The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday reversed its 2-year-old downgrade of Mexico’s aviation safety rating and restored its Category 1 designation, signifying that Mexico meets minimum aviation safety standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The FAA downgraded Mexico’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program rating in May 2021 to Category 2, which meant that the country’s laws or regulations were not sufficient to provide effective aviation oversight of air carriers in accordance with eight critical elements of ICAO standards. Airlines based in countries with Category 2 ratings may continue to operate on existing routes to and from U.S. airports but may not establish new routes.
Under the IASA program, the FAA evaluates the civil aviation authorities of all countries with airlines that fly to and from U.S. airports, airlines that have applied to provide those flights and airlines that pa…
