Acapulco Guerrero. One day after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, for its acronym in English) postponed its technical review visit for audit work to return Category 1 of air safety to Mexico, the National Chamber of Air Transport (Canaero) He did not give an answer on when the visit of the American authority could be expected, or what caused the postponement.
“We are working together with the authorities for Category 1. Both international and national institutions are working hand in hand, so it is one of our priorities,” said Diana Olivares, president of Canaero, in a brief message to media during the 46th edition of the Tianguis Turístico.
Yesterday, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) reported that the FAA would postpone the technical review visit scheduled for this week “for a few weeks”, in what it has assured is the final stretch to recover Category 1, after was downgraded to Category 2 on May 25, 2021.
Although the authority assured that the 28 observations resulting from an audit carried out between October 2020 and February 2021 had been closed, a new visit is necessary to validate the work of AFAC.
The postponement of the FAA visit occurs in a context where aviation safety has been in the eye of companies and users due to a recent warning from the International Federation of Air Pilots Associations (IFALPA, for its acronym in English), in addition to an approach incident involving two Volaris aircraft at the Mexico City International Airport.
In this regard, Olivares – also director of LATAM Airlines in Mexico – limited herself to commenting that they are working with the Mexican authorities both on airspace problems and on the recovery of Category 1, without giving further details in this regard.
“Be assured that aviation is working on that, on security and on the Category 1 issue,” he said.
Tomorrow marks a year since air safety was degraded, which has prevented Mexican airlines from opening new routes and adding frequencies to the United States, which has been used by their competitors in that country, who have gained a greater share market in international travel.
