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Court Pauses Delta Aeroméxico JV Unwind
The Eleventh Circuit has temporarily blocked the Department of Transportation from forcing Delta and Aeroméxico to dissolve their transborder partnership.
The Delta Aeroméxico JV survived an emergency legal test on November 12, 2025, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit granted Delta Air Lines (IATA: DL, ICAO: DAL) and Aeroméxico (IATA: AM, ICAO: AMX) an emergency stay. The move pauses a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) order that would have required the carriers to unwind their joint venture by January 1, 2026.
The DOT sought to revoke antitrust immunity for the transborder alliance, saying regulators believed the partnership produced anticompetitive effects at Mexico City International Airport (AICM / MEX). With the stay in place, the two airlines can continue coordinating schedules, pricing and routes while the court conducts a fuller review of the DOT’s decision.
What the Delta Aeroméxico JV stay means
The emergency stay preserves the current structure of the joint venture for now, but it is not a final ruling. The appeals court will review the DOT’s revocation of antitrust immunity — a legal question that could take months to resolve and could reshape transborder service between the U.S. and Mexico depending on the outcome.
- Key fact: The Eleventh Circuit granted the stay on November 12, 2025, pausing a DOT unwind order effective January 1, 2026.
- The DOT argued anticompetitive effects at Mexico City International Airport; the airlines argue the JV benefits consumers through better connectivity.
- While the stay holds, Delta (DL/DAL) and Aeroméxico (AM/AMX) may continue joint scheduling, pricing coordination and frequent-flier reciprocity.
Industry observers say the ruling maintains the status quo for transborder travelers and partner networks, but the final outcome depends on the court’s legal review. If the appeals court upholds the DOT, the carriers would face operational and commercial changes; if the court reverses, the joint venture would remain intact.
