Exclusive-U.S. prepares to downgrade Mexico air safety rating, sources
say
Send a link to a friend
[May 22, 2021] By
David Shepardson, Frank Jack Daniel and Tracy Rucinski
WASHINGTON/
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -The U.S.
government is preparing to downgrade Mexico's aviation safety rating, a
move that would bar Mexican carriers from adding new U.S. flights and
limit airlines' ability to carry out marketing agreements, four sources
briefed on the matter said.
The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) planned move is expected be
announced in the coming days and follows a lengthy review of Mexico's
aviation oversight by the agency.
Sources briefed on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
the FAA has had lengthy talks with Mexican aviation regulators about its
concerns. The sources said these concerns had not all been addressed
following an in-country assessment.
The sources added that Mexican government officials have been informed
about the planned action and raised concerns.
One airline industry source said the FAA's concerns did not involve
flight safety issues but rather Mexico's oversight of air carriers.
Downgrading Mexico from Category 1 to Category 2 would mean that current
U.S. service by Mexican carriers would be unaffected, but they could not
launch new flights and airline-to-airline marketing practices such as
selling seats on each other's flights in code-share arrangements would
be restricted.
The action would mean that the FAA has determined that Mexico does not
meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards
as part of its safety assessment program.
Mexico has been a top vacation spot for U.S. travelers during the
COVID-19 pandemic, spurring U.S. airlines to redirect capacity they had
previously flown to Europe before transatlantic travel restrictions were
imposed last year.
In April, Mexico was the by far the busiest foreign air destination -
with nearly 2.3 million passengers on U.S.-Mexico flights - more than
three times that of the Dominican Republic, the next highest country,
according to industry data.
[to top of second column] |
An Aeromexico airplane is pictured on the airstrip at Benito
Juarez international airport in Mexico City, Mexico April
21, 2021. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo
An FAA spokesman declined to comment.
Mexico's Communications and Transport Ministry did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
Delta Air Lines, which has a codeshare arrangement with Aeromexico, will have to
issue new tickets for some passengers booked on Aeromexico flights as a result
of the downgrade, sources said.
Delta and Aeromexico declined to comment.
Delta and Aeromexico, joint venture partners since 2017, are together offering
about 3,900 transborder flights in June, more than any other carrier, according
to global data aviation company Cirium. Delta owns 49% of Aeromexico but took a
$770 million charge on its investment last year after the carrier's Chapter 11
bankruptcy filing.
Carlos Ozores, an aviation consultant at global consulting and digital services
provider ICF, said the move could impact Delta and Aeromexico's codeshares,
which drive incremental sales, and force growth-driven low-cost airline Volaris
to revisit expansion plans to the United States.
This would not be the first time the FAA downgraded Mexico's air safety rating.
In 2010, the agency downgraded Mexico to Category 2 due to suspected
shortcomings within its civil aviation authority, then restored its top rating
about four months later.
The FAA has said that downgrades mean an aviation authority is deficient in
areas such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping and
inspection procedures. Mexican authorities said in 2010 there was no
deterioration of flight safety and that the downgrade was due to a shortage of
flight inspectors.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and
Frank Jack Daniel and Noe Torres in Mexico Cityl; Editing by Stephen Coates)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |