US lifts flight curbs on Mexican airlines after aviation dispute
The US Department of Transportation has lifted restrictions on Mexican airlines launching new flights to the US from Mexico City's two airports, easing an aviation dispute over a 2015 air transport agreement.
Mexican airlines will be able to launch new flights to the United States from Mexico City’s two international airports after the US Department of Transportation lifted restrictions imposed over an aviation dispute between the two countries, Mexico’s government said on Friday.
The decision opens up the possibility of establishing routes to the US from Mexico City’s Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) and Benito Juarez International Airport, according to a statement from Mexico’s ministries of foreign affairs and communications and transportation.
The US Department of Transportation said the move reflected steps Mexico has taken to address concerns over its compliance with a 2015 bilateral air transport agreement. The department said it would continue to require Mexican carriers to file schedules for flights to and from the US and obtain approval to operate services using large aircraft.
A US official said two other orders related to the dispute remain in place and that Washington would closely monitor Mexico’s compliance with its commitments. The official said the decision was separate from an ongoing Federal Aviation Administration review of Mexico’s aviation oversight efforts conducted in August.
The move was welcomed by Mexican airlines, with Viva and Aeromexico saying it would strengthen air connectivity between the two countries. In May, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Mexican government had agreed to improve aviation access to Mexico City.
Reporting: Reuters (Mexico City), by Raúl Cortés Fernández.
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