Sheinbaum enters ‘express diplomacy’ mode with the US due to the air chaos
It seems that the aviation universe between Mexico and the United States became more dramatic than a season finale of your favorite series. It turns out that the Gringo Department of Transportation decided to cancel in one fell swoop 13 air routes operated by Mexican airlines, including, of course, those that take off from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA). A play that, without a doubt, left everyone with the meme of the person scratching their head.
Faced with this unexpected plot twist, our president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, did what any millennial head of state would do: she called an express meeting with the CEOs of Aeroméxico, Volaris and Viva Aerobus. Basically, the equivalent of a crisis WhatsApp group, but in the National Palace. The objective: to draw up a common strategy to prevent this massive cancellation from becoming the worst travel hack in history.
The technical explanation that no one asked for but we all need
In his now traditional morning session, which is like the morning podcast that we all listen to while having breakfast, Sheinbaum came out. According to her, the airlines came with an arsenal of “ideas” and “technical elements.” In other words, they brought the graphs, the Excel tables and all the data to demonstrate that the United States’ move was more capricious than founded.
The US argument? They allege that in Mexico there is an “alleged orientation” that prevents fair competition between the airlines of both countries. Sheinbaum’s response was as Mexican as a Sunday taco: “We do not consider this to be the case.” He concluded by stating that here there is “total competition” and “free competition”, even dropping the AICM term ‘slots’ as if it were the word of the day in Wordle, to demonstrate that the assignments at the Benito Juárez airport were made with all the transparency in the world.
A happy ending in sight (or so we hope)
With a confidence that reminds us of when we thought we were going to pass the exam without studying, the president declared: “We are going to reach an agreement.” And in case you had doubts, he added that he does not believe that the feared 14-day deadline that the rumors were calling for will be reached. The action plan is textbook: a call from the SICT with the US Department of Transportation and, of course, the power of a well-argued letter. Because sometimes, even in international diplomacy, good writing is everything.
But the agenda doesn’t stop. Sheinbaum is already planning a next appointment, this time with the AIFA cargo companies, to ask them the question we all ask ourselves at any uncomfortable family gathering: “Are you happy there?” A masterstroke to ensure that there are no internal frictions that further complicate the matter.
Meanwhile, frequent travelers and the commercial aviation industry are holding their breath, hoping this binational conflict will be resolved with more deals and fewer cancellations. Because in the end, what we all want is to be able to plan our next trip without a high-level dispute ruining our dream vacation or, worse yet, the sending of that urgent package.
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