Mexico City International Airport

Mexico City International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México, AICM); officially Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez (Benito Juárez International Airport) (IATA: MEX, ICAO: MMMX) is an international airport that serves Greater Mexico City. It is Mexico's and Latin America's busiest airport by passenger traffic and aircraft movements. The airport sustains 35,000 jobs directly and around 15,000 indirectly in the immediate area.[4] The airport is owned by Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México and operated by Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares, the government-owned corporation, which also operates 22 other airports throughout Mexico.[5] In recent years Toluca Airport has become an alternate airport.[6]

Mexico City International Airport

Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México
Mexico City Airport Terminal 2
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerGrupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México
OperatorAeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares
ServesMexico City, Mexico
LocationVenustiano Carranza, Mexico City
Hub for
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL7,316 ft / 2,230 m
Coordinates19°26′10″N 099°04′19″W
Websiteaicm.com.mx
Map
MEX
Location within Mexico City
MEX
MEX (Mexico)
MEX
MEX (North America)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05R/23L 3,900 12,795 Asphalt
05L/23R 3,952 12,966 Asphalt
13/31 2,300 7,546 Asphalt
5 Auxiliar 759 2,490 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers50,308,049 5.5%
Cargo tonnage556,142.3 4.4%
Source: DAFIF[1][2]
Statistics: Airport website[3]

This airport is served by 30 domestic and international passenger airlines and 17 cargo carriers. As the main hub for Mexico's largest airline Aeroméxico (with Aeroméxico Connect), the airport has become a SkyTeam hub. It is also a hub for Aeromar, Interjet, Volaris, and a focus city for VivaAerobus. On a typical day, more than 100,000 passengers[3] pass through the airport to and from more than 100 destinations on four continents. In 2018, the airport handled 47,700,547 passengers, a 6.6% increase compared to 2017.[7]

Operating near the limits of its capacity,[8] calls for replacing the airport were announced in September 2014, with the proposed location to be built 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) north-northeast of the current airport, east of Ecatepec.[9][10] In January 2019, construction of the new airport was cancelled.[11]

Location

Located at the neighbourhood of Peñón de los Baños within Venustiano Carranza, one of the sixteen boroughs into which Mexico City is divided, the airport is 5 km (3.1 mi) east from Downtown Mexico City and is surrounded by the built-up areas of Gustavo A. Madero to the north and Venustiano Carranza to the west, south and east. As the airport is located on the east side of Mexico City and its runways run southwest-northeast, an airliner's landing approach is usually directly over the conurbation of Mexico City when the wind is from the northeast. Therefore, there is an important overflying problem and noise pollution.[12][13]

History

Origins

Inauguration of Iberia's Mexico City-Madrid route, March 1, 1950

The original site, known as Llanos de Balbuena, had been used for aeronautical activities since 1910, when Alberto Braniff became the first to fly an aeroplane in Mexico, and in Latin America.[14][15] The flight was onboard of a Voisin biplane. On November 30, 1911, President Francisco I. Madero, was the first head of State in the world to fly onboard of a Deperdussin airplane piloted by Geo M. Dyott of Moisant International.[16][17] In 1915 the airport first opened as Balbuena Military Airport with five runways. Construction of a small civilian airport began in 1928. The first landing was on November 5, 1928, and regular service started in 1929, but was officially inaugurated on May 15, 1931. On July 8, 1943, the Official Gazette of the Federation published a decree that acknowledged Mexico City's Central Airport as an international airport, capable of managing international arrivals and departures of passengers and aircraft. Its first international route was to Los Angeles International Airport operated by Mexicana. Construction of Runway 05D-23I started six years later, as well as new facilities such as a platform, a terminal building, a control tower and offices for the authorities. The runway started its operations in 1951. On November 19, 1952, President Miguel Alemán opened the passenger terminal, which later became Terminal 1.[18]

In 1956 the airport had four runways in service: 05L-23R (2,720m long, 40m wide), 05R-23L (3,000m long, 45m wide), with electric lights for night-time service; 13-31 (2,300m long, 40m wide) which had been built to relieve 14-32, to which residential areas had encroached too closely; and 5 Auxiliar (759m long).[19]

1960s–1990s

President and Mrs. Kennedy disembark Air Force One, June 29, 1962

On December 2, 1963, Walter C. Buchanan, former director of the Transport and Communications Department (SCT), changed the airport's name "Aeropuerto Central" (Central Airport) to "Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México" (Mexico City International Airport).[20]

In the 1970s, president Luis Echeverría closed the two remaining shorter runways (13/31 and 5 Auxiliar); on the land of 13-31 a social housing complex was built, Unidad Fiviport.[21][22][23] leaving the two parallel runways. In 1980, the terminal was expanded to double its capacity, using a single large terminal rather than multiple terminals as in other airports. Ten years later in 1990, the mixed domestic/international gates were separated to increase the terminal's functionality, along with the separation of domestic and international check-in halls.

