AVIATION FUEL TRUCK SERVICE STALLED AT HOTEL SERENIDAD

June 20, 2006, Ron Grant, Aviation fuel truck on hold at Mulege, Mexico:

I just returned from a week flying to Mulege. The weather was hot, water hot, and dorado are in. The only thing lacking are the fisherman as things are really slow this time of the year.

Regarding the refueling of aircraft at the Hotel Serenidad. This would be a big boost for the fly-ins as most airplanes cannot make a round trip without refueling. This means most aircraft now have to make a trip to Loreto before heading back to the border, adding almost an extra hour of flight time to the trip.

Anyway, Don Johnson at the Hotel Serenidad has the aircraft refueling truck in place. However, because of a law that went into effect a few years ago between the U.S. and Mexican governments on a joint agreement to curb trafficking of narcotics, no aviation fuel can be pumped into any type container, gas cans, 55-gallon drums, or in this case, fuel trucks. Johnson cannot buy aviation fuel for the truck until he can get some kind of waiver. Needless to say, it's a problem dealing with the Mexican government.

Most people don't know it but there are 4 different prices on aviation fuel in Mexico, for military aircraft, commercial airlines, Mexican registered aircraft and American registered aircraft. They all pay different prices for fuel at the same Pemex refueling station. Needless to say, the American price is about a dollar more per gallon. This too is a factor because if Johnson has to pay the American price for fuel it can make it very expensive to refuel at the Hotel Serenidad. In the past the small airport locations that carried fuel would pay the Mexican price and sell for American price and still make a buck.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from Mulege and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for Mulege may be found at Mexfish.com's main Mulege page.