By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to announce on Thursday it is upgrading Mexico’s air safety rating, a move that will allow Mexican carriers to expand U.S. routes, sources told Reuters.
Mexico was downgraded by the FAA to a Category 2 safety rating more than two years ago. The Biden administration had told Mexico that it will officially recover its Category 1 rating, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday.
Asked Wednesday when the United States might restore Mexico’s rating, acting FAA Administrator Polly Trottenberg said “Stay tuned.”
The downgrade was a major blow to national carriers, as U.S. airlines were able to scoop up market share. Mexico overhauled its civil aviation law, but faced several hurdles and spent months in recovering the Category 1 rating.
In a June audit, the FAA raised concerns about Mexico’s process for post-accident investigations and for carrying out medical exams for sector employees, meeting minutes obtained by Reuters showed.
The upgrade to Category 1 comes as Lopez Obrador continues to criticize operations at the country’s busiest airport and encourage airlines to move operations to a military-run airport, a flagship project he opened last year.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