On November 24, 1978, the "Mexico" Control Tower began its operations; it has been in service since then.[20]

The AICM has continually improved its infrastructure. On August 15, 1979, and after about a year of remodeling works, the terminal building reopened to the public; the airport continued its operations during the renovation, which improved passenger transit with better space distribution in walkways and rooms.[24]

Due to constant growth in demand of both passengers and operations, on January 13, 1994, the Official Gazette of the Federation, published a presidential decree that prohibited general aviation operations in the AICM, which were moved to Toluca International Airport in order to clear air traffic in the capital's airport.[25]

Renovations to the AICM continued and on April 11, 1994, a new International Terminal building was ready and operational. It was built by a private contractor according to a co-investment agreement with Airports and Auxiliary Services. In 2001, in order to further improve service to passengers, construction for Module XI started. This Module permitted eight new contact positions in the Airport Terminal, capable of receiving eight regular airplanes, two wide-body, or four narrow-body aircraft.[26]

2003–2007 expansion

Because of the increasing traffic, president Vicente Fox announced the construction of a new, larger airport on 5,000 ha (12,000 acres) in the municipalities of Texcoco and San Salvador Atenco, but when local violent protests took place in 2002, the new airport was cancelled.[27] Instead, to respond to the growing demand and aiming to position the AICM as one of the greatest in terms of quality, services, security, and operational functionality, on May 30, 2003, the Federal Government announced an update: an extension to the air terminal in order to widen its service capacity from 20 million to 32 million passengers a year. This program was part of the Metropolitan Airport System, promoted by the Federal Administration. The Communications and Transportation Ministry (SCT), Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA) and AICM performed expansion and remodeling work on Terminal 1, over a surface area of 90,000 square metres (970,000 sq ft); 48,000 of which were new construction and 42,000 of which were remodeled. The renovations include new airline counters, commercial spaces and an elevator for people with disabilities, which improved the flow of passengers with domestic destinations.

Among other works performed in the international area, a long-distance bus terminal was built with connections to Puebla, Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Toluca, Querétaro and Orizaba. The new bus station has access to a food court and the international arrivals and departures area, as well as a pedestrian bridge that connects to "The Peñón de los Baños" neighbourhood.

The airport was formally named after the 19th-century president Benito Juárez in 2006.[28]

On November 15, 2007, Terminal 2 was opened, significantly increasing the airport's capacity. All SkyTeam members moved their operations to the new terminal, except Air France and KLM. It was officially inaugurated in March 2008, once the new road accesses and taxiways were finished. Terminal 2 increased the airport's contact positions by 40% and the operational capacity by 15%. The terminal was inaugurated by former President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa.[29]

Lack of capacity and slot restrictions

The airport as seen from an aircraft in 2011.
Aerial view of the airport before the construction of Terminal 2.

The airport has suffered from a lack of capacity due to restrictions on expansion, since it is located in a densely populated area. In 2014, Mexican authorities established and declared a maximum capacity of 61 operations per hour with a total of 16 rush hours (7:00 –22:59).[30] Another issue with the airport is the limitation that its two runways provide, for this reason, only government, military, commercial and specially authorised aircraft are allowed to use the airport. Private aircraft must use alternate airports, such as Lic. Adolfo López Mateos International Airport in Toluca, General Mariano Matamoros Airport in Cuernavaca, or Hermanos Serdán International Airport in Puebla.

Attempt to replace the airport

Architect Fernando Romero and the scale model of the New Mexico City airport.

Construction of a new Mexico City international airport was announced by Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto on September 2, 2014,[31] who said that it would be "emblemático": a national symbol, replacing the current Mexico City International Airport, which is at capacity. It was to have a single terminal of 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m2) and six runways: two of 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi; 15,000 ft) and four of 4 kilometres (2.5 mi; 13,000 ft). The architects were Sir Norman Foster and Fernando Romero, son-in-law of billionaire Carlos Slim and architect of the Soumaya Museum.[32][33]

Construction was to take eight years, costing 120 or 169 billion Mexican pesos, about 9–13 billion U.S. dollars, depending on the source, on land already owned by the federal government in the Zona Federal del Lago de Texcoco, between Ecatepec and Atenco in the State of Mexico, about 10 km northeast of the current airport.[34][35] The terminal was to be sustainable, aiming at a LEED Platinum certification.[36] The project was cancelled on October 30, 2018 following a referendum.[37] The costs of cancellation are estimated at over US$5 billion.[38]

Terminals and facilities

Terminal layout before T2.
Terminal layout after T2 was built.
External facade of Terminal 2.
Terminal 2 - Departures waiting area.
Terminal 2 - Display screens.
Mexico City International Airport, terminal 2, hall 75
Central corridor at T2.

