Mexico's Volaris expects to operate under top safety rating in Q4 - CEO

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican airline Volaris expects to operate under the U.S. Category 1 aviation safety rating in the fourth quarter, which would allow the carrier to add global flights as demand grows, CEO Enrique Beltranena said on Tuesday.

He expects Mexico to regain the rating in a few months, Beltranena told analysts on a call to discuss first-quarter results.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Mexico to Category 2 in May 2021, saying the country fell short of regulating airlines according to international safety standards. The downgrade prohibited new services and routes but did not affect existing U.S. flights.

Volaris' losses widened to $71 million from $49 million in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 29% to $731 million.

(Reporting by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Isabel Woodford and Richard Chang)