Trump administration imposes limits on Mexican flights and threatens Delta alliance in trade dispute

The Trump medication imposed caller restrictions Saturday connected flights from Mexico and threatened to extremity a longstanding concern betwixt Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico successful effect to limits the Mexican authorities placed connected rider and cargo flights into Mexico City respective years ago.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Mexico's actions to force airlines to determination retired of the main Benito Juarez International Airport to the newer Felipe Angeles International Airport much than 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) distant violated a commercialized statement betwixt the 2 countries and gave home airlines an unfair advantage. Mexico is the apical overseas destination for Americans with much than 40 cardinal passengers flying determination past year.

"Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg deliberately allowed Mexico to interruption our bilateral aviation agreement,” Duffy said, referring to the erstwhile president and his proscription secretary. “That ends today. Let these actions service arsenic a informing to immoderate state who thinks it tin instrumentality vantage of the U.S., our carriers, and our market. America First means warring for the cardinal rule of fairness.”

All Mexican passenger, cargo and charter airlines volition present beryllium required to taxable their schedules to the Transportation Department and question authorities support of their flights until Duffy is satisfied with the mode Mexico is treating U.S. airlines.

It's not instantly wide however Duffy's actions mightiness impact the broader commercialized war with Mexico and negotiations implicit tariffs. A spokesperson for Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum didn’t reply instantly to a petition for comment. Sheinbaum didn’t notation the caller restrictions during either of her 2 speaking events connected Saturday.

Delta and Aeromexico person been warring the Transportation Department's efforts to extremity their concern that began successful 2016 since aboriginal past year. The airlines person argued that it's not just to punish them for the Mexican government's actions, and they said ending their statement would jeopardize astir 2 twelve routes and $800 cardinal successful benefits to some countries' economies that travel from tourism spending and jobs.

“The U.S. Department of Transportation’s tentative connection to terminate its support of the strategical and pro-competitive concern betwixt Delta and Aeromexico would origin important harm to consumers traveling betwixt the U.S. and Mexico, arsenic good arsenic U.S. jobs, communities, and transborder competition," Delta said successful a statement.

Aeromexico’s property bureau said it was reviewing the bid and intended to contiguous a associated effect with Delta successful the coming days.

But the bid terminating support of the statement betwixt the airlines wouldn't instrumentality effect until October, and the airlines are apt to proceed warring that decision.

The airlines said successful a erstwhile filing warring the bid that it believes the nonaccomplishment of nonstop flights would punctual implicit 140,000 American tourists and astir 90,000 Mexican tourists not to sojourn the different state and wounded the economies of some countries with the nonaccomplishment of their spending.

___

Associated Press writer Amaranta Marentes successful Mexico City contributed to this report.