Terminals

Mexico City International Airport has two passenger terminals. Terminal 1 is separated from Terminal 2 by the runways.

Terminal 1

  • Opened in 1958; expanded in 1970, 1989, 1998, 2000 and 2004
  • Overall terminal surface: 542,000 m2 (5,830,000 sq ft)
  • Contact positions: 33
  • Remote positions: 17 (34 Before New T2 was built)
  • Number of jetways: 33
  • Number of airside halls: 10
  • Number of landside (check-in) halls: 9
  • Number of mobile-lounges: 11
  • Hotel service:
  • Parking service: 3,100 vehicles (Domestic), 2,400 vehicles (International)
  • Space per passenger in T1: 17 m2 (180 sq ft)
  • Number of baggage claim carousels: 22

Terminal 2

  • Opened in 2007
  • Overall terminal surface: 288,000 m2 (3,100,000 sq ft)
  • Contact positions: 23
  • Remote positions: 18 (Aeromar and Aeroméxico Connect)
  • Number of jetways: 23
  • Number of airside halls: 2 (Domestic, International)
  • Number of landside (check-in) halls: 3 (L1, L2, L3)
  • Hotel service:
    • 287 room NH
  • Parking service: 3,000 vehicles
  • Space per passenger in T2: 22 m2 (240 sq ft)
  • Number of baggage claim carousels: 15)
  • Platform surface: 426,000 m2 (4,590,000 sq ft)
  • Inter-terminal Aerotrén capacity: 7,800 daily passengers

Terminal 2 was built over a surface area of 242,666.55m² and has modern security systems, in accordance with international standards including a passenger traffic separation systems. The new facility will help AICM increase its capacity to 32 million passengers per year.

Air operations in the new facilities began on November 15, 2007, with flights by Aeromar and Delta Air Lines, and later AeroMéxico, Copa, LAN and Continental Airlines. Terminal 2 was formally inaugurated by former Presidente Felipe Calderón Hinojosa on March 26, 2008.

These projects were done without affecting airplane takeoffs and landings, and will help Mexico City International Airport offer better services, and respond to the growing demand of passengers and operations in the coming years.

Terminal 2 now houses all Aeroméxico flights out of the airport, becoming the airline's main distribution centre. Although the terminal was intended to be served by all-SkyTeam member airlines, Air France and KLM decided to remain at Terminal 1.

Terminal 3

The proposed construction of a Terminal 3 was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. It is estimated that it will take three or four years to bring the number of flights back to 2019 levels, by which time the General Felipe Ángeles International Airport in Santa Lucía, Zumpango, State of Mexico will be open.[39]

Other facilities

Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares, a government-owned corporation that operates airports in Mexico, has its headquarters on the airport property.,[40] Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares.[41] The Aeromar headquarters are located in Hangar 7 in Zone D of the General Aviation Terminal of the airport.[42][43] Aviacsa had its headquarters in Hangar 1 in Zone C, but ceased operations on May 4, 2011.[44]

Airlines and destinations

The airport connects 52 domestic and 50 international destinations in Latin America, North America, Europe and Asia. Aeromexico serves the largest number of cities from any Latin American hub (80), 46 domestic and 34 international.[45] Most prominent foreign airlines are United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Avianca Holdings. Aeroméxico/Aeroméxico Connect operates the most departures from the airport followed by Interjet, Volaris, and Aeromar. Aeroméxico also operates to the most destinations followed by Interjet.

