On 19 July 2025, the Trump administration implemented new limitations on flights from Mexico, putting the Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico partnership at risk. This action responds to Mexico’s earlier restrictions placed on the number of passengers and cargo flights allowed to enter Mexico City.
Under the new rules, all Mexican passenger and cargo charter airlines will have to submit their schedules to the US Transportation Department for an official approval before their flights. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement that the department might deny new flight applications from Mexican airlines if issues related to Mexico City airport decisions from 2022 and 2023 remain unresolved.
“Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg deliberately allowed Mexico to break our bilateral aviation agreement,” Duffy said, referring to the former president and his transportation secretary. “That ends today. Let these actions serve as a warning to any country who thinks it can take advantage of the US, our carriers, and our market.”
Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg allowed Mexico to take advantage of America.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 23, 2025
Those days are over.
I will deny flights from Mexico if they continue to abuse U.S carriers, raise their costs, and violate a decade-old agreement.
Biden and Buttigieg did NOTHING when the Mexican… pic.twitter.com/8Tv6pe9fDr
It remains uncertain how these restrictions will impact the larger trade conflict with Mexico and ongoing tariff discussions. However, according to Fernando Gomez, and independent airline industry analyst, the US aims to establish a strong negotiation position before the 2026 review of the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) agreement.
“The measures announced by the United States government represent a significant impact on the airline industry, with potential repercussions on connectivity, trade flows, and the competitiveness of the sector between both nations,” said in a statement Mexican air transportation chamber Canaero.
Since 2016, the US Transportation Department has sought to terminate the partnership between Delta and Aeromexico. However, the two airlines have resisted, claiming it’s unfair to hold them accountable for the Mexican government’s decisions. They warn that ending their partnership could threaten nearly two dozen routes and jeopardize approximately $800 million in economic benefits tied to tourism and jobs in both countries.
#ICYMI: On Thurs, July 17 at DOT HQ, @SecDuffy brought together Congressional members, infrastructure stakeholders and State DOT CEOs in a first-of-its-kind event to discuss policy priorities for the next surface transportation reauthorization. This nationwide effort will help… pic.twitter.com/8THOx5Oo5A
— Federal Highway Admn (@USDOTFHWA) July 21, 2025
However, the order ending approval of the agreement between the airlines will not come into effect until October. As a result, the airlines are expected to keep challenging the decision.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that her government has not yet been officially informed by the US about any possible actions targeting Mexico’s airline industry and said that she believes there is no valid reason for such penalties. Sheinbaum also confirmed that there will be no changes to the current flight allocations in Mexico City.
Aeromexico and Delta have not yet commented on the newly implemented regulations.
