What measures has your company adopted to incorporate sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the General Counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company?

I am convinced that legal management during periods of instability or crisis is a fundamental pillar to maintaining operational continuity as well as the trust of clients, investors, and strategic partners. A clear example was the financial restructuring process that Aeroméxico underwent during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, where legal oversight was essential to successfully navigating severe turbulence.

I have centered the legal strategy on three main pillars:

1. Risk prevention and early risk management: Having a highly professional and committed legal team has been essential, enabling close collaboration with the company’s internal areas to anticipate potential legal contingencies and to design actions that minimize impacts.
2. Operational resilience and regulatory compliance: In times of crisis, it is crucial to prioritise alignment with national and international regulations (DGAC, FAA, EASA, ICAO), to which Aeroméxico and the aviation industry are subject, ensuring that every legal decision strengthens operational safety, corporate integrity, and strict adherence to applicable regulations.
3. Integration with corporate strategy: My department actively participates in various strategic planning and risk management committees, ensuring that legal measures are fully aligned with business decisions—whether in restructuring processes, supplier negotiations, litigation, or passenger rights protection—in a coordinated and coherent manner.

In this way, the contentious legal function at Aeroméxico does not operate in isolation but as a strategic business partner, focused on ensuring organizational resilience, safeguarding and defending its most valuable assets, and supporting long-term sustainable growth.

What are the major cases or transactions you have been involved in recently?

The aviation industry faces immense challenges due to its technical nature, diversity, and complex international regulations. This makes it difficult to pinpoint a single defining experience, as companies like Aeromexico deal with significant daily challenges. However, one of the most important cases I’ve been involved in—not only as Head of Litigation but throughout my entire career—was Aeromexico’s Chapter 11 process, initiated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In that process, I often felt like the pitcher, the catcher, and the fielder all at once. The internal pressure was tremendous, and success required close collaboration across all areas of the company. From my perspective, it was essential to remain calm and composed despite the intense pressure from management and creditors, each with their own demands and expectations.

I must admit that the initial stage—filing for bankruptcy in a foreign country with limited knowledge of its legal framework—was daunting. However, selecting the right advisors proved just as critical as the process itself, ultimately determining our ability to successfully emerge from Chapter 11.

What measures has your company taken to embed sustainability practices into its core business operations, and how does the role of the general counsel contribute to driving and ensuring sustainable practices within the company? 

At Aeroméxico, we have positioned sustainability as a core strategic pillar. The company publishes annual sustainability reports, renews its fleet, implements fuel-efficiency initiatives, operates flights using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and offers passengers voluntary carbon-offset options through the Vuela Verde program. Additionally, Aeroméxico acquires CORSIA credits and reports its yearly progress on emission-reduction goals.

Based on this framework, our department has carried out the following actions:

• Ensuring regulatory and environmental compliance:
We interpret and monitor national and international obligations—including environmental standards, airport regulations, CORSIA requirements, and reporting duties. Within Aeroméxico, this work is closely integrated with the ESG compliance and reporting program.

• Managing environmental risks and related litigation:
We anticipate and mitigate potential risks such as fines, claims, and contractual issues associated with SAF supply. We prepare legal defenses when necessary and develop contingency plans to reduce exposure.

• Coordinating with the compliance and ESG division:
We work collaboratively to legally safeguard the information disclosed in the Sustainability Report and ensure that all supporting documentation provided to external verifiers is accurate, consistent, and defensible.

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your legal department, and what initiatives have you implemented to foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment?  

Aeroméxico has publicly affirmed its commitment to diversity and inclusion as part of its core corporate values. In 2023, the company reported that women held 40% of its managerial positions and that it had conducted more than 15 internal campaigns focused on diversity and inclusion. It also updated its Code of Conduct to define itself as an inclusive organisation and as an ally of the Mexican Federation of LGBT+ Entrepreneurs.

In practical terms, the Legal Department supports these initiatives behind the scenes by reviewing them—such as the code of ethics, internal protocols, recruitment processes and training programmes—to ensure compliance with labour and anti-discrimination legislation. In doing so, the General Counsel plays an indirect but crucial role in strengthening an inclusive culture: validating the legal soundness of DE&I policies and ensuring their proper implementation across the organisation, thereby helping to embed them within the company’s governance framework.