Mexico is not in compliance with international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Federal Aviation Administration contends, and Mexican airlines cannot establish new service to the United States, at least for now.
The agency made the announcement following “an assessment of the country’s civil aviation authority,” it said. As a result, the United States is downgrading Mexico from a Category 1 to Category 2 rating, and with the Category 2 rating, “Mexican air carriers cannot establish new service to the United States, although they are allowed to maintain existing service,” the FAA said.
As part of the FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program, the agency determines “whether or not foreign civil aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.”
“While Mexico has been responsive to the FAA’s findings and has made significant improvements in recent months, it was unable to fully comply with all of the international safety standards,” the FAA said. However, … Mexico continues to make progress. The FAA is committed to working closely with the Mexican government and providing technical assistance to help Mexico regain its Category 1 rating.”
While a Category 1 rating “means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards,” a Category 2 rating “means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with international standards, or that its civil aviation authority – equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters – is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping or inspection procedures,” according to the FAA.