FAA Alert No Threat to Mexican Airlines, Says SICT

Mexico City — The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) clarified that the alert issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not represent any risk or operational restriction for Mexican airlines or for civil aviation in the country.

This comes after the FAA published a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on Friday, January 16, warning pilots of U.S.-registered aircraft about possible interference in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communications, resulting from “military actions” in the Gulf of California and the Mexican Pacific Ocean.

According to the alert, the possible impacts would be concentrated in specific areas over water within Mexico’s Flight Information Regions (FIR), which comprise national airspace both over territory and over bodies of water, from the surface to more than 20,000 feet in altitude.

“The notice recommends that U.S. operators exercise extreme caution when operating over maritime areas of the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, within Mexico’s Flight Information Region, due to military activities and GNSS interference,” states the FAA document.

In response, the SICT specified that the NOTAM does not constitute a prohibition nor generate operational implications for Mexico, as it was issued exclusively for U.S. civil operators, including airlines and pilots with U.S. registration.

“There are no restrictions or impacts for Mexican airlines or operators, nor changes in the operating conditions of national airspace,” emphasized the federal agency through a statement.

Furthermore, it indicated that the possible interferences noted by the FAA have already been previously identified and that this type of alert is similar to others issued previously in regions such as the Caribbean, now extending to the Pacific area.

The SICT reiterated that civil aviation in Mexico operates normally and that permanent communication is maintained with international aeronautical authorities to follow up on this type of notice, within the framework of cooperation and operational safety.

It is worth noting that the FAA did not specify whether the referenced military operations correspond to U.S. or Mexican forces, although the mentioned zones include areas such as Mazatlán Oceánica and regions of the Pacific Ocean.

The issuance of this alert occurs in a context of diplomatic tensions, stemming from former President Donald Trump’s pressures on Mexico to reinforce the fight against cartels and stop drug trafficking to the United States.