Landing of an Aeromexico La Laguna airline plane at Mexico City International Airport.
Gerrardo Vieyra | NurPhoto | Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Administration downgraded its air safety rating for Mexico, prohibiting that country’s carriers from adding service to the U.S., the agency said Tuesday.
The decision is a new headache for airlines operating from the U.S. to Mexico, popular routes during the coronavirus pandemic as Mexico didn’t issue travel restrictions like many other countries did.
Mexican carriers can continue to operate existing service with the lower rating, but they can’t add new service or routes. U.S. airlines, meanwhile, cannot sell tickets that are operated by Mexican carriers with the U.S. airline’s name on it, a measure known as code-sharing.
Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency fell below the standards of the United Nations’ civil aviation organization following an assessment conducted between October and February, the FAA said.
Issues the assessment found included an insufficient number of inspectors and laws that didn’t do enough to ensure independence of the regulator by insulating it from political interference, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Mexican aviation agency could not immediately be reached for comment.
The FAA said it would work with its Mexican counterpart to improve its rating.
Delta Air Lines, which has a code-sharing agreement with its partner Aeromexico, said its service to Mexico is operating normally.
“For customers who have booked a flight with Delta that is operated by Aeromexico, Delta may reissue their reservation onto the corresponding Aeromexico-operated flight,” the Atlanta-based airline said in a statement. “Delta apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause our customers, and will continue to coordinate with Aeromexico to minimize any disruptions.”
Aeromexico didn’t immediately comment.
