The FAA downgrades Mexico’s flight security ranking and bans new flights from the nation’s airways

Landing of an airplane of the airline Aeromexico La Laguna at Mexico City International Airport.

Gerrardo Vieyra | NurPhoto | Getty Images

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it had downgraded its flight safety rating for Mexico and banned that country’s airlines from operating in the United States

The decision is causing new headaches for both US and Mexican airlines flying from the US to Mexico. These are popular routes during the coronavirus pandemic as Mexico did not put travel restrictions in place like many other countries did.

The new rating will still allow Mexican airlines to continue existing services, but will not be able to add new services or routes. US airlines cannot sell tickets operated by Mexican airlines with the US carrier name. This measure is known as code sharing.

“The FAA will strengthen its control over flights by Mexican airlines to the US,” the agency said.

Delta Air Lines, which has a code-sharing agreement with its partner Aeromexico, said its flight to Mexico is operating normally.

“For customers who have booked a Delta-operated flight operated by Aeromexico, Delta may reissue their reservation for the applicable Aeromexico-operated flight,” the Atlanta-based airline said in a statement. “Delta apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause our customers and will continue to work with Aeromexico to minimize disruption.”