Passenger

KLM Boeing 747 arriving from Schiphol.
An Air Canada Airbus A319 at MEX
Iberia Airbus A340-600 taxiing at the airport.
Copa Airlines Boeing 737-800 taking off to Panama City.
MEX in 2018
Interjet aircraft parked at the side of T1. Interjet links the airport with 51 destinations within Mexico and other 7 countries.
AirlinesDestinations
AeromarAcapulco, Ciudad Victoria, Colima, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Ixtepec, Lázaro Cárdenas, Manzanillo, McAllen, Oaxaca, Piedras Negras, Poza Rica, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, Saltillo, San Luis Potosí, Tamuín, Tepic, Veracruz
AeroméxicoAmsterdam, Barcelona, Bogotá, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Cancún, Chicago–O'Hare, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Culiacán, Denver, Detroit, Guadalajara, Havana, Hermosillo, Las Vegas, Lima, London–Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Medellín–JMC, Mérida, Mexicali, Miami, Monterrey, Montréal–Trudeau, New York–JFK, Orlando, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Puerto Vallarta, Quito, San Francisco, San José de Costa Rica, San José del Cabo, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma, Seoul–Incheon, Tijuana, Tokyo–Narita, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver, Villahermosa
Aeroméxico ConnectAcapulco, Aguascalientes, Austin, Campeche, Cancún, Chetumal, Chihuahua, Ciudad del Carmen, Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Obregón, Culiacán, Dallas/Fort Worth, Durango, Guatemala City, Hermosillo, Houston–Intercontinental, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz (Mexico), León/El Bajío, Los Mochis, Managua, Manzanillo, Matamoros, Mazatlán, Mérida, Minatitlán/Coatzacoalcos, Morelia, Nuevo Laredo, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, Querétaro, Reynosa, San Antonio, San José del Cabo, San Luis Potosí, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santo Domingo–Las Américas, Tampico, Tapachula, Torreón/Gómez Palacio, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa, Zacatecas
Air CanadaVancouver
Air Canada Rouge Toronto–Pearson
Seasonal: Montréal–Trudeau
Air FranceParis–Charles de Gaulle
AlitaliaRome–Fiumicino
All Nippon AirwaysTokyo–Narita
American AirlinesCharlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
AviancaBogotá
Avianca El SalvadorSan Salvador
British AirwaysLondon–Heathrow
Copa AirlinesPanama City
Cubana de AviaciónHavana
Delta Air LinesAtlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, Salt Lake City
EmiratesBarcelona, Dubai–International
IberiaMadrid
InterjetAcapulco, Bogotá, Campeche, Cancún, Cartagena, Chetumal, Chicago–O'Hare, Chihuahua, Ciudad del Carmen, Ciudad Juárez, Cozumel, Culiacán, Dallas/Fort Worth, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Havana, Hermosillo, Houston–Intercontinental, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Las Vegas, León/El Bajío, Lima, Los Angeles, Mazatlán, Medellín–JMC, Mérida, Miami, Monterrey, Montréal–Trudeau, New York–JFK, Oaxaca, Orlando, Palenque, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, Quito, San Antonio, San José de Costa Rica, San José del Cabo, San Salvador, Santa Clara, Tampico, Tijuana, Toronto–Pearson, Torreón/Gómez Palacio, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Vancouver, Veracruz, Villahermosa
Seasonal: Varadero
KLMAmsterdam
LATAM BrasilSão Paulo–Guarulhos
LATAM ChileSantiago de Chile
LATAM PerúLima
LufthansaFrankfurt, Munich
MagnichartersCancún, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Mérida, Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo
Seasonal: Cozumel, Manzanillo
Turkish AirlinesIstanbul1
United AirlinesChicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark, San Francisco, Washington–Dulles
VivaAerobusCancún, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Culiacán, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Las Vegas, Mazatlán, Mérida, Monterrey, New York–JFK, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, Reynosa, San José del Cabo, Tijuana, Torreón/Gómez Palacio, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Villahermosa, Zacatecas
Charter: Havana,[46] Varadero
VolarisAcapulco, Aguascalientes, Campeche (begins October 2, 2020),[47] Cancún, Chetumal, Chicago–O'Hare, Chihuahua, Ciudad del Carmen (begins July 26, 2020),[47] Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Obregón, Colima, Cozumel, Culiacán, Denver, Durango, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Las Vegas, León/El Bajío, Los Angeles, Los Mochis, Mazatlán, Mérida, Mexicali, Miami, Monterrey, Oakland, Oaxaca, Orlando, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, San Antonio, San José del Cabo, San Luis Potosí, San Salvador, Tampico (resumes October 2, 2020),[47] Tapachula, Tepic, Tijuana, Torreón/Gómez Palacio (begins July 27, 2020),[47] Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa (resumes July 26, 2020)[47]
Volaris Costa RicaGuatemala City, San José de Costa Rica
WingoBogotá
Notes

^1 Turkish Airlines's flight from Mexico City to Istanbul makes a stop in Cancún, however the airline doesn't have local traffic rights between Mexico City and Cancún.

Other Services

In addition to the scheduled airlines above, Mexico City airport is used by some further airlines for chartered flights including:

Cargo

As of January 2020, Mexico City airport is served by 21 cargo airlines flying directly to Europe, Central, North and South America, Middle East, Africa and East Asia. The following airlines operate the scheduled destinations below.

