(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Transportation has informed Mexico’s foreign minister that Mexico will officially regain a U.S. air safety rating next week, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday.
Mexico was downgraded to the Category 2 safety rating by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) more than two years ago, halting Mexican airlines’ plans to expand new routes to its northern neighbor.
The cut was a major blow to the national carriers, as US airlines continued to gain market share. Mexico revised its civil aviation law but faced a number of obstacles in restoring the Category 1 rating.
The FAA conducted a series of audits, one of which was completed in June. Mexican officials called these audits the country’s “last.”
Minutes of the June audit obtained by Reuters show that FAA officials raised concerns about Mexico’s process for accident investigations and for conducting medical examinations for industry workers.
“This is good news,” Lopez Obrador said during a regular morning press conference. “All requirements have been met.”
Lopez Obrador said the safety rating has been returned to “the airport,” after saying in the past that the rating was given to the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), although the rating applies to Mexico’s aviation regulator.
The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Kylie Madry; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
