Mexico Sets New Slot Allocation Rules for Saturated Airports

Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) is preparing to issue new general rules governing the allocation of takeoff and landing schedules, commonly known as slots, and aircraft priority handling across public civil aerodromes designated under Level 3 saturation conditions.

The regulatory update aims to modernize the nation's air traffic framework by aligning domestic operational guidelines with recent amendments to Mexico’s Airport Law Regulations and international best practices established in the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG).

According to official technical documentation drafted by AFAC and dated Aug. 6, 2026, the upcoming framework will establish standardized, impartial, transparent, and non-discriminatory criteria for awarding slots to air carriers. The regulations also define new mechanisms for monitoring, evaluating, and auditing slot utilization to maximize infrastructure efficiency, protect operational continuity, and ensure aviation safety across congested facilities.

As of August 2026, Mexico City International Airport (AICM) remains the sole commercial aerodrome in Mexico officially designated as saturated. However, the broader regulatory overhaul lays the foundation for future infrastructure management across the country’s airport network as the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) prepares a three-tiered classification system to categorize facilities based on operational capacity, historical traffic behavior, and air navigation service parameters.

Regulatory Alignment and Harmonization Standards

The pending publication of the rules in Mexico’s Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) marks a significant step in aligning domestic aviation oversight with global commercial standards. The adoption of WASG criteria, developed jointly by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airports Council International (ACI), and the Worldwide Airport Coordinators Group (WWACG), brings Mexico into compliance with slot management protocols recognized worldwide.

"The objective of these modifications is to harmonize and update the applicable provisions regarding the allocation and supervision of schedules with recent reforms to the Airport Law Regulations and with the international best practices provided in the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG), which are already widely known and applied by air carriers operating in the international arena," AFAC stated in its technical draft.

The alignment follows a June 2026 executive decree amending Mexico’s Airport Law Regulations, which mandated clearer governance structures for airport operators and established updated procedures for market access and reserve slot distribution. Under the updated legal framework, airport administrators must manage slot allocations using objective criteria that balance historical precedent with market access for new entrant airlines.

AICM Capacity Constraints and Operational Context

The immediate impact of the new regulations will be felt at AICM, which has experienced severe capacity constraints and operational restructuring in recent years. Prior to initial declarations of airspace and terminal congestion, AICM frequently processed nearly 70 flight operations per hour during peak travel periods.

To manage physical infrastructure bottlenecks and air navigation safety, regulatory authorities subsequently instituted a series of hourly operation caps, reducing capacity first to 52 operations per hour and later to 43 operations per hour during critical windows. In May 2026, AFAC authorized a slight capacity revision, permitting AICM to increase operations from 44 to 46 slots per hour, contingent upon the completion of key airfield infrastructure upgrades, including new rapid-exit taxiways validated by AFAC and published in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP).

Despite these technical adjustments, congestion remains acute during peak commercial windows. Saturated status remains active across T1 and T2 terminal facilities during high-demand hours, underscoring the necessity for strict regulatory oversight.

While AICM is currently the only facility meeting Level 3 saturation criteria, SICT is finalized to publish a formal classification system categorizing all public aerodromes into three distinct operational tiers. This system will evaluate each airport’s capacity evolution, statistical flight demand trends, and real-time navigation conditions managed by Navigation Services in the Mexican Airspace (SENEAM).

Governance Bodies and Monitoring Subcommittees

Under existing Mexican aviation rules, every public airport maintains an Operation and Schedules Committee. This body is composed of the airport administrator, the regional AFAC commander, representatives from civil and military agencies operating at the facility, as well as airline delegates and ground handling service providers. The committee issues non-binding recommendations on schedule assignments, while an associated Delays Subcommittee evaluates and categorizes the underlying causes of operational delays.

The new regulatory framework expands this administrative apparatus by mandating the creation of a specialized Coordination and Schedule Supervision Subcommittee at saturated airports.

This new body will be directly charged with monitoring real-time slot usage, tracking adherence to assigned flight times, curbing schedule misuse, and improving overall operational punctuality across the airfield. By enforcing stricter daily compliance, regulators aim to eliminate intentional slot hoarding, unauthorized off-slot operations, and persistent schedule slippage that exacerbate gate and runway congestion.

Priority Allocation Framework and the 80/20 Rule

The draft technical document outlines clear hierarchical criteria that airport administrators must follow when allocating takeoff and landing slots in saturated environments:

• Historic Precedence (Grandfather Rights): Primary allocation priority will be granted to air carriers that operated the same slot during the equivalent previous scheduling season, provided the airline achieved a minimum occupancy rate of 80% throughout the assigned period.
• Historic Schedule Adjustments: Second priority is assigned to requests from carriers seeking operational modifications to existing historic slots, provided the requested change causes no adverse impact on airfield capacity or established coordination parameters.
• Reserve Pool and New Entrants: Remaining slots and unallocated reserve capacity will be assigned pursuant to regulatory provisions that encourage market competitiveness. In accordance with the June 2026 decree amending airport rules, at least 50% of available slots originating from the airport reserve pool must be allocated to new entrant airlines to promote carrier access and market competition.

The incorporation of the internationally recognized "80/20 rule" aligns Mexico’s slot retention metrics directly with WASG standards. Under this mechanism, carriers that fail to utilize their assigned slots at least 80% of the time forfeit historic rights to those slots in the subsequent equivalent season, preventing airlines from holding underutilized capacity to stifle competition.

Commercial Implications for Air Carriers and Industry

For commercial airlines operating in Mexico, the new AFAC regulations introduce both operational rigor and clearer planning benchmarks. Commercial carriers, including domestic operators like Aeroméxico, Volaris, and Viva Aerobus, alongside international passenger and cargo airlines, will be required to structure seasonal schedules around strict historical usage metrics and formal subcommittee oversight.

Industry groups, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the National Chamber of Air Transport (CANAERO), have long advocated for predictable, international-standard slot governance in Mexico to maintain air connectivity and avoid sudden operational caps.

By embedding WASG rules into national administrative law, AFAC seeks to provide a transparent operational roadmap that maximizes infrastructure output while maintaining strict safety standards across Mexico's air transportation network.