US Lifts Curbs on Mexican Airlines' New Routes from Mexico City Airports

Cover image: A Volaris Airbus A320neo at Los Angeles International Airport (file photo) — photo by Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has revoked, with immediate effect, the October 2025 order that froze Mexican airlines' new US routes from both Mexico City airports. Order 2026-10-8, issued on Friday 16 October, ends a block that cancelled 13 current or planned routes and barred any new route or extra frequency between the US and Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX, also known as AICM) or Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA, code NLU).

The DOT said steps Mexico has taken under a Memorandum of Consultations concluded on 1 May 2026 "sufficiently address the concerns" behind the freeze. The order names 10 Mexican carriers, including Aeroméxico, Volaris and Viva Aerobus. Schedule filing and prior approval for large-aircraft charters stay. As of 19 October 2026, no airline had announced a new route or launch date.

Why did the DOT lift the freeze now?

The order, signed by Daniel J. Edwards, DOT Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, says Mexico has returned many of the MEX slots it confiscated from US passenger airlines. Mexico's transport ministry (SICT) has committed to return the rest when US carriers are ready to restart those flights, and has confirmed US carriers are eligible for all-cargo slots at MEX.

According to the order, Mexico also dropped its 85/15 slot-usage rule for the 80/20 global standard, scrapped a 15-minute punctuality clause and set up an independent slot coordinator within its Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC).

A US official said, according to Reuters (via The Hindu), that two other orders remain in place and Washington would closely monitor compliance.

How did the slot and cargo dispute start?

According to the DOT's October 2025 order, on 26 August 2022, after Mexico declared MEX's terminals saturated, the slot coordinator seized historic slots from American, Delta and United and from Aeroméxico, Viva Aerobus and Volaris. Hourly movements were cut from 61 to 52, then to 43 from Winter 2023/24. A decree of 2 February 2023 banned all-cargo flights at MEX; the three US all-cargo carriers there moved to AIFA on 1 September 2023.

The DOT objected that Mexican airlines added US services from MEX by repurposing slots while US carriers' service stayed frozen. It imposed schedule-filing and charter controls on 19 July 2025, then disapproved the 13 routes on 28 October 2025, as Mexican carriers sold Christmas 2025 tickets, El País reports.

MEX handles about 44 million passengers a year; AIFA reached seven million in the last year, according to El País.

The 2025 and 2026 orders do not mention the Delta–Aeroméxico joint venture, the target of a separate DOT order that a US appeals court vacated in August.

Which routes were blocked, and are they coming back?

Some reports called all 13 AIFA routes. The DOT's order lists 11 from AIFA and two from MEX.

Aeroméxico said the revocation gives it "greater flexibility" to add frequencies and new Mexico City–US services, and Volaris called it "a very significant step" for "the continent's largest cross-border air market" (both quoted by El País). Viva said, according to Aviacionline, it "will be evaluating opportunities to develop new international connections".

Aviacionline sees Viva's nine AIFA routes as the likeliest to return.

What does it mean for airlines and travel agents?

Mexican carriers can now file new MEX and AIFA routes and frequencies to the US without automatic refusal. Under Order 2025-7-11, still in force, proposed schedules, including code-share flights, must be filed at least 30 days before the first flight. No new service can start sooner, and the DOT can still disapprove.

Order 2025-7-10 also bars the named carriers, including Magnicharters, from US charters on aircraft above 60 seats or 18,000 pounds of payload without DOT authorisation, sought at least 30 calendar days ahead.

Agents should not quote AIFA–US flying until a carrier loads a schedule. Filings appear in public docket DOT-OST-2025-0436 on regulations.gov; launches will feed our 2026 route launches and cuts tracker.

Frequently asked questions

Can Mexican airlines launch new US routes from Felipe Ángeles airport now?

They can file them. The US DOT revoked its blanket disapproval on 16 October 2026, so new routes and frequencies from AIFA and Mexico City International are no longer refused automatically. Schedules must still be filed with the DOT at least 30 days before the first flight.

Which routes did the October 2025 order cancel?

Order 2025-10-13 disapproved 13 routes: Aeroméxico's AIFA services to Houston and McAllen, its planned Mexico City–San Juan route, Volaris's planned Mexico City–Newark route and nine planned Viva Aerobus routes from AIFA. As of 19 October 2026, none had a launch date.

What US restrictions on Mexican carriers are still in force?

Two July 2025 orders remain. Order 2025-7-11 requires the named Mexican airlines to file their US schedules, including code-share flights, with the DOT. Order 2025-7-10 requires specific DOT approval, sought at least 30 calendar days ahead, for any US charter using large aircraft.

Does the decision change Mexico's FAA safety rating?

No. A US official said, according to Reuters, that the decision is separate from the Federal Aviation Administration's ongoing review of Mexico's aviation oversight, conducted in August. The FAA downgraded Mexico in May 2021 and restored its top safety rating in September 2023.

Sources

• US DOT, Order 2026-10-8 (revocation)
• US DOT, Order 2025-10-13 (route disapprovals)
• US DOT, Order 2025-7-11 (schedule filing)
• US DOT, Order 2025-7-10 (charters)
• The Hindu (Reuters), US lifts curbs on Mexican airlines
• Aviacionline, US revokes order freezing Mexican routes
• El País, Mexico relieved as US lifts airline curbs