An Aeromexico Boeing 737 taxiing at Los Angeles International Airport, with a Delta jet and terminal buildings behind it

U.S. lifts its freeze on new Mexico City flights by Mexican airlines; Aeromexico says it's looking at new U.S. routes

The 2025 order had also blocked a planned Viva Aerobus route between Mexico City's Felipe Ángeles airport and LAX. Mexican carriers can now propose new routes again, subject to U.S. approval.

By Alberto Zamudio | The Southbound 105 | Oct. 19, 2026

For a lot of families in Southeast L.A., South L.A. and the South Bay, a flight between LAX and Mexico City is how you get to a baptism, a quinceañera or a grandparent's birthday. A year-old fight between Washington and Mexico City over that air corridor just took a big step toward ending.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has lifted restrictions that barred Mexican airlines from launching new flights to the United States from Mexico City's two international airports, Benito Juárez (MEX) and Felipe Ángeles (AIFA), Mexico's government said Friday, Oct. 16, according to Reuters. Mexico's Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation ministry (SICT) said the decision took effect immediately, El Economista reported. Aviation Week also reported that the 2025 restrictions have been lifted.

On Monday, Oct. 19, Aeromexico's chief financial officer, Ricardo Sanchez, told Reuters the airline is evaluating new flights to the U.S. from Mexico City. "It is definitely something that we are looking at," Sanchez said.

What the 2025 order did

On Oct. 28, 2025, DOT under Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued an order that froze new Mexican airline service and added frequencies between the two Mexico City airports and any U.S. city, according to a regulatory summary by the law firm Eckert Seamans. The order also cancelled or blocked 13 routes, Simple Flying reported:

Aeromexico: existing AIFA flights to Houston and McAllen, Texas, plus a planned Mexico City–San Juan route
Volaris: a planned Mexico City–Newark route
Viva Aerobus: nine planned AIFA routes, including one to Los Angeles (LAX), along with Austin, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Miami, New York JFK and Orlando

Washington said Mexico had broken a 2015 U.S.-Mexico air agreement. According to Reuters, the U.S. said that starting in 2022 Mexico took back takeoff and landing slots held by U.S. passenger airlines at Mexico City's main airport and forced U.S. all-cargo carriers to move their operations.

Why the U.S. changed course

DOT said the move reflected steps Mexico took to address its concerns about the 2015 agreement, Reuters reported. Duffy said in May that Mexico had agreed to improve aviation access to Mexico City. Mexico's SICT said the decision came out of talks strengthened by a memorandum signed in May 2026, El Economista reported.

According to Simple Flying, Mexican airlines returned six slots at Mexico City's main airport to U.S. carriers in late 2025, and Mexico has committed to a new process for declaring airport capacity.

In a statement Monday, Aeromexico said DOT revoked the October 2025 order "effective immediately," and that the restrictions no longer stop it from adding flights or new service between Mexico City and the U.S., "subject to applicable regulatory requirements."

What's still in place

The fight isn't completely over. According to Reuters:

DOT will still require Mexican carriers to file their U.S. schedules and get approval to fly large aircraft.
A U.S. official said two other orders tied to the dispute remain in place, and that Washington will closely watch whether Mexico keeps its commitments.
The decision is separate from an ongoing Federal Aviation Administration review of Mexico's aviation oversight.

Aeromexico, Delta and the merger next door

Sanchez told Reuters that Aeromexico has aircraft available to grow, helped by leases it negotiated during its Chapter 11 restructuring, and that some of those planes aren't being fully used yet.

Aeromexico's partnership with Delta Air Lines is also still standing. In August, a federal appeals court threw out a DOT order that would have ended the Delta-Aeromexico joint venture, and the venture's approval remains in effect, according to the law firm DLA Piper. Delta said the ruling allows the partnership to continue. DOT could still seek further review or issue a new order, DLA Piper noted.

Competition could also heat up. Reuters reported last week that Mexico's antitrust authority is expected to approve the planned merger of low-cost carriers Volaris and Viva Aerobus before the end of 2026.

What it means for LAX travelers

Item	Status
U.S. freeze on new Mexico City flights by Mexican airlines	Lifted Oct. 16, 2026
Planned Viva Aerobus AIFA–LAX route (blocked in 2025)	No new filing announced
Aeromexico new U.S. flights	Being evaluated, CFO says
Delta-Aeromexico joint venture	Still in effect after August court ruling

Aeromexico and Volaris both sell flights between LAX and Mexico City on their websites today. No airline has announced new LAX–Mexico City service since the freeze was lifted, and any new route would still need U.S. sign-off. If you're planning a trip home for the holidays, book on what's on sale now, not on routes that might come later.

Want more local news? Read more at The Southbound 105.

Cover photo: Glenn Beltz, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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