A Delta aircraft was preparing for take-off on a Mexico City runway on 21 July 2025, when an AeroMéxico jet almost landed on top of it. According to reports, the Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 had to return to its terminal at Benito Juarez International Airport with 144 customers and six crew members after the AeroMéxico Embraer 190 regional airliner flew over and landed on the same runway. The Delta flight scheduled to Atlanta was reported to depart for its destination three hours later.
As reported by Flightradar24, AeroMéxico’s flight 1631 passed less than 60 metres (200 feet) above the moving Delta plane before touching down on the runway directly in front of it. It is also not known whether the pilot of the landing AeroMéxico carrier saw the outbound Delta plane. The Delta plane had reached a speed of approximately 96.56 kilometres per hour before the pilot stopped it to avoid a collision.
Air traffic control recordings from the accident reveal the Delta pilot reportedly stating, “We are holding on the runways.” Other unknown voices on the recording can be heard exclaiming, “Wow” and “Increíble,” reflecting the shock of the close call.
An Aeromexico plane nearly collided with a Delta Air Lines plane while landing in Mexico City on Monday.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 23, 2025
FlightRadar24 data shows Aeromexico Flight 1631 flew over Delta Flight 590 on runway 5R at Mexico's Benito Juarez International Airport before proceeding to land ahead of it… pic.twitter.com/mbCOzQQV3R
“Delta will fully cooperate with authorities as the circumstances around this flight are investigated,” the airline said in a statement. “We appreciate the flight crew’s actions to maintain situational awareness and act quickly – part of Delta’s extensive training.”
Moreover, Delta indicated that it had filed reports about the situation with the Mexican aviation authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board in the United States.
This incident marks Delta’s second reported near-miss within a week. On 18 July 2025, a Delta regional aircraft coming in for landing at Minot International Airport in North Dakota, US made what was described as an “aggressive” manoeuvre to avoid mid-air collision with a B-52 bomber. These events highlight the critical importance of air traffic control coordination and situational awareness.
The Mexico City incident occurred against the backdrop of Mexico’s evolving aviation safety record. In 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating, identifying deficiencies in its compliance with international safety standards. This move had restricted Mexican carriers from adding new flights or expanding services to the US, affecting overall operations and schedules. Although the country regained its top-tier “Category 1” status in September 2023—thanks to FAA technical assistance that helped resolve the underlying issues—operational hiccups can still arise.
