Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the president of Mexico, said the U.S. Department of Transportation will improve the country’s aviation safety assessment.
As reported by Reuters.com, President Lopez Obrador announced during his routine morning press conference that Mexico would be upgraded from Category 2 to Category 1.
“This is good news,” President Lopez Obrador said. “All of the requirements have been met.”
In 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lowered Mexico’s classification to Category 2. However, the U.S. agency has been collaborating with civil aviation authorities for over two years to enhance the safety rating.
Regarding President Lopez Obrador’s remarks, a spokesperson for the FAA stated that the agency anticipated finalizing the process in the foreseeable future without specifying a precise date. The announcement might potentially be made as early as this week.
The country manager for LATAM Airlines (LTM.SN) and the head of Mexico’s air transportation chamber, Diana Olivares, revealed in June that the Mexican national airlines lost more than $1 billion as a result of the FAA’s decision to downgrade Mexico’s air safety rating.
After buying the defunct Mexicana de Aviacion for $48 million, the Mexican government announced plans to launch a military-managed airline in August. In the same month, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Air Canada, and WestJet also announced their intentions to launch new flights from North America to Cancun and Cozumel.