Authorities at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) believe that the renovations being carried out on this infrastructure could allow for a further increase in takeoff and landing slots .

“I believe so, we are working towards that. We are building three taxiways; Delta One is already finished, which allows the aircraft to occupy the runway for the shortest possible time; the second taxiway is already under construction and will be completed in July of this year, and a third one between December and January of next year,” Admiral Juan José Padilla Olmos, general director of AICM, told T21.

However, he specified that the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)  will determine, through an evaluation of the AICM’s capabilities, whether it is feasible to increase the slots .

Padilla Olmos also confirmed that the slots that were taken away from Mexican and international airlines in 2022 have already been returned to them. Furthermore, he confirmed that there are no dedicated cargo planes involved in this arrangement, although if one requests it, the AFAC (Federal Civil Aviation Agency) will evaluate its potential landing at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) .

“We haven’t received any requests from any cargo companies. They would have to submit their request, and AFAC has the directives, and as soon as we receive a request, we will forward it to the agency,” he explained.

It is worth remembering that the federal government, when it was headed by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, decreed saturation at the AICM in 2022, so the operations went from 61 to 52 and later from 52 to 43, until May 2025, when they increased to 44 and recently the increase to 46 was ordered, a measure that came into effect on June 1 .

Padilla Olmos indicated that granting a slot means 1.2 million additional passengers per year , so it is expected that with the increase to 46 operations, 2026 will close with close to 49 million travelers.

“Those 46 are now permanent, and the results will start to be reflected from December onwards because the airlines have to offer them and adjust their flights,” he explained.

In that regard, Héctor Fabián Cortés Álvarez, Deputy Director of Operations at AICM, told this media outlet that the slots that were taken away from them in 2022 have already been reinstated for US airlines Delta , American Airlines and United , as well as for Aeroméxico , Viva and Volaris , and also Avianca , while Lufthansa continues to analyze the offer.

He recalled that on May 15, takeoff and landing slots were assigned for the upcoming winter season , “some were confiscated for misuse, that is done by the AFAC, and they are told what the assignment list is, what they cancel and what they are going to use and an operational reserve is generated that we take to the Slot Convention (held in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 9 to 11).”

He explained that a reservation of 2,300 slots was achieved , plus the increase, so there were 5,600 new operations.

“That’s something we’ll see reflected through October, November, and December. International companies received refunds for about 700 transactions, and domestic companies also received refunds for previous reductions, for which 2,400 transactions were processed,” he emphasized.

In that regard, he emphasized that American Airlines requested more operations because it anticipates a greater increase in winter; additionally, Aeromexico, Volaris and Viva are requesting to increase flights, as they will start new routes to Latin America.

“Of those, 1,100 will be new operations; most already fly here, but they will increase routes,” he explained.

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Grupo Aeroméxico announced that starting November 6, it will “land” again in the financial markets of Mexico and the United States , with which it hopes to obtain approximately 178.8 million dollars (USD).

The firm mentioned that the offering in Mexico will be 27,463,590 shares at a price of 35.34 pesos per share, while in the United States it will be 11,727,325 shares at a price of 19 dollars per share.

“The selling shareholders have granted the placement intermediaries of the International Offering an over-allotment option to acquire up to 2,171,050 additional ADSs, which will be valid for a period of 30 days from the date of said offer,” the company said in a statement.

In addition to the Global Offering, Aeromexico announced a private placement of shares for an amount of around 25 million dollars at a price of 1,805 dollars per share.

Delta , the airline’s current shareholder and long-term strategic business partner, did not participate in the Global Offer and signed a four-year lock-up agreement .

“Aeromexico intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the primary component of the Global Offering and the Simultaneous Private Placement for general corporate purposes, including payments related to fleet expansion, investments in customer experience infrastructure, and fleet maintenance obligations,” the company stated.

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Delta and Aeroméxico stated that ending their alliance would lead to the cancellation of 24 routes between Mexico and the United States, resulting in an impact of $800 million and paving the way for ticket price increases.

This was highlighted by Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, and Andrés Conesa, CEO of Aeroméxico, in an article published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper. They recalled the benefits brought by the Joint Cooperation Agreement (JCA), which began in 2016, as well as the impacts that its termination would cause.

They recalled that in January of this year, without prior notice, the Department of Transportation tentatively proposed to revoke approval “not due to any concern related to service with Delta or Aeroméxico, but due to an unrelated diplomatic dispute concerning Mexico’s international aviation policy, a dispute over which neither of our airlines has any control.”

“The consequences of undoing the partnership agreement are harmful and far-reaching for consumers, communities, and American and Mexican businesses. If the Department of Transportation moves forward, nearly two dozen flight routes are at significant risk of cancellation: five of these routes are direct to cities in Mexico from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport,” they stated.

They mentioned that just last year, over 650,000 travelers flew directly to the country on flights from Atlanta. “In total, this significant loss in routes would result in one million fewer travelers between the United States and Mexico each year. Consumers would have fewer travel options as competition in the market decreases and, ultimately, they could pay higher ticket prices, with an estimated total loss of benefits of $800 million.“

“They pointed out that trade between the two countries reached a record $860 billion in 2023. Therefore, they considered that the improved cross-border access created by the Delta-Aeroméxico partnership has been a significant driver of that economic success. “That is why ending the agreement would result in hundreds of millions of dollars in lost gross domestic product for both countries, in addition to job losses,” they explained.

They reported that according to the US International Trade Administration, 12.5 million Mexicans traveled in 2022, representing 24% of total foreign arrivals, therefore, annual tourism spending between the two countries could drop by $200 million and $160 million, respectively, if the agreement is dissolved.

They reported that in a new survey, beyond party lines, 65% of US voters oppose canceling this partnership, and over 80% say risking thousands of jobs would be harmful. Meanwhile, 70% of Mexican-American voters oppose canceling the agreement, and over 80% say the loss of flight options between the United States and Mexico would be harmful.

“As CEOs of Delta and Aeroméxico, we recognize the importance of the diplomatic goals of both nations. But we also agree that punishing consumers and endangering thousands of jobs in both nations is a punitive and counterproductive approach that will not produce a positive outcome for the Department of Transportation. There is ample time for both governments to engage in new negotiations and achieve significant progress without harming the American and Mexican peoples,” they argue.

They recalled that over the past seven years, they have served over 45 million passengers with affordable, efficient, and convenient routes to and from each country. Connecting cities such as Atlanta, Raleigh, New York, Detroit, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles, among others, with daily direct flights to multiple destinations in Mexico, including key geopolitical, industrial, and tourist destinations such as Mexico City, Guanajuato, Monterrey, and Querétaro.

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