Aeromexico Pilots Push Back Their Strike by Up to 45 Days, but Reject the Airline’s Latest Offer

Aeromexico’s pilots did not walk out on Thursday, October 1, 2026. On the evening of Tuesday, September 29, their union, ASPA, rejected the airline’s newest contract proposal but agreed to extend talks by up to 45 days, moving any possible strike into mid-November.

Aeromexico said in a statement that its operations continue as usual. The strike deadline that had been set for the first minute of October 1 no longer applies.

What the union and the airline said

ASPA said its Aeromexico pilot delegation board and its general assembly decided to extend the talks “for a period of up to 45 days.” The goal, according to the union statement reported by Milenio, is a comprehensive proposal that can be put to a vote of the pilots.

The union said the proposal on the table did not meet the conditions to be put to its members. It is now up to the company, ASPA said, to present a concrete offer covering four pillars: working hours and rest, salary, benefits and social welfare provisions.

Aeromexico said it handed ASPA a comprehensive proposal on Tuesday as part of the review of the pilots’ collective contract. The union’s Aeromexico delegation then told the company it had agreed to request an extension so negotiations could continue.

The airline said it remains committed to dialogue and to a deal that strengthens its pilots’ working and economic conditions. It added that it wants those terms to stay the most attractive in the Mexican airline industry.

Neither statement said what Tuesday’s proposal offered. Last week the union rejected a raise reported as 3.2%, a figure Milenio gives as 3.26%, in a dispute that had threatened Aeromexico’s flights from October 1. ASPA represents 1,632 Aeromexico pilots.

The union statement gave no fixed date. La Silla Rota reported the deadline as moved to November 12, while Milenio noted that a deal could still arrive before the 45 days run out.

Why the pilots get the final say

This year’s talks are a review of the pilots’ whole collective contract, not just a pay round. That is why both statements talk about putting any agreement to a consultation of the pilots, “in accordance with the law,” as Aeromexico put it.

Under Article 400 Bis of Mexico’s Federal Labor Law, the agreement from the contract review held every two years must be approved by a majority of the workers it covers. The vote is personal, free and secret, so a handshake between union leaders and management is not enough on its own.

Rest is listed first among the union’s four pillars, ahead of salary, so this is a fight over schedules as well as pay. AeroCorner’s explainer on how long pilots can fly covers how those limits work.

The airline’s flight attendants went through the same process this spring. Their union, ASSA, which has more than 3,200 members, accepted a 4.16% raise on May 31, 2026, the day before a strike was due to begin, according to Infobae.

The 2024 precedent

Two years ago, the pilots’ talks followed a similar calendar. In 2024, ASPA pushed a strike set for the first minute of October 1 back to October 8, and the airline said its October 1 flights would run unchanged.

On October 7, 2024, the two sides reached a preliminary deal with a 7.5% direct raise and improvements of more than 12.5% in other contract items, Expansión reported. At the time, Expansión estimated a pilot strike would affect about 500 daily flights.

This year’s extension is far longer: up to 45 days instead of one week. That leaves room for several more rounds of offers before the next deadline arrives.

What it means for travelers

For now, nothing changes for passengers at Aeromexico’s Mexico City hub or elsewhere on its network. The airline says its operations continue as usual while the talks go on.

US travelers on Delta tickets are also in the picture, because Delta and Aeromexico run a joint venture on routes between the two countries. A court restored that partnership’s antitrust immunity in August, Aeromexico said.

The risk returns in mid-November if the talks fail. Anyone booked on Aeromexico for that period should watch for a new offer, a pilot vote, or another extension in the weeks ahead.