Mexicana airlines has asked the government for a loan of 1.5 billion pesos ($113 million) to deal with a financial squeeze stemming from the country’s recent swine-flu outbreak.

The Mexican airline has requested the funds through the state agency Nacional Financiera because it is having "short term" liquidity problems caused by tourism revenues to Mexico reducing by 43 percent compared with last year. Mexicana has already delayed some aircraft lease payments and reduced its wages bill by 20 percent between May and July 2009.