By Kylie Madry MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico is planning on compromising with the U.S. over sticking points on aviation, the nation’s president said on Tuesday, with one airline predicting that an agreement would come in the next few days. On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Transportation rolled out orders requiring Mexican airlines to submit flight […]
Business
Mexico expects to resolve aviation dispute with US within days
Audio By Carbonatix
By Kylie Madry
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico is planning on compromising with the U.S. over sticking points on aviation, the nation’s president said on Tuesday, with one airline predicting that an agreement would come in the next few days.
On Saturday, the U.S. Department of Transportation rolled out orders requiring Mexican airlines to submit flight schedules and threatening to reject requests if the Mexican government did not address U.S. concerns over flight changes in Mexico City.
U.S. officials also proposed scrapping antitrust immunity for the joint venture between Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico to address competitive issues. The two have requested an extension through September 2 to respond to the proposal.
“We feel tremendously confident that the solution is going to be here in the next few days,” low-cost carrier Volaris’ CEO, Enrique Beltranena, told analysts a day after meeting with Mexico’s transportation ministry.
Mexico and the U.S. are beginning negotiations and some compromises could be made, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday.
Washington “is making a set of particular requests,” Sheinbaum said. “We’re analyzing them to see whether they can be addressed or whether an alternative can be proposed.”
The U.S. has expressed concern about the decision by Mexico’s previous administration to move cargo flights from the main capital airport to a newer, farther-away site while also cutting passenger flight slots.
Sheinbaum did not specify what the U.S. requests were. She said the new airport where flights were moved – the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) – was also a solution.
Sheinbaum’s mentor, former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, overhauled the capital airspace during his term, arguing that the main airport was overcrowded and that the AIFA, which he had built, would alleviate the pressure.
Cargo carriers have complained about the swap, with the AIFA already at full capacity for cargo handling and in need of an expansion. Meanwhile passenger satisfaction regarding transportation to the distant site remains around 60%, according to a government presentation last week.
Still, Beltranena said he remained “confident that both governments will reach a logical and mutually beneficial agreement.”
(Reporting by Kylie Madry; Additional reporting by Aida Peleaz-Fernandez; Editing by Natalia Siniawski and David Gregorio)