AirlinesDestinations
ABX AirCincinnati, Guadalajara, Los Angeles
AeroUnionChicago–O'Hare, Cincinnati, Guadalajara, León/El Bajío, Los Angeles, Miami, Monterrey
Air France CargoAtlanta, Guadalajara, Houston–Intercontinental, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Porto
Amerijet InternationalMiami
Atlas AirHuntsville
Avianca CargoBogotá
CAL Cargo Air LinesLiège
CargoluxDallas/Fort Worth, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, New York–JFK
Cargolux ItaliaMilan–Malpensa
Cathay Pacific CargoAnchorage, Guadalajara, Hong Kong, Los Angeles
DHL Aviation Cincinnati, Guadalajara, Los Angeles
Seasonal: Guatemala City
Emirates SkyCargoCopenhagen, Dubai–Al Maktoum, Frankfurt, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Quito, Zaragoza
Estafeta Air CargoSan Luis Potosí, Villahermosa
Seasonal: Mérida
Ethiopian Airlines CargoAddis Ababa, Los Angeles, Miami, Zaragoza
Lufthansa CargoChicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Frankfurt, Guadalajara, New York–JFK
Mas AirBogotá, Campinas–Viracopos, Caracas, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Los Angeles, Manaus, Mérida, Miami, San José de Costa Rica
Qatar Airways CargoAtlanta, Doha, Houston–Intercontinental, Liège, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Macau, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Zaragoza
Turkish Airlines CargoBogotá, Curaçao, Houston–Intercontinental, Istanbul–Atatürk, Maastricht, Madrid
UPS AirlinesLouisville

Airlines providing on-demand cargo services

Traffic statistics

In 2018, Mexico City International Airport moved 47,700,547 passengers, making it the busiest airport in Latin America in terms of total passengers. It registered a year-to-year increase of 6.6%.[7]

In terms of international passengers, it is the busiest airport in Latin America with 17,204,824 passengers.[3]

The airport is the busiest in Latin America by aircraft movements with 24% more operations than Bogotá-El Dorado[48] and 44.65% more than São Paulo-Guarulhos.[49] It is the 15th busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft departures.[50] In 2018, the airport handled 458,588 aircraft operations, an average of 1,256 operations per day.[7]

Regarding cargo, the airport is also the busiest in the country and the second busiest in Latin America, after El Dorado International Airport[48] in Bogotá. During 2018, it moved 581,675.28 tons, an annual increase of 8.27%. The net growth of 44,000 tons was the biggest in the region.[7]

Mexico City Airport Passengers – 1990–2019 (millions)
Updated: January 29, 2020.



Cargo [metric tons]
Year Domestic % change International % change Total % change
2019 104,832.5 3.0 451,309.8 6.0 556,142.3 4.4
2018 101,774.72 2.49 479,900.56 9.58 581,675.28 8.27
2017 99,303.94 8.15 437,958.75 11.83 537,262.69 11.13
2016 91,820.00 11.84 391,613.40 7.35 483,433.40 8.17
2015 82,100.42 21.92 364,814.69 10.14 446,915.11 12.13
2014 67,341.85 5.75 331,214.62 5.85 398,556.47 5.83
2013 63,678.54 19.05 312,911.31 1.71 376,589.85 5.15
2012 78,666.10 4.01 318,351.98 3.38 397,018.08 3.51
2011 81,953.37 3.41 329,502.22 6.90 411,455.59 4.68
2010 84,846.88 1.01 308,228.992 29.98 393,075.87 22.40
2009 83,999.43 13.47 237,134.01 15.01 321,133.44 14.61
2008 97,070.08 - 279,025.63 - 376,095.71 -

Busiest routes, 2019

Domestic[52]
(includes traffic in both directions)
Rank Airport Passengers
2019
Passengers
2018
%
Change
Rank
Change
Airline(s)
1Cancún, Quintana Roo5,009,2354,990,6470.37Aeroméxico, Interjet, Magnicharters, VivaAerobus, Volaris
2Monterrey, Nuevo León3,601,9373,452,4214.33Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
3Guadalajara, Jalisco3,386,5213,167,4386.92Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
4Tijuana, Baja California2,151,3431,964,4609.51Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
5Mérida, Yucatán1,851,4141,686,2569.79Aeroméxico, Interjet, Magnicharters, VivaAerobus, Volaris
6Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco1,094,694956,41914.46Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Interjet, Magnicharters, VivaAerobus, Volaris
7Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas981,008931,0005.37Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
8San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur971,016844,78514.94Aeroméxico, Interjet, Magnicharters, VivaAerobus, Volaris
9Hermosillo, Sonora837,470749,95711.672Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
10Chihuahua, Chihuahua823,872769,7787.03Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
11Villahermosa, Tabasco822,731805,8072.102Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus
12Oaxaca, Oaxaca760,500644,54417.99Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
13Culiacán, Sinaloa681,165593,18114.831Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
14Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua679,749556,24522.202Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
15Huatulco, Oaxaca654,254606,1607.932Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Interjet, Magnicharters, VivaAerobus, Volaris
16Veracruz, Veracruz633,761560,47413.081Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris
17Acapulco, Guerrero577,426476,40621.201Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris
18León/El Bajío, Guanajuato532,619469,67513.401Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris
19Torreón/Gómez Palacio, Coahuila505,289506,4860.242Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus
20Mazatlán, Sinaloa472,728445,2816.16Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
21Mexicali, Baja California457,377390,04117.261Aeroméxico, Volaris
22Tampico, Tamaulipas418,907417,6900.291Aeroméxico, Interjet
23Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes399,063345,99215.34Aeroméxico, Volaris
24La Paz, Baja California Sur395,915309,46227.944Aeroméxico, Volaris
25Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca355,029271,93730.564Aeromar, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
26Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Guerrero345,297320,1117.87Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Interjet, Magnicharters, VivaAerobus, Volaris
27Chetumal, Quintana Roo343,337318,9237.66Interjet, Volaris
28Tapachula, Chiapas333,272320,7973.893Aeroméxico, Volaris
29San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí306,395323,8625.395Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Volaris
30Reynosa, Tamaulipas289,380269,8987.22Aeroméxico, VivaAerobus


