US Opposes Delta-Aeroméxico Request to Delay JV Termination

The U.S. government has urged the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to reject a request from Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) and Aeroméxico (AM, México City International) to delay enforcement of a Department of Transportation (DOT) order requiring the airlines to dissolve their joint venture.

According to Reuters, the carriers asked the court to waive the January 1, 2026, deadline imposed by the DOT in September, arguing that an extension would allow the court sufficient time to review the case and issue a full opinion.

The DOT ordered the dissolution after the Mexican government failed to comply with terms of the 2015 U.S.–Mexico Air Transport Agreement. The move marked the first in a series of U.S. actions aimed at addressing what regulators consider an imbalance in cross-border air market access.

Delta and Aeroméxico have filed suit against the U.S. government, claiming that unwinding their partnership by early 2026 “would be operationally and financially burdensome.”

In response, the government argued that the airlines’ claims of “irreparable injury are overblown,” asserting that maintaining the DOT order would restore “full and fair competition” between the two carriers and their rivals.

Additional U.S. measures include freezing an antitrust immunity application from Viva Aerobus and Allegiant Air, cancelling 13 new Mexico City routes, and potentially restricting belly cargo operations between Mexico and the United States.

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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com