DOT ASKS TO PAUSE REVIEW
RR | Mexico City | August 1, 2023
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RELATED TOPICS: Aeroméxico, AICM, Allegiant, Mexico City, Delta, DOT, Pete Buttigieg, Rogelio Jiménez Pons, Viva Aerobús
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has sent a communication suspending the alliance between Allegiant and Viva Aerobus, considering that there is a monopoly at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), which would affect US airlines.
“The Department has determined that it must pause its review and, therefore, will not be able to meet this deadline due to pending issues related to the continued implementation of the US-Mexico air transportation agreement,” the DOT explained, according to El Financiero.
For his part, Undersecretary Rogelio Jiménez Pons confirmed to the same outlet that they received the DOT communication and that they are analyzing “what is behind this DOT decision,” Pons told the outlet.
The DOT also points out in its communication that they have discussed in their consultations, “the recent actions that the Government of Mexico has taken that affect the operations of United States carriers at the Benito Juárez International Airport, in our opinion, have called into question the existence of this predicate (antitrust)”, picks up El Financiero.
as reported REPORTUR.us, in February, the alliance between the Mexican Viva Aerobus and the American Allegiant, which is the first between ultra-low-cost airlines, was being cut short by the Allegiant pilots union, since at that time the contract was being negotiated and they already anticipated that flights be diverted to Mexican pilots who have lower salaries. (Viva-Allegiant Alliance: American pilots fear being replaced.)
