The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reinstated Mexico's Category 1 aviation safety rating after more than two years, permitting carriers to announce new routes between the two countries. The Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation (Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes - SICT) said that around 50 new routes are expected in the short term.
Mexico was downgraded to Category 2 in May 2021 following an FAA audit that found violations of International Civil Aviation Organization safety standards. Since then, the Mexican civil aviation authority (Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil - AFAC) has been working closely with FAA inspectors to regain the crucial clearance.
All three largest Mexican carriers - Aeroméxico, Volaris, and VivaAerobus - issued press releases celebrating the restoration of the Category 1 rating and said they would resume their respective US expansion plans, although they did not detail any specific routes. Under the Category 2 rating, airlines from both countries could continue existing services (including code-shares) but were not permitted to launch any new services or partnerships. The restriction also covered cargo operations.
The Secretary of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation, Jorge Nuño Lara, stressed the importance of the cargo market for cross-border trade, given the co-dependence of the US and Mexican economies.
The ch-aviation capacities module shows that US routes constitute 65% of the total international weekly scheduled capacity out of Mexico. In turn, Mexico accounts for 11.9% of the total international scheduled capacity out of the US, on par with Canada.
