Why 22 Russian-Built Jets Have Sat Rotting At Mexican Airports Since 2020

Dozens of jet airliners are retired every year, but few have followed a path quite as unusual as the regional jets sitting idle at Mexico’s Toluca International Airport(TLC). Once intended to play a major role in a growing airline’s network, these aircraft became part of one of the most distinctive fleet stories in modern commercial aviation. This article explores how they arrived there, what happened after operations ceased, and why their future remains uncertain.