César Arellano García
La Jornada Newspaper
Tuesday, November 25, 2025, p. 21
The Mexican Aviation Pilots Union Association (ASPA) maintained that the decision of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) to authorize foreign pilots to operate Volaris aircraft “violates the Civil Aviation Law, ignores current regulations and contravenes the constitutional principle that establishes that Mexican aircraft must be manned exclusively by Mexican-born pilots.
This also flouts the mandatory circular that regulates the technical rules for aircraft leasing. “The SICT’s determination represents a serious failure in its regulatory responsibility, compromises the country’s air sovereignty, opens the door to covert cabotage and directly affects the labor rights of Mexican pilots. It is an unjustifiable precedent that calls into question the integrity of the aeronautical legal framework.”
The union urged the authority to intervene immediately, “revoke this irregular authorization and restore strict compliance with the legal framework that protects the national airspace, operational safety and the employment of thousands of Mexican pilots.”
Separately, the College of Aviator Pilots of Mexico also expressed its concern regarding the authorization for that airline to operate domestic flights with foreign crew from December 1, 2025 to January 12, 2026.
He affirmed that Mexico does have pilots, Mexican professionals, certified and ready to fly. “There is no technical or legal justification to replace them with foreigners. Furthermore, this authorization contradicts the national policy of defense of sovereignty promoted by the current administration and opposes the presidential commitment to generate 100,000 jobs per year.”
He explained that the country’s connectivity is important, but we should not try to guarantee it “by violating the Constitution. If an airline can only fulfill its commitments by breaking the law, the problem is not the law, it is the administration of the airline, which puts the work of Mexican pilots at risk.”
He indicated that the State must guarantee the correct application of the concession under the legal framework: “we demand that the SICT exercise its obligation to correct this irregularity.”
