Officials say the U.S. downgrades Mexico’s air safety ratings

U.S. government officials said the U.S. government downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating on Tuesday.

U.S. government officials said that the U.S. government downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating on Tuesday, prohibiting Aeromexico from adding new U.S. flights and restricting the airline’s ability to implement marketing agreements.

Reuters first reported on Friday the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) downgrade plan.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had a lengthy meeting with the Mexican aviation regulator about its concerns. The United States is expected to make an official announcement later on Tuesday.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday that the US authorities should not downgrade Mexico’s air safety title on the grounds that Mexico complies with all relevant regulations.

“We have been complying with all requirements. When asked about the possibility of the United States lowering the security level, Lopez Obrador said at a regular press conference: “We believe that this should not be done. One decision. “

Downgrading Mexico from “Category One” to “Category Two” means that Aeromexico’s current services in the United States will not be affected, but they will not be able to launch new flights or conduct inter-airline marketing practices. For example, the sale of seat arrangements for each other’s flights in the form of code sharing will be restricted.

Delta Air Lines said on Tuesday that the FAA downgrade has nothing to do with partner Aeromexico and has little impact on customers.

“This has nothing to do with Aeromexico. This is about the Mexican version of the FAA without proper agreement,” Delta President Glen Hauenstein said at the Wolf Research Conference.

Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico have reached a codeshare agreement that allows the two airlines to sell seats on each other’s flights.

Hauenstein added that after the downgrade, Delta Air Lines will be forced to delete its code on Aeromexico flights, although Aeromexico may continue to code on Delta flights, and Delta loyalty program members can still carry the code normally. Get the SkyMiles frequent flyer program on Aeromexico flights.

This is not the first time the FAA has downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating. In 2010, the agency downgraded Mexico’s rating due to suspicion of deficiencies within its Civil Aviation Administration, and then restored the highest rating four months later.