The friendly skies may be clouding between the United States and Mexico. The U.S. Transportation Department released a statement on Saturday, July 19, regarding the 2015 U.S.-Mexico Air Transport Agreement.
If Mexico fails to act, the U.S. DOT could start disapproving flight requests.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on X, “Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg deliberately allowed Mexico to break our bilateral aviation agreement. That ends today. Let these actions serve as a warning to any country who thinks it can take advantage of the U.S., our carriers, and our market.”
In 2022, Mexico rescinded U.S. slots at Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) to allow for construction. According to the U.S. DOT, all American cargo carriers were forced to relocate in Mexico City. These changes reportedly cost American businesses millions of dollars.
The statement went on to say the U.S. DOT has reached out multiple times, but Mexico has not provided any information regarding when these slots would be returned, or if any major construction projects at MEX will ever materialize.
The three-point action plan announced by Duffy on Saturday includes:
- Part 213 Order requiring Mexican airlines to file schedules with the Department for all their U.S. operations.
- Part 212 Order requiring prior DOT approval before operating any large passenger or cargo aircraft charter flights to or from the United States.
- Supplemental Show Cause Order proposing the withdrawal of the Delta/Aeromexico joint venture’s antitrust immunity, thereby taking corrective action to address competitive issues in the market.
As far as the antitrust, the statement said Delta/Aeromexico would also face big changes. Both airlines would be required to discontinue cooperation, such as common pricing, capacity management and revenue sharing that require antitrust immunity. Delta is a minority investor in Aeromexico, holding a 20% stake. The U.S. DOT said Delta will retain that stake and maintain its existing flying in the U.S-Mexico market.
