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By KELIN DILLON

Several months after Mexico’s air space rating was downgraded from a category 1 to a category 2 by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the country has failed to fix its aviation-related issues to regain a higher rating within the year, pushing its reevaluation into 2022.

While Deputy Secretary of Transportation Carlos Morán and the Deputy Secretary of Finance Gabriel Yorio had previously estimated back in May that it would only take Mexico four to five months to amend its issues, it is now estimated to take a total of 13 months to accomplish.

Mexico has 28 points it must meet to regain its category 1 status, and was missing 18 of those according to the FAA’s May evaluation. According to reports, it has already amended five of those points pertaining to training, procedures, verification guidelines and air surveillance law compliance, thanks to an action plan implemented by Mexico’s Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) on July 6.

The delay will now affect Mexico’s tourism capabilities for the holiday season, as Mexican airlines will not be able to increase service to cater to passengers from the United States wishing to visit the country during its peak travel time in winter, giving greater market share and revenues to U.S. airlines instead.