Mexico begins to take action on air accidents to regain Category 1 status in the US

15-09-23

• The government has not specified whether these decisions stem from the meeting between the Mexican CAAA and the US FAA held last week.

Mexico has had enough of its aviation remaining in second-class status with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Thus, the Mexican government has begun to take steps to return to Category 1, including amending the decree creating the Federal Civil Aviation Agency of Mexico (AFAC), a body under the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT).

Through this amendment, the government mandates the AFAC to carry out administrative investigations of aviation accidents and incidents to determine responsibilities, in order to impose safety measures and penalties.

For its part, the Undersecretariat of Transport retains the investigation of such aviation accidents and incidents with the objective of determining the probable causes and factors leading to such accidents and incidents, with a view to preventing others.

All this information has been transmitted through a communiqué from the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport. However, what has not been specified by the SICT is whether all these decisions stem from the meeting held by members of the Mexican AFAC and representatives of the US FAA last week. This meeting served to discuss the process of the aviation safety audit on Category 1 reinstatement.