News / US plans ban on belly cargo from MEX and refuses new route requests

The US has upped the ante with Mexico, proposing a ban on belly cargo between Mexico City International Airport (MEX) and all destinations in the US, and refusing new routes proposed by Mexican airlines. 

The US yesterday named carriers including Aeroméxico (+ Connect), Viva Aerobus, Volaris, Aerus and TAR Aerolineas to be subject to a ban on cargo from MEX, with comments due on the tentative proposal by 11 November and responses from the US DoT by the 18th.

If approved, the ban would begin 108 business days after the final order, sometime around the end of April. 

The US noted: “Prohibiting belly-cargo operations at MEX is clearly not in the short-term interest of shippers and consumers in the US-Mexico market.”  

But it explained that Mexico’s ban on freighters at MEX, plus transport secretariat SICT’s “uncooperative” and “non-transparent” stance, had resulted in a “competitive imbalance vis-à-vis combination carriers”, which was “untenable”. 

“The department’s overriding goal in taking this step is to persuade the government of Mexico to rescind its prohibition against US all-cargo carriers operating at MEX, consistent with its obligations under the agreement. The department recognises that, if made final, this action would further disrupt the air cargo marketplace and have other potential consequences.” 

While the move could be significant, with MEX handling approximately 184,129 tonnes of international cargo in 2024, US carriers would be unaffected, while Mexican carriers may look to re-route to other gateways where possible, although they could be restricted by passenger operations. It could also add to demand for cross-border trucking. 

The DoT argued in July that the forced relocation of freighters to new airport Felipe Angeles (AIFA) and the reduction at MEX from 61 to 49 aircraft movements per hour was anti-competitive, and violated the 2015 aviation bilateral agreement between Mexico and the US.

As a result, Mexican carriers have had to submit flight schedules to the US authorities for review, while the US also banned charter flights with large cargo aircraft by Mexican carriers to and from US points. 

Relations between the two countries do not appear to have improved: yesterday, the US DoT also ruled against 13 proposed route schedules submitted by Mexican carriers, including blocking new routes from MEX to San Juan, Newark, and freezing any new MEX or AIFA routes or frequency increases by the listed Mexican carriers until further notice. 

Belly capacity from MEX to the US has fallen from its height of 6,700 tonnes in July, to its lowest point in the year now, 5,600 tonnes, according to Rotate. The top destinations for belly capacity out of MEX are to Los Angeles, New York (JFK) and Houston. 

Pricing between Mexico and the US could rise as a result. According to Freightos Terminal, rates out of MEX to LA and similar destinations dropped dramatically in January, with a partial rebound in February – but had stayed broadly flat since then, rising slightly in October to some $5.83 per kg (express and standard) now. 

Mexico claims the plan to move freighters to AIFA was justified by operational reasons, such as reducing congestion, and was not specifically targeting US carriers. It also said it had responded in full to the objections raised by the US. 

In its note refusing permission for Mexican carriers’ requests for new routes, the DoT said: “The department’s overriding goal is not the perpetuation or escalation of this situation, but rather an improved environment wherein all air carriers of both parties will be able to exercise fully their bilateral rights. The department is prepared to reconsider its action to disapprove the above schedules should the GoM return to full compliance with its obligations under the agreement.”