A judge issued an arrest warrant for Miguel Aleman, co-founder and former president of Mexican budget airline Interjet, on criminal tax fraud charges
Aleman is accused of embezzling over 66 million pesos ($3 million) by the Ministry of Finance. The Attorney General’s Office issued the arrest warrant on July 8, 2021.
Founded in 2005, Interjet chose a hybrid business model by offering cheap tickets while providing full service to its customers, and quickly became one of the largest operators in Mexico. Financial woes at the company started making headlines in 2019, when Interjet was called “effectively bankrupt”, despite claiming the opposite.
Since then, most of its Airbus A320 fleet was repossessed by leasing companies due to lack of payment. The company was forced to recommission its Sukhoi Superjet 100s that had been grounded over difficulties with providing maintenance and acquiring spare parts. Interjet is the only remaining non-Russian operator of the SSJ100.
Interjet has been forced to cease operating since December 2021, as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has deepened its financial woes. The airline is still hoping to resume operations by reaching a deal with its creditors.
