Mexicana and the De Havilland Comet 4C

Mexicana's "Golden Aztec" services focused primarily on US destinations out of Mexico City.

It's not often appreciated that Mexicana flew the De Havilland Comet and that they were used on services from Mexico City to the United States for ten years, from 1960 to 1970.

In 1959, with Pan American's assistance, Mexicana ordered five De Havilland Comet 4C aircraft but would eventually only take delivery of three of them. The Comet 4C was the final production version of the aircraft. Only 32 of the 4C were built. Given the close relationship between Mexicana and Pan American, Mexicana's Comet order was likely a politically palatable way of Pan American getting the Comet as insurance in case of issues with the Boeing 707 as Pan Am financed Mexicana's Comets.

After thirty senior captains at Mexicana underwent conversion training in the UK, Mexicana launched its first Comet jet services on 4 July 1960 from Mexico City to Los Angeles, which was fitting as Mexicana was the first foreign airline to serve Los Angeles. Over the course of ten years, Havana was served along with San Francisco, San Antonio, Dallas, Chicago and Miami.

Mexicana marketed their Comet routes as the "Golden Aztec" services and the jets flew with one of the most intricate tail designs to have flown, a detailed representation of an Aztec calendar stone that was carved in 1479 and discovered in 1790 during renovations to the Zocalo central square in Mexico City.

One of Mexicana's Comet's, XA-NAR, after retirement from scheduled passenger services in 1970, was retained by Mexicana for charter work until 1972. That particular aircraft is the one now at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.