In response to the announcement by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) suspending 13 routes of Mexican airlines from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), business exporters have expressed concern as it disrupts their productivity. The Mexican Business Council on Foreign Trade, Investment, and Technology (COMCE Noreste) detailed that this decision will have immediate impacts on export logistics, particularly in sectors dependent on 'just-in-time' supply chains such as the automotive, aerospace, medical, and e-commerce industries. They estimate a reduction in capacity and frequencies to and from the United States, forcing rerouting through other hubs—Monterrey, Guadalajara, Querétaro, Bajío, Tijuana—with longer transit times and costs. Furthermore, they consider that there will be greater operational and documentary complexity when combining land and air segments or redistributing already scheduled consolidated cargo. Logistics costs by land will increase, space availability will decrease, and compliance with delivery windows is at risk. In light of this, they urgently request the establishment of a bilateral technical table between SICT/AFAC and DOT/FAA/FAA to restore operational certainty and align the application of the 2015 Air Transport Agreement, with the aim of lifting the suspension and normalizing routes in the short term. For now, businesspeople will begin to diversify departure airports, prioritizing Monterrey, Querétaro, Guadalajara, Bajío, and Tijuana based on network and proximity. However, a structural solution requires binational coordination that guarantees competitiveness, certainty, and continuity for Mexican exports... 'The private sector is ready to collaborate with the authorities,' said the director of COMCE Noreste, Javier Cendejas. They recalled that AIFA registered a total cargo volume of approximately 447,341.1 tons in 2024, and in the first six months of 2025, AIFA moved 184,906.5 tons of international cargo, according to data from the first half of the year. 'We have the infrastructure, connectivity, and logistical capacity necessary to absorb part of the affected air flow. In addition to intermodal alternatives, combining land transport to Texas with an air connection to the final destination.'
