Leigh Miller for GlobalAtlanta
The Mexican American Business Chamber in Atlanta sees Delta Air Lines Inc.’s new non-stop flight to Leon/Guanajuato in Mexico as good news for Georgia-Mexico business, according to the chamber’s president, Beatriz Gasiba.

Delta has received approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation for daily non-stop flights beginning Dec. 1 between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Leon/Guanajuato airport that serves the Mexican state of Guanajuato and its business center, the city of Leon.

“This flight is excellent for the businesspersons of the Mexican American Business Chamber,” Ms. Gasiba told GlobalAtlanta.

She said that the flight will allow chamber members to better take advantage of the Guanajuato region’s business opportunities. Fifteen of the Fortune 500 companies have operations in the state of Guanajuato, and 85 percent of Mexico’s automotive plants are located there, she noted.

The region is also one of the country’s most important suppliers of shoes and related products, and it is a very fertile region, ideal for growing grains and vegetables, Ms. Gasiba said. She added that the city of San Miguel de Allende in the region is known for its handicrafts, leather, silver, brass, pewter and wooden furniture and is a tourist destination.

In addition, the region is a source of gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, aluminum, liquid gas, oil, gasoline, asphalt, parafin, lubricants and fertilizers, she said.

The chamber is planning a trade mission to Guanajuato in August or September to explore potential partnership opportunities, Ms. Gasiba noted.

Delta already has direct service from Atlanta to 10 other Mexican cities, including Acapulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Merida and Puerto Vallarta.

By December, Delta will have 118 weekly flights to 11 destinations in Mexico from Atlanta, representing an 83 percent increase in the number of destinations served by the airline since the same time last year.

Delta has announced more than 40 new routes to Latin America and the Caribbean in the past year and has added 50 new international routes total in the past year. The airline serves 460 destinations in 97 countries on Delta, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and its global partners.

For more information, contact Delta Corporate Communications at (404) 715-2554. Contact Ms. Gasiba at (770) 441-7581 or visit www.mexicanchamber.org for more information.