After the National Aviation Council (Kanero) ruled out opening the airline industry to cabotage in Mexico, the country’s major airlines You will fly Y AeromexicoJoined the criticism of the effort emanating from the executive branch.
Within the framework of the reform proposal Airport Act And this Civil Aviation ActCanero issued a statement on Monday, March 13, warning of a crisis in the sector as foreign competition increases in the national territory. Air ticket priceHe warned that it would cut off cities and lead to corporate bankruptcies and even job losses.
According to the autonomous body, the initiative – which has already been transferred to the Chamber of Deputies for Communications and Transport, Economy and Infrastructure – has no legal support as no study or analysis has been carried out, nor has industry been consulted.
“Most countries prohibit it Cabotage As the indicated strategy for countries whose geographic location or other conditions prevent good connectivity (…) countries that have allowed cabotage without inspections or a strategy such as the proposed reform, They lost their airlines and their jobs. creates a crisis of connectivity and competitiveness,” he warned.
These warnings were signed by the sector-specific companies. “Aeromexico It fully agrees with what has been expressed by Canero, who describes the reasons why cabotage has been completely rejected in Mexico. The bill, which will be analyzed in the Chamber of Deputies, should exclude the cabotage period and focus on the necessary changes to the Mexican aviation authority to restore category 1 of aviation security,” the company said.
For his part, You will fly He expressed himself on this as he stated that the Mexican offer is sufficient for the demand because of the affordable flights in a competitive market.
It is a term that predates sea transport, although it is now also used to refer to the transport of people or goods by air.
As stated therein Civil Aviation Act In Mexico, cabotage: “the transportation of passengers, cargo, mail, or a combination of these, for wages or any other pecuniary consideration, between two or more points in the national territory”.
In other words, these are transit routes connecting two destinations within the country, which are currently only allowed for Mexican companies. Section 15 of that Act establishes that concessions or air permits may be revoked from foreign airlines for cabotage in national territory “by using foreign aircraft not authorized for that purpose”.
Also, according to Article 17, “Cabotage Practices of Foreign Permit Holders in Mexican Territory They are banned”. The law states that only Mexican concessionaires providing international air transportation services can transport between two or more points in Mexican territory.
For its part, Canero clarified that it was not afraid of competition, but “decisions that weaken the national aviation industry”. “Foreign airlines are not the enemy, on the contrary, they have increased competition, as evidenced by the presence of almost 70 flights to important destinations in our country.”
Meanwhile, the reform initiative was granted after the United States downgraded Mexico from Category 1 to Category 2 from May 2021 after failing to comply with safety protocols, so the reform seeks to restore aviation prestige.