International[52]
(includes traffic in both directions)
Rank Airport Passengers
2019
Passengers
2018
%
Change
Rank
Change
Airline(s)
1Los Angeles, USA1,044,7861,236,16815.48Aeroméxico, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Interjet, Volaris
2New York–JFK, USA1,037,2591,009,0242.801Aeroméxico, Delta Air Lines, Interjet, VivaAerobus
3Madrid, Spain880,988779,77712.982Aeroméxico, Iberia
4Bogotá, Colombia866,896849,5902.08Aeroméxico, Avianca, Interjet, Wingo
5Houston–Intercontinental, USA831,7291,049,83820.783Aeroméxico, Interjet, United Airlines
6Miami, USA770,177663,27716.12Aeroméxico, American Airlines, Interjet, Volaris
7Lima, Peru712,003630,22712.982Aeroméxico, Avianca Peru, Interjet, LATAM Perú
8Dallas/Fort Worth, USA703,307658,5526.801Aeroméxico, American Airlines, Interjet
9Chicago–O’Hare, USA663,715649,4732.191Aeroméxico, Interjet, United Airlines, Volaris
10Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France569,693506,51912.471Aeroméxico, Air France
11Panama City-Tocumen, Panama551,599522,5055.571Aeroméxico, Copa Airlines
12Toronto-Pearson, Canada483,115453,3536.561Aeroméxico, Air Canada Rouge, Interjet
13Guatemala City, Guatemala475,680454,4794.661Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris Costa Rica
14Havana, Cuba468,884423,13510.813Aeroméxico, Cubana de Aviación, Interjet, VivaAerobus
15Orlando, USA455,747443,4652.771Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris
16Las Vegas, USA423,377432,9842.22Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
17Atlanta, USA416,177416,5700.091Delta Air Lines
18San José, Costa Rica405,674392,1363.451Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris Costa Rica
19San Francisco, USA404,792436,0787.174Aeroméxico, United Airlines
20Vancouver, Canada360,060357,0290.85Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Interjet
21Amsterdam, Netherlands347,538333,9924.06Aeroméxico, KLM
22São Paulo–Guarulhos, Brazil324,830326,0230.37Aeroméxico, LATAM Brasil
23Montréal–Trudeau, Canada318,031267,12619.061Aeroméxico, Air Canada Rouge, Interjet
24San Salvador, El Salvador306,330195,43856.746Aeroméxico, Avianca El Salvador, Interjet, Volaris
25Santiago, Chile295,650289,1672.242Aeroméxico, LATAM Chile
26San Antonio, USA292,894255,47114.651Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris
27London–Heathrow, UK259,692252,4462.871Aeroméxico, British Airways
28Tokyo–Narita, Japan233,723219,1586.65Aeroméxico, All Nippon Airways
29Frankfurt, Germany221,581220,3460.562Lufthansa
30New York–Newark, USA214,524171,57825.031United Airlines

Inter-terminal transportation

Mexico City airport inter-terminal transit with Terminal 2 in background.

Terminal 1 is connected to Terminal 2 by the Aerotrén monorail system in which only connecting passengers with hand baggage are allowed to use with their boarding pass. Technical and cabin crew can also use it. The distance between the terminals is 3 km (1.9 mi). and the Airtrain's speed is 45 km/h (28 mph). Also there is a land service between terminals called "inter-terminal transportation". These buses are located at entrance no. 6 of Terminal 1 and entrance no. 4 of Terminal 2.[53]

Ground transportation

Metro and bus services

Terminal 1 is served by the Terminal Aérea Metro station, which belongs to Line 5 of the subway, running from Pantitlán station to Politécnico station. It is located just outside the national terminal. Also, trolley bus line G runs from the bus stop next to the Metro to Boulevard Puerto Aéreo station 1.7 km (1.1 mi) away, allowing transfer to Metro Line 1 (one can also take line 5 to Pantitlán and change to line 1, which is a geographical detour). Terminal 2 does not have any Metro station, but is a 700 m (2,300 ft) walk from Pantitlán served by Metro lines 1, 5, 9, A and numerous local buses.

