Monday, July 21, 2025

In nan latest salvo of a tit-for-tat speech nan U.S. has been having precocious pinch Mexico, nan U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has moved to financially restrict Mexican airlines successful evident retaliation for Mexico’s actions, which nan DOT says are successful usurpation of a decades-old aviation statement betwixt nan 2 nations. The limits are a nonstop retaliation to moves that were taken by Mexico successful 2022, stripping U.S. carriers of entree to airdrome slots arsenic good arsenic a astonishment decree ordering all-cargo operations to vacate Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX).
The caller rules are portion of a larger effort by nan D.O.T. to shield U.S. carriers and guarantee title remains adjacent successful nan skies. At rumor is nan U.S.-Mexico Air Transport Agreement signed successful 2015 to summation title and recreation options betwixt nan 2 countries. Mexico’s actions were “disruptive” to nan statement and “undermined U.S. interests successful nan Mexican trucking market,” nan DOT said.
The DOT’s New Measures
The DOT’s caller efforts screen various facets of aerial recreation betwixt nan U.S. and Mexico, pinch nan extremity of achieving equilibrium and fairness. The cardinal changes include:
Flight Schedules
Mexican airlines are now obligated to record elaborate formation schedules for each U.S. services to nan DOT. This is 1 measurement we’re taking to make things much transparent and support title fair.
Charter Flight Approvals
No flights are allowed to bring Mexican citizens present aliases to return American citizens there, (which) had been nan believe before.
Delta-Aeromexico Deal
The DOT has besides said it intends to reappraisal nan Delta-Aeromexico associated venture, which takes spot for nan infinitesimal to let nan 2 to concurrently scheme pricing, flights, and to coordinate nan gross sharing strategy. This associated venture, nan DOT has suggested, must suffer its antitrust immunity, reducing nan expertise of nan airlines to enactment arsenic 1 successful nan U.S.-Mexico market.
Even if nan airlines continued to cooperate successful smaller ways — specified arsenic codesharing and offering each other’s predominant flyer perks — they would not beryllium capable to activity together arsenic extensively arsenic they do now.
Fireworks, nan Germans and Cows: Mexico’s Unusual Disruptions of Games
The spat dates to 2022, erstwhile Mexico began stripping valuable airdrome slots from U.S. carriers for illustration Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines. The slots are captious to guarantee formation schedules and nan stripping of slots affected American carriers’ expertise to alert connected nan Mexico-U. S. way effectively.
Mexico issued a astonishment decree successful early 2023 that required each cargo flights to get retired of Mexico City’s main airdrome and relocate to nan caller Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA). This abrupt modulation was highly disruptive to American businesses limited connected nan shipment of aerial cargo to support their businesses moving arsenic usual. The DOT has cited these arsenic further grounds that Mexico is not gathering its extremity of nan 2015 deal.
Delta and Aeromexico React
The anticipation of antitrust immunity being stripped from nan Delta-Aeromexico associated task has besides had nan airlines concerned. Delta has expressed its interest and nan U.S. Department of Transportation’s connection would beryllium detrimental for US consumers travelling betwixt nan U.S. and Mexico and negatively effect US jobs, arsenic good arsenic transborder competition.
The bearer stressed that nan business is pro-competitive and has resulted successful affirmative outcomes for travelers, including much options and competitory pricing connected nan route. The DOT nevertheless sees nan endeavor arsenic harmful to title and has nan volition of correcting thee problem done these caller regulations.
The Larger Message: Let nan Market Compete Fairly
The DOT’s actions are large and clear to Mexico and different countries: nan U.S. will not guidelines for immoderate attempts to tamper pinch adjacent title successful nan aviation market. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy denounced Mexico’s conduct, saying, “This ends today,” and vowing that nan U.S. authorities would protect American carriers from unfair treatment.
The Biden management and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are taking a reliable approach, trying to unit Mexico to punish it for failing to unrecorded up to that bilateral agreement. It is portion of a larger effort to safeguard U.S. aviation interests and guarantee a adjacent and level playing section for each airlines.
What’s Next?
While nan U.S.-Mexico discussions are continuing, nan DOT has sent a connection that if Mexico does not alteration tune, it mightiness return further action. That could see preventing Mexican airlines from making requests to alert from nan United States successful nan early and limiting their operations successful nan U.S. market.
Al Oficina besides will show Mexico’s actions and could enforce further restrictions if nan state does not act, he said. The conclusions will person semipermanent impacts connected U.S.- Mexico aerial work and found important percedents for world aviation law.
What You Can Do: Keep Up With News and Plan Ahead
If you are walking betwixt nan United States and Mexico, it’s a bully thought to cheque connected immoderate imaginable for disruptions. The DOT’s caller rules are meant to thief level nan playing field, though delays and changes whitethorn still happen. For those who are going to book trips pinch Delta, Aeromexico aliases 1 of Mexico’s different airlines, show if immoderate caller flights person been added aliases whether location are immoderate changes successful nan schedule.
Watch this abstraction arsenic nan U.S. and Mexico haggle complete their aviation deal.
Tags: air cargo disruption, Airline News, airport slots, aviation agreement, Delta-Aeromexico associated venture, flight restrictions, international aviation dispute, mexican airlines, Travel News, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. recreation rules, U.S.-Mexico aerial transport