The AICM closed 2022 with 15% less operations compared to 2019

The Mexico City International Airport (AICM) closed 2022 with 363,910 commercial operations, 15% less than those registered during 2019 (when it reached its highest figure: 432,368), which defines its maximum level of activity before the commissioning of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), for which there is a Presidential instruction to transfer more activity.

In passengers served (national and international), 46 million 258,521 were reported, which represented a decrease of 8% in relation to the pre-pandemic year.

According to data from the country’s main terminal, during December the day with the highest number of passengers served was Monday the 26th, after the Christmas festivities, with 153,380 travelers.

The drop in operations at the AICM is mainly the result of the reduction from 61 to 52 operations per hour in the saturated hours (from 07:00 to 22:59) since October 31, with the argument of improving the quality of services to users and their infrastructure, which will be maintained for at least one year.

The announcement was made at the time by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), who assured that it was the result of a prior agreement with the airlines that operate there.

Along with less activity at the air terminal, which celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2022, there were operational increases at the airports of Cancun, Guadalajara, Tijuana, Puerto Vallarta, Mérida or San José del Cabo as part of a growing reconfiguration of air activity in the country, driven by point-to-point flights of the airlines Volaris and VivaAerobus. Based on figures from the Federal Aviation Agency (AFAC), last year the AICM operated 48 national routes (among the most successful are: Mexico -Cancun, Mexico-Guadalajara and Mexico-Mérida) and 71 international (led by Mexico-Madrid, Mexico-Bogotá and Mexico-Houston).

Operations must be maintained

Among the events that occurred last year at the AICM, he highlighted the arrival of personnel from the Secretary of the Navy to take control of security in public spaces in February and the appointment in July of Vice Admiral Retired Aviator Pilot, Carlos Ignacio Velázquez Tiscareño, as director general (until then the position had been in the hands of civilians).

With the new command, the reinforcement works of the foundation of Terminal 2 also began to extend the useful life of the terminal, which before the construction of the new airport in the State of Mexico was canceled, its definitive termination of activities was planned. .

Now, the SICT is committed to participating in the strategy to bring more users to the AIFA without affecting the AICM, as can be read in the report Positioning of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport:

Any action that implies a significant reduction in passengers at the AICM would compromise the international commitment in force in bonds, with the issuance of which the construction of the airport in Texcoco was to be funded, which have the airport use fee as payment guarantee and for whose compliance , the AICM requires serving a minimum of 40 million total passengers per year, of which 20 million are outbound and of these 28% are international and 72% national.

alejandro.delarosa@eleconomista.mx