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Aeromexico will resume nonstop flights between Mexico City and Barcelona at the end of March 2026, restoring a key transatlantic link that was suspended during the pandemic and signaling renewed confidence in demand between Mexico and Catalonia.
Key Dates, Schedule and Aircraft on the Reinstated Route
The Mexico City–Barcelona service is scheduled to restart on March 28, 2026, operating from Mexico City International Airport Benito Juárez to Barcelona El Prat. The route will initially run six times per week, giving travelers frequent options on most days of the week during the busy northern summer season.
According to schedules filed by the airline and route data providers, flight AM37 is planned to depart Mexico City in the late afternoon, around 17:20, arriving in Barcelona late morning the following day after a flight time of just over eleven hours. The return service, AM38, is slated to leave Barcelona mid-afternoon, at about 14:45, reaching Mexico City in the early evening.
Aeromexico will deploy its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet on the route, using a mix of 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft. The widebody jets feature a long-haul business cabin with fully flat beds and an economy cabin equipped with individual entertainment screens and modern cabin lighting, designed to ease the overnight crossing of the Atlantic.
Initially announced as a summer-only service through late October 2026, updated filings now indicate an intention to operate the route on a year-round basis, subject to regulatory approvals, with six weekly frequencies maintained into the winter 2026–2027 season.
Strategic Comeback After a Pandemic-Era Suspension
The relaunch marks Aeromexico’s return to Barcelona after an absence of several years. The carrier first opened the Mexico City–Barcelona route in June 2019 but suspended it in 2020 as long-haul demand collapsed and international travel restrictions spread during the COVID-19 crisis.
Since then, Barcelona has remained a sought-after destination for Mexican travelers, while Mexican leisure and business travel to Catalonia has continued to grow via one-stop itineraries. In 2024, passenger flows between the two cities reached more than 150,000 travelers, a significant portion of them flying indirectly through European hubs.
The decision to reinstate nonstop service in 2026 suggests that Aeromexico now sees sufficient and sustainable demand to support a dedicated widebody operation. It also fits within the airline’s broader post-restructuring strategy, which places renewed emphasis on high-yield, long-haul corridors linking Mexico with major economic centers in Europe.
Local aviation and tourism authorities in Catalonia have lobbied for the restoration of the route, framing it as a bridge between Latin America and southern Europe and a pillar of Barcelona’s efforts to consolidate its position as a hub for both tourism and international business.
Competition and Connectivity on the Mexico–Spain Corridor
Aeromexico’s move brings fresh competition on the Mexico City–Barcelona corridor. Emirates currently serves the city pair with a daily fifth-freedom flight, operating a Mexico City–Barcelona sector as part of a longer service originating in Dubai. That operation has provided the only direct link between the two cities since Aeromexico exited the market in 2020.
At the same time, Spanish and Mexican carriers continue to build capacity between Mexico and Madrid, which remains the primary gateway for transatlantic traffic between the two countries. Aeromexico already flies from Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey to Madrid, while Spanish airlines offer their own services from Madrid to multiple Mexican cities.
By adding Barcelona to its own map once again, Aeromexico is broadening its Spanish footprint beyond the capital and positioning itself against both European network airlines and Gulf carriers. The reinstated route is expected to offer more than 3,000 seats per week during the 2026 summer season, contributing to what the airline projects will be record capacity to Europe.
Through its hub in Mexico City, Aeromexico will also feed the Barcelona service with connecting traffic from across its Latin American and North American network. Cities such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cancún, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal are among the key markets expected to use Mexico City as a springboard to reach Catalonia.
Economic, Tourism and Cultural Impact for Mexico and Catalonia
Officials in Barcelona and Mexico City are framing the reinstated nonstop route as a catalyst for deeper economic and cultural ties. Barcelona’s business community has highlighted Mexico City as one of the principal destinations for air exports from Catalonia and an important origin point for imports, particularly in automotive, manufacturing and technology-related sectors.
The six-times-weekly connection is anticipated to make it easier for Mexican companies to invest in Catalonia and for Catalan firms to tap into Mexico’s large consumer market. Trade delegations and industry groups on both sides are already planning to leverage the new route for missions, conferences and sector-specific events over the course of 2026.
Tourism boards expect a boost in visitor numbers in both directions. For Mexican travelers, Barcelona’s blend of Mediterranean coastline, modernist architecture and cultural attractions is a perennial draw. For Catalan and Spanish travelers, the direct service opens up easier access to Mexico City’s museums, gastronomy, historic neighborhoods and its onward links to beach destinations such as Cancún and Los Cabos.
The route is also significant for the sizeable Mexican community living in Barcelona and surrounding areas, many of whom currently rely on one-stop connections. The return of a nonstop option is expected to shorten travel times and simplify family and community links across the Atlantic.
Part of a Larger European Expansion by Aeromexico
The resumption of Mexico City–Barcelona flights is one pillar of a broader European expansion for Aeromexico in 2026. Alongside the Barcelona service, the airline plans to inaugurate a new nonstop route from Monterrey to Paris Charles de Gaulle in April 2026, also operated with Boeing 787 aircraft.
With these additions, Aeromexico aims to increase its overall capacity to Europe by double digits compared with the previous year, reaching its highest-ever level of seats offered on the continent. The airline already serves Amsterdam, London, Paris and Rome from its Mexico City hub, and views the expanded network as a way to capture both leisure and corporate demand.
The timing of the Barcelona relaunch aligns with broader recovery trends in long-haul aviation. Transatlantic demand has rebounded strongly since 2023, and airlines are selectively restoring or adding routes that were either suspended or never launched during the pandemic years. Aeromexico’s return to Barcelona places it back into a competitive but growing market that connects two dynamic cultural and economic regions.
While the route’s performance will be closely watched in its first seasons back in operation, the decision to schedule it year-round from late 2026 suggests that the airline is planning for a permanent presence on the Mexico City–Barcelona corridor, rather than a one-off seasonal experiment.