US decision on Mexico air safety rating independent of politics -- Buttigieg

FILE PHOTO: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg listens as U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the airline industry and consumer protections from the South Court Auditorium on the White House grounds in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Monday he told Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador last week any decision to reinstate the country's air safety rating would not be based on politics.

"The rating as I emphasized to the president is a safety decision. It's independent of any economic, commercial or political consideration but I did assure him that there would not be any unnecessary or improper delay in processing that," Buttigieg told Reuters on the sidelines of an event in Washington. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgraded Mexico to Category 2 in May 2021, citing safety deficiencies and restricting the ability of Mexican airlines to open new routes to the United States.