Aeroméxico Opens First Flight to US Since Category 2 Downgrade

Aeroméxico will fly Felipe Ángeles International Airport’s (AIFA) first flight to the US, flying directly to Houston, Texas. This announcement comes a few days after the airline introduced four new domestic frequencies. 

The airline will offer a daily flight to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport/Houston Airport (IAH) from AIFA. Aeroméxico already provides a frequency to IAH from the Mexico City International Airport (AICM). 

In May 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico’s airspace safety rating to Category 2. The downgrade caused Mexico’s aviation market to stagnate, preventing airlines from opening new routes to the US, as reported by MBN. 

“Aeroméxico obtained from the competent authorities of Mexico and the US the necessary authorizations to start direct flights from AIFA to the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. Thus, at Aeroméxico we are enthusiastic about consolidating our position as the airline with the greatest connectivity to and from central Mexico,” explained the airline via a press release. 

Aeroméxico highlighted that it currently has the largest operations at AIFA, with nine destinations and over 220 arrival and departure operations each week. The AIFA-IAH route will start on May 1, 2023 and operate daily using Aeroméxico’s Embraer 190 aircraft. The flight will use the same aircraft as the one used in the AICM and IAH route. 

From AIFA, Aeroméxico offers flights to Acapulco, Cancun, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Merida, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta and Veracruz, arguing that those routes increase its connectivity. The new route to the US underwent a regulatory assessment before approval. The main argument being that AIFA also serves the metropolitan area of Mexico City.

“Aeroméxico works closely with the aeronautical authority of Mexico to recover the Category 1 under the International Aviation Security Assessment (IASA) program of the FAA, in accordance with the Civil Aviation Organization International (ICAO) standards, which is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN),” said Aeroméxico. 

The airline announced in January 2023 four new domestic routes that will connect Mexico City with: Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas; Colima, Colima; Cozumel, Quintana Roo; and Tepic, Nayarit. Aeroméxico argued that the opening of the new frequencies will support economic and tourism development.