AIFA activity grows below projections

The Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) registered a 4.6% decrease in the number of commercial operations registered during November compared to the previous month, adding 1,784 take-off or landing flights (in October the maximum level of 1,870 was touched).

Said figure averaged 60 operations per day during the eleventh month of the year, which are far from the 120 projected for the end of 2022 in the Base Document to comply with the Presidential Instruction to increase air operations in AIFA, of the Secretariat of the National Defense (Sedena).

By the end of next year, it is estimated to have at least 200 operations each day to achieve the financial breakeven point before the current federal administration ends.

In a recent interview with the digital media Sin Embargo, the director of AIFA, Isidoro Pastor, acknowledged that the expected numbers were not achieved and that they continue to work to bring more users to the terminal.

On the contrary, the number of passengers increased. In November, the airlines that operate regular national flights: Aeroméxico, Volaris and VivaAerobus and international: Copa, Conviasa and Arajet) transported 203,094 passengers, an increase of 9.2% in relation to the previous month, reaching its highest level since the inauguration on March 21.

Domestic market and cabotage

Based on data from the terminal managed by the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena), since it began operations until November, 700,994 passengers were served, of which 96.5% are nationals and of the 15 destinations served, those with the highest demand They are: Cancun, Guadalajara, Tijuana, Monterrey and Merida.

Of the 3.5% of passengers who had international flights, the most attractive route was to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (operated by the new low-cost airline Arajet, which began operating in September), which added 7,844 passengers, followed by Copa (which goes to Panama) with 6,138 and Conviasa (which lands in Venezuela) with 5,274.

Among the reasons that have been argued for the air terminal to have more passengers is the lack of land infrastructure, since the main access without tolls, the Tonanitla Road, which should have been completed in July by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) is not yet concluded.

In addition, the expansion of the suburban train, scheduled for December 2023, although construction has not achieved the desired pace.

In this context of lack of operations in the AIFA, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador went from words to deeds and delivered to the Chamber of Deputies, on the evening of December 15, a draft decree that modifies the laws of Airports and Civil Aviation, which among other things allows cabotage activity for foreign airlines (that can fly between two points in Mexico).

Immediately, the aviation industry expressed its rejection. Discussion of the issue has begun in the public sphere.

alejandro.delarosa@eleconomista.mx