oldest airline in North America, founded in 1924 in Tampico, Mex., and now headquartered in Mexico City.

The company began as a cargo carrier, carrying payrolls to the oil fields out of Tampico. The first scheduled service began in 1928, linking Mexico City, Tuxpan, and Tampico, followed in the same year by service between Mexico City, Veracruz, and Mérida. The Mexico City–Tampico–Brownsville route opened in 1929, piloted by Charles A. Lindbergh.

In the course of succeeding decades, the routes and services expanded, and the ownership of the airline by Pan American Airways rose and then fell (to accord with new Mexican laws limiting foreign ownership). In 1967 Pan American yielded its remaining stock in the airline. The Mexican government was the majority shareholder in the company from 1982 to 1990, when it sold the airline to private investors. By the late 20th century Mexicana was providing service to more than 30 cities in Mexico and various cities in the United States, the Caribbean, Central America, and Europe.