Aeromexico evaluates US expansion as Washington lifts flight restrictions

Aeromexico is reviewing opportunities to increase flight capacity to the United States following the U.S. Department of Transportation's decision to lift restrictions on Mexican airlines. The move allows carriers to launch new services from both Mexico City’s Benito Juarez airport and Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA).

The lifting of these curbs ends months of uncertainty regarding air connectivity between the two nations. Previously, U.S. authorities had canceled authorizations for new routes from AIFA, citing concerns that Mexico had violated a 2015 air transportation agreement during the reorganization of flight allocations between the two major airports in the Valley of Mexico.

Aeromexico’s finance chief, Ricardo Sanchez, indicated that the airline has available aircraft to support this growth, aided by favorable lease rates secured during its Chapter 11 restructuring. The potential expansion comes amid intensifying domestic competition, as Mexico’s antitrust authority is expected to review a planned merger between low-cost carriers Volaris and Viva Aerobus.