The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT)reported that it will not present its aeronautical policy until next year, which will focus on six main areas, including security, governance, and human capital .
Jesús Esteva, head of the SICT, stated that the proposal seeks to strengthen the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) , the Mexican Air Navigation Services (Seneam) , and the Airports and Auxiliary Services (ASA) .
“We have announced the update of aeronautical policies, which is important given the advances in various technologies and systems, and therefore we must review the regulations and adapt them to current conditions. There are certain lines of aeronautical policy that must be updated and strengthened,” Esteva said in an interview on the occasion of the ASA’s 60th anniversary.
For his part, the head of AFAC, General Miguel Enrique Vallín, explained that this new roadmap will be governed by six strategic axes in regulatory matters, international cooperation, and sectoral goals .
The fourth axis addresses aeronautical human capital , which will seek to address the growing global and national shortage of qualified pilots and technicians; the fifth, resilience and crisis management , will address, among other issues, the development and design of contingency plans to address economic crises or natural disasters.
Finally, there is the issue of aeronautical governance , which seeks to optimize administrative processes, provide technical and human resources, and establish permanent mechanisms for cooperation between public-private and international entities in the sector.
“The challenges we have shared today on the road to 2040 are not real obstacles; they are concrete tasks for the future within our responsibilities, and we assume them with full responsibility and commitment. With work, effort, and dedication, we will easily overcome all these challenges, and even more so if we have the support of the sector,” Vallín said.
Likewise, Jesús Esteva stated that one of the current administration’s goals is to implement the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) , and he announced that the first flight using SAF is being planned for the end of the year.
Regarding this, Carlos Manuel Merino Campos, director of ASA, mentioned that they will purchase this product abroad. ” It will be a symbolic flight , and later, product will be purchased to make the blend and supply. The current agreement is that there is tolerance, but as the years go by, it will become mandatory.”
He also commented that they are nearing completion of the first plant to receive the necessary components to carry out the mixtures to produce SAF at their facilities, and by next year another one will be built in Cancun, with an investment of around 300 million pesos (mdp) .
“At first, supply will be lower than demand, but it will continue to grow until the pyramid is inverted over the next 25 years. What comes next? Having Mexico’s first SAF-producing biorefinery is the next step, and having one or more in the next decade,” he emphasized.
He assured that they have held meetings with different companies interested in investing in that project .
Merino explained that the sustainable fuel is produced using solid waste, such as garbage, sugarcane remains, agricultural waste, recycled oils, and various blends.
The SICT said that ASA went from distributing 53% of jet fuel nationwide in 2024 to 97% this year , thanks to the strategic alliances it has formed with private companies.
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