Josh Funk
The Trump administration has imposed new restrictions on flights from Mexico on Saturday, threatening to end the long-standing partnership between Delta Air Lines and Aeromesico in response to restrictions placed on Mexican government freight flights several years ago.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said Mexico’s actions to force airlines to move more than 30 miles (48.28 kilometres) from Main Benito Juarez International Airport to the new Felipe Angeles International Airport, violating trade agreements between the two countries, giving domestic airlines an unfair advantage. Mexico is the best foreign destination for Americans with over 40 million passengers flying there last year.
“Joe Biden and Pete Buttigigue deliberately allowed Mexico to break our bilateral aviation agreement,” Duffy said, referring to the former president and his transportation secretary. “It ends today. These actions serve as warnings to the United States, our airlines and countries that think we can use our market. It means that America will fight for the fundamental principles of fairness.”
All Mexican passengers, cargo and charter airlines must submit their schedules to the transport department and seek government approval for flights until Mexico is satisfied with how the US airline is handled.
It is not immediately clear how Duffy’s actions will affect negotiations over a broader trade war with Mexico and tariffs. A spokesman for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Simbaum did not mention the new restrictions at either of the two speaking events on Saturday.
Delta and AeroMexico are fighting the transportation sector’s efforts to end the partnership that began early last year and in 2016. The airlines have argued that it is not fair to punish them for the actions of the Mexican government, and said that ending their agreement would put around two dozen routes and $800 million in profits on both countries’ economies that come from tourism spending and work.
“The U.S. Department of Transport’s interim proposal to end approval of the strategic and competitive partnership between Delta and AeroMexico will be of great harm to consumers moving between the US and Mexico, as well as to US employment, community and cross-border competition,” Delta said in a statement.
The Aeromexico news agency said it is reviewing the order and is intended to present a joint response with the Delta in the coming days.
However, an order ending approval of inter-airline contracts will not come into effect until October, and the airline may be fighting that decision.
The airline said in a previous submission that it is fighting an order that it believes the loss of direct flights will encourage more than 140,000 American and Mexican tourists to not visit other countries and lose spending and hurt both countries’ economies.
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Associated Press Writer Amaranta Marentez from Mexico City contributed to this report.
Original issue: July 19, 2025, 5:04pm EDT
