Tampa International Airport welcomes Aeromexico flight

Aeromexico’s first flight into Tampa International Airport landed on Monday afternoon to much fanfare.

The new service connecting Tampa Bay to Mexico City was celebrated with Mariachi music, a ballet performance and other traditional treats.

Tampa Bay was once Aeromexico’s largest unserved market in the United States, according to a media release. Now it’s the airline’s 23rd destination in America and the third in Florida. Aeromexico also serves Orlando and Miami.

Nearly 80,000 people in Tampa Bay are from Mexico, the release said, which makes this group the second-largest foreign-born population in Tampa Bay behind Cuba. Airport officials estimate this new route to Mexico City will generate nearly $70 million annually.

Passengers munched on Aguas Frescas and Mexican pastries Monday afternoon as they waited for the flight to arrive at the Tampa terminal. The Tampa City Ballet performing a piece from its show “If I Cry,” inspired by the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

The new nonstop route is offered on an Embraer E190 aircraft with 99 seats, with 11 in a premium cabin. Aeromexico is a founding member of the SkyTeam Alliance alongside Delta Air Lines.

The flight is offered daily, leaving Mexico City at 9:55 a.m. and arriving in Tampa at 3:15 p.m. And leaving Tampa at 4:36 p.m. and arriving in Mexico City at 6:15 p.m.