Terminals 1 and 2 have two land terminals operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Different bus lines operate from here , and provide continuous transportation services to the main cities located around Mexico City, such as Córdoba, Cuernavaca, Pachuca, Puebla, Querétaro, Tlaxcala and Toluca.

Metrobús

Public Transport between terminals 1 and 2.

In late 2010, former Head of Government of the Federal District Marcelo Ebrard announced a plan to build a new Metrobús Line 4 that would run from near Buenavista Station in the west of the city towards Mexico City airport. Construction on Line 4 started on July 4, 2011. The plans for Line 4 included a two-step construction process with the first 28 km (17 mi) operational segment to be built between Colonia Buenavista and San Lázaro Metro station. An extension provides travel between San Lázaro and the airport. The line opened on April 1, 2012 with two stations, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.[54]

ServiceDestinations [departing from the airport]Operator
Metro San Lázaro, TAPO bus station, Historic Centre, Metro Buenavista, Buenavista Station, Tren Suburbano Metrobús, a government-owned corporation.

Authorized taxis

Taxis are in operation in Terminals 1 and 2 and there are two models of service: Ordinary service in a sedan type vehicle for 4 passengers. Executive service in 8 passengers vans. At present there are 5 taxi groups in operation. These are the only taxis authorised by the Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) of the Federal Government.

Accidents and incidents

  • On April 10, 1968, an Aerovías Rojas Douglas R4D-3 crashed on approach, killing all eighteen people on board. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight, which was the airline's inaugural flight from Aguascalientes International Airport to Mexico City.[55]
  • On October 31, 1979, Western Airlines Flight 2605 crash-landed. The crew of the DC-10 landed on a closed runway and hit construction vehicles on the runway. There were 73 fatalities (including one on the ground) and 16 survivors.[56][57]
  • On December 12, 1981, a bomb exploded inside the passenger cabin of a parked Aeronica Boeing 727-100, tearing a hole into the fuselage. The captain, two flight attendants and a ground worker were injured. They had been on board the aircraft for pre-departure checks for a scheduled passenger flight to San Salvador and onwards to Managua's Augusto C. Sandino International Airport.[58]
  • An Aero California DC-9-15 overran a runway on July 21, 2004, during an intense storm at the airport. There were no victims, but the aircraft was scrapped. However, a woman died later due to a heart attack.[59]
  • On November 4, 2008 a Mexican Interior Ministry LearJet 45 crashed on approach around 18:45 local time. On board were Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño, who was top aide to President Felipe Calderón. Mouriño was in charge of the fight against the drug trade in Mexico. Also on board was José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, former assistant attorney general and current head of the federal technical secretariat for implementing the recent constitutional reforms on criminal justice and public security. All eight on board perished along with eight others on the ground. 40 others on the ground were injured. The crash was attributed to pilot error.[60]
  • On September 9, 2009, hijacked Aeroméxico Flight 576 landed at Mexico City International Airport from Cancún International Airport.[61]
  • On September 13, 2009, a Lufthansa Cargo McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 was damaged in a heavy landing. Post landing inspection revealed that there were wrinkles in the fuselage skin and the nose gear was bent.[62] According to a Lufthansa spokesman, the aircraft will be repaired and returned into full service.[63]

