According to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, he reminded Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador last week that any decision to reinstate the country's air safety rating would not be dependent on politics.
"As I stressed to the president, the rating is a safety decision." It is unrelated to any economic, commercial, or political motive, but I did guarantee him that there would be no needless or inappropriate delay in processing it," Buttigieg told Reuters on the sidelines of a Washington event.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) demoted Mexico to Category 2 in May 2021, citing safety inadequacies and limiting Mexican airlines' ability to operate new routes to the US. Following the discussion on Wednesday, Lopez Obrador stated that the United States and Mexico still have "differences" of opinion on Mexico regaining a coveted air safety certification. He stated that the United States was "bargaining" with Mexico about the rating and that a shift to cargo flights was another source of contention between the two countries. To free up space, Lopez Obrador wants cargo aircraft to land in Mexico City's new Felipe Angeles airport rather than the more centrally situated Benito Juarez airport, but he says some US carriers are hesitant.
Buttigieg expressed worries about the timing of the cargo shift during his discussion.
"From the perspective of our cargo carriers, it is very important to get some of that flexibility for the move, and I really appreciate the (Mexican) president's willingness to extend the timeline," Buttigieg said on Monday. The FAA has completed one of a series of audits on Mexico. Mexican Transportation Minister Jorge Nuno stated on Wednesday that the audit was Mexico's "last," signifying a satisfactory outcome. Mexico has revised its conformity with international standards in areas such as licensing, aircraft operations, and craft airworthiness, among others.