Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – If Mexico successfully passes a technical review and final audit to regain category one in aviation, Rogelio Jiménez Pons, the Undersecretary of Transportation of the federal government, believes that flight offers to the United States will increase, and ticket prices will drop.
The official from the Ministry of Communications and Transportation Infrastructure (SICT) emphasized that the recent approval of the changes in the aviation law by the Legislative Branch will aid in this process before the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA).
Jiménez Pons commented that once the changes are published in the Official Gazette of the Federation, the final audit of the FAA will be conducted for the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC), an organization that is part of the SICT, which is expected to happen on May 15th.
“From our perspective, all the findings of non-conformity by the US authority have already been resolved… If everything turns out as we hope, category one would be recovered by mid-June or July,” he stated.
In this regard, the general secretary of the Aviation Pilots Union Association (ASPA), José Humberto Gual, mentioned that before the final audit, the FAA will conduct a technical review. He stated that this process was explained to him by US authorities last week, so they will be vigilant.
“It is urgent that category one aviation be recovered since in these two years that it was downgraded to category two, the Mexican industry has lost approximately 20 billion dollars. It is absurd that we find ourselves in this situation because the country has a lot of infrastructure in the sector,” he explained.
It was in May 2021 when the FAA downgraded the AFAC to category 2, preventing Mexican airlines from opening new routes to the United States or expanding their fleet.
Aeroméxico started operating the first route that connects the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) with the United States to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas, on Monday. According to the airline, a daily frequency will be offered with Embraer 190 equipment.
Thus, Aeroméxico remains the company with the largest operation in the Santa Lucía terminal, flying to eight national destinations (Acapulco, Cancún, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mérida, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, and Veracruz), and now one international destination (Houston), with around 800 monthly arrivals and departures.
This first flight began its takeoff operations at 3:10 p.m. on May 1st and landed at 6:14 p.m. at the George Bush Airport in Houston, Texas.
Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - It is urgent that category one aviation be recovered since in these two years that it was downgraded to category two, the . . .
