag carrier is like an ambassador,” he said. “There is never a second chance to make a first full impression.”
A Lasting Legacy in APEX and the Future of Aeromexico
Even after more than two decades leading Aeromexico, Conesa remains focused on what comes next. He sees opportunity in AI-driven personalization, loyalty integration, direct digital channels, and giving travelers more control over their journeys.There are always areas of opportunity,” he said. “We continue to assess different areas of where we can do better.”
That forward-looking mindset helps explain why the APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award is such a fitting recognition. Conesa has modernized Aeromexico, raised service expectations across the region, and demonstrated that a Latin American carrier can compete globally in product quality, reliability, and financial performance.
“We shouldn’t stop,” he said. “It’s actually the opposite. We should speed things up and see how we can even be better tomorrow.”
Dr. Leader said Conesa’s impact can be seen in every part of the airline’s evolution. “Dr. Andrés Conesa has expertly guided Aeromexico into a new era defined by premium growth, global recognition, and operational credibility, with passenger experience at the center of every advancement.”
For Conesa, the recognition is both personal and shared. He repeatedly credits Aeromexico’s people for the airline’s transformation, from frontline teams and crews to maintenance staff and leadership. “I love my job, and I love being part of this family,” he said. “This has only been possible because of the talent and dedication of our people.”
The award will be presented at APEX FTE EXPO Asia 2026 in Singapore, recognizing a career defined by resilience, disciplined growth, and an enduring belief that the passenger experience belongs at the center of airline strategy.
Dr. Conesa will receive the APEX CEO Lifetime Achievement Award at the APEX FTE EXPO at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from 18-19 November. To register for the event, click here.