In OCT25, U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy signed an order, prohibiting all bilateral air services between the U.S. and Mexico City’s new airport, Felipe Ángeles International (AIFA). Consequently, carriers had to scrap existing routes, and the expansion of Mexican passenger and freight airlines from AIFA slowed down massively. Now, Washington has revoked its step.
At the time of the DOT intervention, the new airport was growing rapidly. This was particularly true of cargo volume, with 406,192 metric tons handled in 2025. Passenger numbers had already slightly surpassed the 7 million mark.
As for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), its chief, Sean Duffy argued that Mexico had breached the bilateral air transport agreement signed in 2025, by cancelling slots granted to U.S. airlines at the country’s traditional gateway, Mexico City International Airport (AICM). Secondly, the national government forced U.S. airlines to relocate their services from AICM to the newly built Felipe Angeles Airport. “That’s a violation of existing agreements,” Duffy thundered. However, shortly after the DOT’s stop signal, Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum ceded slots at AICM to U.S. carriers, thereby restoring the previous state.
Slap in the face
At first, however, her government’s move did not change the Washington embargo, despite the ban not only hurting Aeroméxico and other Mexican airlines, but also U.S. carriers operating cross-border flights, such as Delta Airlines in particular. Both carriers are founding members of the global alliance, SkyTeam, and its freight arm, SkyTeam Cargo. Their cross-border flights were based on a Joint Cooperation Agreement. After some confusion caused by the Duffy order, their partnership and joint codeshare services were resumed because a U.S. appeal court allowed the collaboration. A decision that constituted a legal slap in the face for Duffy and his DOT.
However, according to Reuters, the lifting of restrictions is not complete: the DOT will continue to require Mexican airlines to file their flight plans to and from the United States, and obtain approval to operate wide-body aircraft.
In the case of Aeroméxico, it states that the revocation of the order announced by the DOT exactly a year ago “gives us greater flexibility to evaluate opportunities to increase flight frequencies and introduce new services between Mexico City and the United States”. Low-cost carrier Viva said it will check new routes to further develop cross-border traffic.
Eying European markets
Influenced by the dispute with the U.S. government, the national carrier, Aeroméxico has shifted its focus more toward European destinations. A new addition to its transcontinental network is the route between Guadalajara and Paris. It will be operated three times a week starting 13APR27.
With the addition of this service, Aeroméxico will operate a total of 13 weekly flights between Mexico and Paris-CDG during the upcoming summer schedule. The route will complement Aeroméxico’s daily service between Guadalajara and Madrid. The carrier also intends to launch direct flights between Mexico City International Airport and Milan Malpensa in MAR27, and will deploy B787 equipment on this leg. The plan remains subject to regulatory validation.Flight frequencies and schedules will be announced once the necessary approvals have been obtained. Milan will become the airline’s second destination in Italy, after Rome-Fiumicino. Aside from passenger traffic, Malpensa Airport is particularly important for air cargo due to the strong Italian industrial sector in Lombardy and throughout the northern part of the country.
