Mexico’s domestic airline industry in shambles

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s domestic airline industry is in shambles, plagued by safety problems, a ratings downgrade by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, and vandalism.

This week alone, passengers missed connections because thieves cut the fiber optic cables leading into the Mexico City airport, forcing immigration authorities to return to using slow paper forms.

The internet outage Wednesday came almost one month after aviation and transportation authorities were forced to suspend medical, physical and license renewal exams until 2023 because the Transportation Department’s computer systems had been hacked.

After a near-miss between two planes at the Mexico City airport on May 7, things just got worse. Authorities revealed that one of the airport’s main terminals is sinking and needs emergency work to shore it up.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s answer has been to propose allowing foreign airlines to fly domestic routes. But the safety downgrade — the FAA dropped Mexico from Category 1, which most countries have, to the lower Category 2 in 2021 — prevents Mexican airlines from opening new routes to the United States.

Thus, Mexico’s struggling airlines face competition in their home market, with no access to new international routes. Experts say all of it looks like a disaster for domestic aviation, a sector López Obrador had placed special emphasis on developing.

“It is not very encouraging for investment or the prospect of recovering Category 1 in the short or medium term,” aviation expert Rodrigo Soto-Morales wrote in the trade journal a21, referring to the internet outage and hacking.

Authorities said the Mexico City airport internet cables were cut by thieves who mistakenly thought the fiber optic cables were saleable copper. They stressed it happened outside airport property but, in fact, it was a cable conduit that leads directly into the airport from less than a mile away.

Rogelio Rodriguez Garduño, an aviation expert who teaches aeronautical law at Mexico’s National Autonomous University, said the events reflect a decadeslong decay in Mexico’s aviation regulation. Mexico, unlike most countries, doesn’t have an independent aviation agency.

“If something goes wrong, they investigate themselves and say they don’t bear any responsibility,” said Rodriguez Garduño.

It doesn’t bode well for López Obrador’s promise to recover a Category 1 safety rating.

“It seems possible that this is a process where we are taking steps backward,” Rodriguez Garduño said.

Consider the incident on May 7, when a Mexican airliner was cleared to land on a runway where another plane was about to take off. They came within a few hundred yards of each other.

The only person who appears to have been fired for the near-miss was a member of the crew of another plane who filmed the incident on her cellphone, accompanied by the words, “No no no no,” and a phrase roughly equivalent to “unbelievable.”

“The problems we are seeing, for example, in air traffic control where planes are on the verge of colliding … the failure of the immigration system, the problems with training and maintenance supervision, the issuing of permits, it’s a recurring thing that didn’t start yesterday with this administration,” Rodriguez Garduño said, “though this administration also hasn’t taken the necessary steps.”

It is all a strange position for a president who placed so much emphasis on the airline industry that one of his administration’s biggest projects was to build a new Mexico City airport to relieve pressure on the overcrowded old terminal.

López Obrador has asked the army to offer civilian domestic flights, and has publicly stated a desire for a state-run airline in Mexico. But the president does not like spending money on the kind of independent regulatory bodies that many say are needed to ensure safety.

Over the past year, there were at least 17 incidents of ground-proximity warning system alerts for planes approaching the Mexico City airport. The International Air Transport Association, which represents 290 airlines, wrote to the Mexican Airspace Navigation Services expressing concern about the close calls.

“Mexico needs an autonomous agency with legal standing that guarantees independence,” Rodriguez Garduño said.



Trending News on PVDN

  • baja-california-sur-tourism-growthBaja California Sur tourism growth continues despite recent violent events Baja California Sur tourism growth remains strong as nearly two million visitors arrive in early 2025, driven by safety measures and solid hotel occupancy rates. Baja California Sur has seen Baja California Sur tourism growth gather pace in the first half of 2025, drawing nearly two million visitors despite isolated reports of violence. According to…
  • cables-underground-plan-cdmxMexico City Telecommunications Law mandates companies to bury cables underground Mexico City’s new Telecommunications Law mandates burying overhead cables to improve safety, streamline connectivity, and enhance the urban image with a comprehensive cables underground plan. On Thursday, July 10, 2025, Mexico City took a decisive step to modernize its urban landscape and bolster public safety by approving a new Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law that requires…
  • ensenada airportEnsenada international airport project unveiled The Ensenada international airport project will feature a new runway, passenger terminal and commercial zone near Valle de Guadalupe, boosting regional connectivity and tourism with an investment of MXN 5,500 million for the Ensenada international airport. Ensenada will soon join Mexico’s growing network of modern aviation hubs. During the International Civil Airports Council (ACI) congress,…
  • cancun-boosts-tourism-diversification-sargassumCancún boosts tourism diversification to counter sargassum surge Cancún tourism diversification expands beyond beaches to water parks, cultural sites, religious tours and nightlife to tackle sargassum challenges and keep visitors engaged. Cancún’s iconic beaches have long drawn sun-seeking travelers from around the world. This summer, however, an influx of sargassum seaweed threatens that draw. To keep visitor numbers strong and protect local businesses,…
  • texas floodsUS thanks Mexico for sending rescue teams to assist in Texas flood The US government publicly thanked Mexico flood rescue teams for sending firefighters and civil protection specialists to assist search and rescue efforts in Kerrville, Texas, after deadly July 4 weekend floods. The United States government on July 8, 2025, formally thanked Mexico for its swift deployment of emergency personnel to aid search and rescue operations…
  • baja california tourist taxGovernment expects 256 million pesos from Baja California Sur tourist tax The Government of Baja California Sur aims to collect up to 256 million pesos in 2025 through the new “Embrace It” foreign visitor contribution, funding infrastructure and sustainability. The Government of Baja California Sur (BCS) plans to raise as much as 256 million pesos in 2025 by expanding a fee charged to international tourists under…
  • quintana-roo-sargassum-beaches-report-july-12-2025Sargassum levels hit moderate to excessive on 68% of monitored beaches in Quintana Roo Today, July 12, 2025, 68% of monitored Quintana Roo sargassum beaches report moderate to excessive algae arrivals while 25% remain clean. See the full list of clean and affected shores and learn how authorities are tackling the influx. The annual surge of sargassum has returned to Quintana Roo’s shores, with 68% of monitored beaches reporting…
  • guanajuato-free-700-workers-human-trafficking-labor-exploitationGuanajuato Authorities Free 700 Workers in Human Trafficking and Labor Exploitation Case An inter-institutional operation in Dolores Hidalgo freed 700 people from a ranch in a human trafficking and labor exploitation case and led to a narcotics probe. Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato - The Guanajuato Attorney General’s Office executed a landmark raid on a rural ranch in Dolores Hidalgo, freeing approximately 700 people who had been subjected to…
  • ensenada airportSan Miguel de Allende new airport plan drives regional growth Learn how the San Miguel de Allende airport plan and four other new regional airports will boost tourism, logistics, and economic development across Mexico. On July 11, 2025, Carlos Manuel Merino Campos, director of Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA), confirmed that the agency is evaluating the construction of a new airport in San Miguel de…
  • gender-revelation-pv-disappears-profepa-investigationGender Reveal Company at Center of Puerto Vallarta Controversy Disappears Revelación de Género PV vanished from social media after environmentalists and Profepa launched an investigation into its impact on Los Arcos de Mismaloya’s. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco — Revelación de Género PV, the operator behind the recently popular “gender reveal” boat tours at Los Arcos de Mismaloya, has abruptly vanished from social media and disconnected its…