Unhappy with its flights getting pushed to AIFA, US announces restrictions on Mexican airlines

The U.S. authorities has imposed caller restrictions connected flights from Mexico and has threatened to extremity a longstanding concern betwixt Delta Air Lines and Aeroméxico, Mexico’s flagship carrier.

The U.S. actions, announced connected Saturday, are successful effect to Mexico’s decision, formalized successful 2023, to unit airlines retired of the Benito Juárez International Airport successful Mexico City to the newer Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) astir 50 kilometers distant successful México state.

Aeroméxico, Mexico’s flagship carrier, has enjoyed a longstanding concern with Delta Airlines. That moving statement could beryllium successful information from the Trump Administration’s latest economical menace aimed astatine Mexico. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro.com)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said connected Monday that her authorities has not been formally notified and dismissed the conception that Mexico could beryllium sanctioned.

“There’s nary crushed to enforce immoderate sanctions related to this matter,” she said, adding that information and ratio were the ground for the determination regarding the airports. “[The older airport] was precise saturated … and had reached operational hazard levels.”

Earlier, Mexico’s Transportation Ministry defended the forced relocation successful a societal media post, citing statistic to show the improvements that resulted from the move.

In a statement, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the forced relocation violated a bilateral commercialized statement by cutting formation slots and mandating that cargo carriers relocate operations, giving home Mexican airlines an unfair advantage.

“Mexico has not been successful compliance with the bilateral statement since 2022 erstwhile it abruptly rescinded slots and past forced U.S. all-cargo carriers to relocate operations,” helium said, adding that the determination “disrupted the market, and near American businesses holding the container for millions successful accrued costs.” 

Duffy said the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) could besides cull formation requests from Mexico if its authorities fails to code U.S. concerns implicit decisions made successful 2022 and 2023.

The connection besides said DOT is considering withdrawing antitrust immunity from Delta’s associated task with Aeroméxico to code competitory issues.

The Cargo Airline Association (CAA), which represents large U.S. cargo carriers, applauded the U.S. government’s announcement successful a July 19 statement.

“Today’s announcement sends a wide and indispensable message: the United States volition not tolerate unfair, anti-competitive behaviour that is antagonistic to the tenants of the U.S. Open Skies model and harms American businesses,” it said. 

Forced relocation of cargo flights 

Mexico’s then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador published a decree connected Feb. 2, 2023, that enacted the suspension of cargo operations astatine the Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX), giving aerial freight carriers 108 concern days to relocate to the AIFA.

The Mexican authorities said the determination was to let for operation to alleviate congestion at MEX, but DOT claims the operation has yet to materialize.

In its statement, the CAA criticized Mexico’s unilateral decision, saying the determination “not lone disrupted captious aerial cargo operations and acceptable a unsafe precedent for however all-cargo carriers whitethorn beryllium treated successful planetary markets, it besides created uncertainty astir however imaginable information emergencies could beryllium handled.”

A 2023 decree by erstwhile President López Obrador forced cargo airlines to relocate to AIFA airport. (Gobierno de CDMX)

Reuters reported that the AIFA — inaugurated successful March 2022 — is already astatine full capableness for cargo handling and volition person to beryllium expanded. Passenger flights are inconvenienced by the information that proscription to and from Mexico City remains spotty.

The U.S. Transportation Department actions

The alleged “America First actions” are intended “to combat Mexico’s blatant disregard of the 2015 U.S.-Mexico Air Transport Agreement and its ongoing anti-competitive behavior.”

The actions are:

• Mexican airlines indispensable record schedules with DOT for each U.S. operations.
• Any ample passenger oregon cargo craft charter flights to oregon from the United States operated by Mexican airlines indispensable use for DOT approval.
• A supplemental Show Cause Order has been formulated that would retreat the Delta/Aeroméxico associated venture’s antitrust immunity.

DOT says withdrawal of the Delta/Aeroméxico antitrust immunity is, successful essence, a corrective enactment to code contention issues successful the market.

Delta responded by saying that if DOT withdraws approval, it “would origin important harm to consumers traveling betwixt the U.S. and Mexico, arsenic good arsenic U.S. jobs, communities, and transborder competition.”

Mexico is the astir fashionable planetary destination for U.S. hose travelers with much than 40 cardinal passengers flying determination past year.

The quality bureau Reuters, citing an hose manufacture analyst, said the broader U.S. extremity could beryllium to found a beardown negotiating presumption up of a reappraisal of the United States-Mexico-Canada commercialized statement (USMCA).

“They are utilizing this arsenic a springboard to summation leverage, conscionable arsenic they did with tariffs and immigration,” Fernando Gómez told Reuters. “USMCA is their eventual goal.”

With reports from El Universal, El Financiero, The Associated Press and Reuters