See also

Notes

    References

    1. Airport information for MMMX at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
    2. Airport information for MEX at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
    3. "AICM Statistics (in Spanish)" (PDF). AICM.
    4. "Benito Juárez International airport - Economic and social impacts". Ecquants. Archived from the original on October 31, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
    5. "ASA's airport network (In Spanish)". ASA. July 2014. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
    6. "TLC and alternate airport for Mexico City (In Spanish)". El Universal. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
    7. "Statistics Mexico City airport" (PDF). Mexico City International Airport. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
    8. Lagorio, Juan José (February 14, 2014). "Canaero to propose plan to ease Mexico City Airport saturation". BN Americas. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. 
    9. "New Mexico City International Airport (In Spanish)". Presidency of the Republic. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
    10. "Mexico unveils Norman Foster design for new international airport". The Guardian. September 3, 2014. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. 
    11. "Texcoco: cancelan definitivamente la construcción del nuevo aeropuerto de México (in Spanish)". Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
    12. "Unplanned airport planning in Mexico City". Academia Education. Archived from the original on September 8, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
    13. "Disgruntled neighbours by noise pollution in Mexico City". Quadratin. Archived from the original on September 8, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
    14. "Mexican-americans in aviation online exhibition". San Diego Air & Space Museum. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
    15. "Conquistador of the Sky: A History of Aviation in Latin America". Project MUSE. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
    16. "Mexico's 100 years of flying taking off to new heights!". The Catalist. Archived from the original on November 20, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
    17. "A brief Mexican History aviation". Mexconnect. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
    18. "One more year of Mexico City International Airport (In Spanish)". Contenido. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
    19. ""Breve Historia del Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México", Mexico City International Airport" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
    20. "Historia de la aviación en México (in Spanish)". Colegio de Pilotos de México. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
    21. Obras. 1993. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
    22. "A New Airport for Mexico City?". MexDFmagazine. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
    23. Historic photo at FlyAPM site
    24. "Sistema Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México (in Spanish)". Esquinca, Rosique. May 25, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
    25. "DECRETO que establece el cierre del Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México Benito Juárez (in Spanish)". Diario Oficial de la Federación. January 13, 1994. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
    26. "Iniciaría en febrero la ampliación del AICM (in Spanish)". El Universal. January 3, 2000. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
    27. "Mexico drops planned airport after protests from peasants". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
    28. Elizalde, Triunfo; Vargas, Rosa Elvira (October 5, 2006). "Decretará Fox que el AICM se denomine Benito Juárez" [President Vicente Fox decrees official name for Mexico City Airport]. La Jornada (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 8, 2014. 
    29. "Mexico City inaugurates new airport terminal". USA Today. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
    30. "DECLARATORIA de saturación en el campo aéreo del Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (in Spanish)". Diario Oficial de la Federación. September 29, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
    31. "New Mexico City International Airport". CAPA Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. 
    32. Gomez, Veronica; Stargardter, Gabriel (September 4, 2014). "UPDATE 1-Mexico eyes foreign builder, local partners for $9 bln airport". Reuters. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. 
    33. Uphoff, Rainer (September 4, 2014). "Mexico to open new mega airport in 2018". Flightglobal. Madrid. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. 
    34. "Ready for landing: Mexico City airport expansion could make it one of largest in world", Christian Science Monitor, 2014-09-03
    35. Luhnow, David (September 2, 2014). "Mexico Plans New $9.2 Billion Airport". The Wall Street Journal. (subscription required)
    36. Alissa Walker. "Mexico City's New Mega-Airport Will Collect Its Own Energy and Water". Gizmodo. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
    37. Nensel, Mark (December 12, 2018). "IATA: Cancellation of Mexico airport construction to cost over $5 billion". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
    38. "IATA respalda decisión de cancelar Terminal 3 del AICM". www.msn.com. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
    39. "ASA's address". Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
    40. Retrieved on December 20, 2011. "Av.602 No.161 Col.Zona Federal Aeropuerto Internacional Ciudad de México Delegación Venustiano Carranza, C.P.15620, México D.F."
    41. "Directory: World Airlines." Flight International. March 16–22, 2004. 50. "Hangar 7, Zona "D", Terminal de Aviacion General, Col Federal, Mexico DF, 15620, Mexico"
    42. "Aeromar headquarters and Customer Service Centre". Aeromar. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
    43. "Directorio." Aviacsa. Consulted on January 23, 2011. "DIRECCIÓN COMERCIAL Hangar 1, Zona "C", Col. Aviación Gral. [...] Aeropuerto Int. de la Cd. de México. C.P. 15520 (in Spanish)"
    44. Aeromexico. "Aeromexico, The Airline Serving The Largest Number Of Cities From A Hub In Latin America". www.prnewswire.com.
    45. "Viva Aerobus new charter flight from Mexico City to Havana". Transponder 1200 (in Spanish). March 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
    46. "Launches Volaris 5 new routes". A21 (in Spanish). June 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
    47. "Bogota airport statistics". Bogota International Airport. Archived from the original on October 27, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
    48. "Guarulhos Airport Statistics (in Portuguese)". Guarulhos International Airport. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
    49. http://www.icao.int/sustainability/Documents/MonthlyMonitor-2016/MonthlyMonitor_February2016.pdf
    50. "Statistics Mexico City Airport". Mexico City International Airport. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
    51. "Air carrier operational statistics". Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico). Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
    52. "Terminals Mexico City Benito Juarez Airport". mexico-airport.com.
    53. "Metrobus". Mexico City International Airport. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
    54. "XA-GEV Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
    55. "WA2605 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
    56. "Flight WA2605 crash photo". Air Disaster. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
    57. "Commercial airline bombing history". Aerospaceweb. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
    58. "XA-BCS Accident description (in Spanish)". La Jornada. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
    59. "Plane crash kills Mexico's deputy leader". Time. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
    60. "Bolivian man acted alone in Mexico hijacking". CNN. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
    61. "Accident: Lufthansa Cargo MD11 at Mexico City on Sep 13th 2009, hard landing". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
    62. "Lufthansa Cargo wird D-ALCO in Stand setzen". aero.de/Aviation Media & IT (in German). October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.