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MEXICO AIRSPACE AND ATC OVER-TIME FEES PAYMENT

Regulation: Mexico, like most other countries, charges for the use of its airspace and for ATC over-time when pilots use a Mexican airport after hours. However, the way Mexico's regulations work are drastically different from any other country making it almost impossible for a non-Mexican pilot to comply on their own. What makes Mexico’s regulations unique from other countries are four things:

Mexico Airspace

(1) The regulations are published in Mexico’s tax code, not in their Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) and therefore do not appear in any international aeronautical publications.
(2) Airspace fees are calculated based on the wingspan of the aircraft and NOT on weight.
(3) Mexico does not issue an invoice to advise pilots that they have incurred a fee. It is the pilot’s responsibility to correctly determine the amount owed per the regulations.
(4) Airspace and over-time fees can only be paid via a Mexican bank.

Consequently, many pilots are unaware that they owe fees for past flights and over time these fees accumulate interest and back charges which can grow into very significant amounts.

Review of the Regulations along with Q&A's


Who is affected: If during the last 10 years you made a flight through Mexican airspace that neither took off from, nor landed in, Mexico, you are subject to Mexican airspace fees. Flights to, or from, an airport within Mexico, ARE NOT subject to these fees. Also, any pilot that used a Mexican airport outside of normal hours has incurred an ATC overtime fee which must be paid using the same procedures as airspace fees. Although these regulations have been in place for many years, they were not strictly enforced until 2012. As a result, many pilots trying to fly through Mexican airspace with unpaid fees are being denied entry by ATC. Considering the size of Mexican airspace, denial of entry can present a significant navigational challenge to a pilot making a flight from the USA or Canada to destinations in Central America, South America and some places in the Caribbean.


Making Payments for past flights


The pilot is responsible for determining any amounts owed for Mexican airspace or overtime fees with the Mexican government for flights already made. To do this, the pilot must contact SENEAM offices (Servicios a la Navegación en el Espacio Aéreo Mexicano) directly.

If you would like CST Flight Services to assist you in making the payment, you will first need to determine the amount owed for past flights. Contact CST Flight Services at 1 786-206-6147 or at ops@cstfltsvc.com to obtain a copy of the step by step procedure to contact SENEAM and the instructions so that we can make the payment on your behalf.

All Caribbean Sky Tours Pilots Association Members get a discount on the processing fee


Making Payments for current flights


If you wish to make payments to the Mexican government for future flights with the assistance of CST Flight Services you must email your flight history to ops@cstfltsvc.com within the first 5 days of the month after the flight took place. The flight history must include:

    • Tail number
    • Aircraft Type
    • Date of each flight
    • Departure and Arrival airport of each flight
We will email you the total amount owed including our payment processing fee. Once your payment has been processed, a copy of the payment confirmation from the Mexican bank will be emailed to you.

All Caribbean Sky Tours Pilots Association Members get a discount on the processing fee

If you are using CST Flight Handling Services, the airspace fee payment is included in the service and we will take care of it on your behalf.

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