The U.S. government just revoked approval for multiple flight routes between Mexico and the U.S. ahead of the busy winter travel season. For expats and Mexican citizens with plans to travel north for the year-end holidays, this development threatens to create a hot mess.
Below, I’ll explain which airlines and routes are affected, and what the Mexican government plans to do about it.
Which Mexican Airlines are Affected and Why
The U.S. DOT has revoked approval for 13 routes (both existing and planned) to the U.S. from Mexico City operated by the ultra-discount Mexican airlines Volaris and Viva Aerobus, as well as a few run by Aeromexico, the national carrier. Also cancelled were several combined passenger and cargo routes from Mexico City’s Felipe Ángeles International Airport to the U.S.
With the suspension of those 13 routes, hundreds of flights between Mexico and the U.S. will be affected over the coming months. If unresolved, thousands of people with plans to fly over the holidays (from both countries) will be left scrambling for alternate routes – or simply grounded.
This week’s unilateral move by the U.S. is unambiguous retaliation against Mexico’s actions in 2022. According to the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Mexico “illegally canceled and froze U.S. carrier flights for three years without consequences.”
Translation: Now, there are consequences.
Duffy’s comment refers to actions by the Mexican government under Scheinbaum’s predecessor, President Antonio Manuel Lopez Obrador. Back in 2022, AMLO cancelled numerous landing slots for U.S. airlines at Benito Juárez (Mexico City’s older, centrally-located airport) due to heavy congestion there.
The move forced U.S. air carriers Delta, American, and United to relocate their cargo operations to the brand new (and at the time deserted) Felipe Ángeles airport north of Mexico City, which the Mexican government seeks to eventually position as the capital’s primary airport.
At the time, the change was described as “temporary,” but it hasn’t been reversed by the Mexican government in the three years since. (If you’ve been through MEX lately, you know that capacity issues are as bad as ever)
The Mexico-U.S. Flight Routes Now Disapproved
According to the U.S. DOT’s order, the following routes are affected.
The 13 Routes Being Suspended
The U.S. DOT also stated its intention to disapprove all new flight service requests by Aeromexico, Viva Aerobus, or Volaris between Felipe Ángeles (NLU) or Benito Juárez (MEX) and any U.S. cities, until further notice.
Despite this week’s announcement, the travel websites I checked continue to show these routes operated by the affected carriers as available. So be careful if you plan to make any new bookings.
And if you already have a booking on one of these routes for the coming months, I strongly recommend contacting the relevant carriers right away to find out what options are available to you.
What is Mexico’s Response?
President Sheinbaum condemned the Trump Administration’s unilateral action affecting Mexican air carriers in her morning press conference. It appears that her government was totally blindsided by this sudden U.S. maneuver.
She stated today that her government will request an urgent meeting between Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and his U.S. counterpart, Marco Rubio, to discuss the matter.
For its part, the Mexican Air Pilots Union posted to social media that it is “deeply concerned” about the action taken by Washington, as it would negatively impact air connectivity between the US and Mexico and threaten thousands of industry jobs.
I don’t know when or how this conflict will be resolved. But one thing is certain — bilateral Mexico-U.S. relations are set to become much more tense in the coming months.