Trump administration imposes limits on Mexican flights and threatens
Delta alliance in trade dispute
[July 21, 2025] By
JOSH FUNK
The Trump administration imposed new restrictions Saturday on flights
from Mexico and threatened to end a longstanding partnership between
Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico in response to limits the Mexican
government placed on passenger and cargo flights into Mexico City
several years ago.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Mexico's actions to force
airlines to move out of the main Benito Juarez International Airport to
the newer Felipe Angeles International Airport more than 30 miles (48.28
kilometers) away violated a trade agreement between the two countries
and gave domestic airlines an unfair advantage. Mexico is the top
foreign destination for Americans with more than 40 million passengers
flying there last year.
"Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg deliberately allowed Mexico to break our
bilateral aviation agreement,” Duffy said, referring to the previous
president and his transportation secretary. “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. America First means
fighting for the fundamental principle of fairness.”
All Mexican passenger, cargo and charter airlines will now be required
to submit their schedules to the Transportation Department and seek
government approval of their flights until Duffy is satisfied with the
way Mexico is treating U.S. airlines.
It's not immediately clear how Duffy's actions might affect the broader
trade war with Mexico and negotiations over tariffs. A spokesperson for
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum didn’t reply immediately to a
request for comment. Sheinbaum didn’t mention the new restrictions
during either of her two speaking events on Saturday.
Delta and Aeromexico have been fighting the Transportation Department's
efforts to end their partnership that began in 2016 since early last
year. The airlines have argued that it's not fair to punish them for the
Mexican government's actions, and they said ending their agreement would
jeopardize nearly two dozen routes and $800 million in benefits to both
countries' economies that come from tourism spending and jobs.
[to top of second column] |
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy testifies during a House
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Oversight hearing on
the Department of Transportation's Policies and Programs and Fiscal
Year 2025 Budget Request on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, July 16, 2025,
in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
 “The U.S. Department of
Transportation’s tentative proposal to terminate its approval of the
strategic and pro-competitive partnership between Delta and
Aeromexico would cause significant harm to consumers traveling
between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as U.S. jobs, communities, and
transborder competition," Delta said in a statement.
Aeromexico’s press office said it was reviewing the order and
intended to present a joint response with Delta in the coming days.
But the order terminating approval of the agreement between the
airlines wouldn't take effect until October, and the airlines are
likely to continue fighting that decision.
The airlines said in a previous filing fighting the order that it
believes the loss of direct flights would prompt over 140,000
American tourists and nearly 90,000 Mexican tourists not to visit
the other country and hurt the economies of both countries with the
loss of their spending.
___
Associated Press writer Amaranta Marentes in Mexico City contributed
to this report.
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