Airline industry body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has criticized the Mexican government精东影业 decision to cut flight capacity at Mexico City精东影业 main airport.
IATA has declared that it questions the government精东影业 decision to reduce flight capacity at Mexico City International Airport (MEX) from 52 landings and takeoffs to 43 per hour, saying that the measure will have negative effects on several stakeholder groups, including passengers.
In addition, the measure will affect 鈥渁ir operations, connectivity, tourism, and competitiveness, as well as the fulfillment of the international commitments promised by the country,鈥 according to the IATA精东影业 statement of August 31, 2023.
Peter Cerd谩, Regional Vice President for Americas at IATA, said: 鈥淭hese measures must be taken with the greatest technical and operational rigor, based on expert studies and analysis. In this case, we question the methodology used by SENEAM, AFAC, and [MEX] to determine the airport’s capacity.鈥
IATA added that the decision was made without using proper industry practices, which 鈥渟tate capacity changes must be made through collaborative processes among all stakeholders, to ensure transparency, predictability, and certainty鈥.
Furthermore, the association pointed out that the Mexican government had already cut the flight capacity at MEX from 62 to 52 landings and takeoffs per hour in 2022. At that time, according to IATA, the government cited airspace limitations.
鈥淭his contradicts the study carried out in 2018 by the same government, which confirmed the viability of safely operating a maximum of 72 operations per hour,鈥 IATA noted.
The association also highlighted Mexico精东影业 previous decisions to move all cargo operations to Mexico City精东影业 newly built airport, Felipe 脕ngeles International Airport (NLU), at short notice. The move forced the United States (US) Department of Transportation (DOT) to suspend a review of the proposed US-based Allegiant Airlines and Mexico精东影业 VivaAerobus joint venture, with the DOT citing 鈥渙utstanding questions relating to the continued implementation of the U.S.-Mexico air transportation agreement鈥.
鈥淔inally, the priority for the Mexican government should be focused on the recovery of the FAA Category 1,鈥 the association continued. It also suggested that the FAA精东影业 decision to essentially disallow Mexico-based airlines to increase the number of direct flights to the US has had a significant negative impact, 鈥渨ith the loss of connectivity, increase in ticket prices, and the competitiveness of Mexican airlines鈥.
Thus, IATA concluded that it rejected the 鈥渨orrying鈥 measure, reiterating the association精东影业 willingness to work with the government to 鈥渃ontinue making a difference in the lives of Mexicans and contribute our experience in the proper functioning of the [MEX] and its operations鈥.
The Mexican government announced its decision on August 31, 2023. The Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transportation said that, after two specialized studies looking into the capacity of service levels of terminals 1 and 2, as well as the airspace capacity of MEX, it was safeguarding passengers and operators of the airport.
鈥淭his measure will be temporary and will be maintained as long as saturation conditions prevail at the [MEX], thus ensuring compliance with international service and safety standards for passengers,鈥 the Ministry精东影业 statement read.
