Mexico's Anti-Monopolies Commission (Comisión Federal de Competencia Económica - COFECE) is set to allocate the eight México City International slot pairings Aeroméxico (AM, México City International) and Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) were required to divest in order to garner antitrust approval for their proposed joint-venture.
According to El Economista newspaper, a decision reached this week shows COFECE has allocated JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) three slot pairs, Alaska Airlines (AS, Seattle Tacoma International) two, Volaris (Y4, México City International) two, and VivaAerobus (VB, Monterrey Mariano Escobedo) one. The slots are to be allocated during the most lucrative operating times at the Mexican capital's gateway - 07h00L to 22h59L - in order to encourage greater competition and therefore, improved customer benefits. They are to be used for the upcoming IATA Northern Summer 2017 season which starts on March 26, 2017.
COFECE's antitrust remedy will be integrated into that specified by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) wherein Delta and AeroMéxico are to relinquish a total of twenty-four México City and four New York JFK slot pairs.
As previously reported, the DOT has indicated that in Phase 1 of the redistribution exercise, a total of fourteen Mexico City and two New York JFK slot-pairs shall be transferred as soon as practicable in time for use in the IATA Northern Summer 2017 season.
In order to conform to COFECE's remedy deadline of May 17, 2017, the DOT has specified that the eight Mexico City slots be transferred, with approval by airport operator Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (AICM), by May 17, 2017.
The remaining ten Mexico City and two New York JFK slot-pairs are to be transferred in time for use in the IATA Northern Summer 2018 season (which begins March 25, 2018). A decision is, therefore, due before the IATA Northern Summer 2018 scheduling season which takes place between November 7-10, 2017.
