MEXICO CITY, March 12 (Reuters) - Mexico's state-owned

airline Mexicana will purchase 20 aircraft by October, when

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's term ends, the country's

leader told reporters on Tuesday.

The airline, administered by the military, struggled to take

flight at the end of last year after it was unable to acquire

aircraft. It started operations using three Boeing ( BA ) planes

from the military and two Embraer ( ERJ ) aircraft rented

from a regional carrier.

Lopez Obrador did not specify which planemaker or third

party the government was looking to acquire the aircraft from.

Officials have previously said they were looking to

acquire

more Boeing ( BA ) planes

for the airline. Boeing ( BA ) and Embraer ( ERJ ) did not immediately

respond to requests for comment.

Mexicana, which Lopez Obrador

launched by reviving a bankrupt carrier

, has been pitched as a cheaper alternative for travelers

compared to the nation's largest airlines, with whom the

president has frequently clashed in his administration.

However, January flight data from the nation's civil

aviation authority shows that Mexicana carried around 1.5% of

domestic traffic as the top three airlines did individually.