MEXICO – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it has restored Mexico’s Category 1 status, the highest air safety rating, following over two years of close collaboration between the civil aviation authorities of both nations.

“With the reinstatement of Category 1 status, Mexico can expand its services and routes to the U.S., and U.S. airlines can resume the promotion and sale of tickets using their own names and designation codes for flights operated by Mexican carriers,” stated the FAA in a release.

The FAA also mentioned that it provided expertise and resources under technical assistance agreements to Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) to address the safety concerns that resulted in the downgrade.

“The agency dispatched a team of aviation safety specialists on numerous occasions during the past two years to assist in this effort,” they further added.

The FAA had previously lowered Mexico’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) rating to Category 2 in May 2021, citing the country’s failure to meet the safety standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

“Within the IASA program, the FAA evaluates the aviation authorities of all countries whose airlines have applied for flights to the United States, are currently conducting operations in the United States, or have code-share agreements with U.S. airlines,” they elaborated.

The assessments, as per the FAA, are conducted to ascertain whether international civil aviation authorities comply with the minimum safety standards set by ICAO, rather than FAA regulations.

About Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC, Mexico)

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil, AFAC) is the government body responsible for regulating the civil aviation industry in Mexico. AFAC replaced the Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics (Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil, DGAC) in Oct-2019. AFAC operates under the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation of Mexico. AFAC formulates government policy for the development of aviation in Mexico, oversees training, aviation infrastructure and technical development as well as safety.