Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

The FAA has downgraded Mexico’s safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2 following a recent reassessment of the country’s aviation authority because it does not meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)&nbsp;safety standards, the U.S. agency said Tuesday. The downgrade means that Mexican carriers may not open new service or routes to the U.S. and U.S. airlines can no longer market and sell tickets with their names and designator codes on Mexican-operated flights. As a result, Delta Air Lines will have to remove its code from Aeromexico flights, although Aeromexico can continue to place its code on Delta flights.

 


In a statement to AIN, Delta said all its current routes to Mexico will continue and the decision would not affect its ability to adjust schedules or increase service. Separately, during Tuesday's Wolfe Research Global Transportation and Industrials Conference, Delta Air Lines president Glen William Hauenstein said that the U.S. airline does not believe the decision reflects any safety deficiency at Aeromexico. "This is not about Aeromexico," he insisted. "This is about the Mexican version of the FAA having the right protocols in place."

 


During its reassessment of the Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil (AFAC) from October 2020 to February 2021, the FAA identified several areas of non-compliance with minimum ICAO safety standards, it added. A Category 2 rating means that the country’s laws or regulations lack the requirements needed to ensure its air carriers meet minimum international safety standards or the civil aviation authority lacks in one or more areas such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping, inspection procedures, or resolution of safety concerns. The FAA did not explicitly identify in which area or areas the Mexican authority does not meet ICAO standards.

 


“The FAA is fully committed to helping the Mexican aviation authority improve its safety oversight system to a level that meets ICAO standards,” the FAA said in a statement. “To achieve this, the FAA is ready to provide expertise and resources in support of AFAC’s ongoing efforts to resolve the issues identified in the&nbsp;International Aviation Safety Assessment&nbsp;(IASA) process.”

 


Under the IASA program, the FAA assesses the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers that have applied to fly to the U.S., currently conduct operations to the U.S., or participate in code-sharing arrangements with U.S. partner airlines. The assessments determine whether international civil aviation authorities meet minimum ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

FAA Downgrades Mexico’s Safety Rating to Category 2

A Category 2 rating means Mexico’s airlines cannot add new service to the U.S. and U.S. airlines cannot place their codes on flights by Mexican carriers.

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News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

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News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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