AMLO’s 3-airport system faces setback

As air passenger demand in Latin America has collapsed during the coronavirus pandemic, Mexico is reconsidering works for the three-airport system planned for the Valley of Mexico. 

The system comprises Benito Juárez international airport (AICM) in Mexico City, the US$3.4bn Felipe Ángeles international airport (AIFA) under construction at Santa Lucía military airbase in Mexico state, and the international airport in Toluca city (AIT).

While Mexico has not yet closed airports or restricted flights to contain the spread of coronavirus, air traffic in the region dropped 98% in April, Peter Cerdá, regional VP of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said during an online conference on Thursday. 

He also recalled forecasts of the regional airport industry losing US$4bn this year, with a contraction of 57.4% in passenger demand and 43.3% in passenger capacity.

AICM

Given the low demand, Mexico’s communications and transport ministry (SCT) said in early June it would cancel the construction of a third terminal (T3) at Benito Juárez airport.

The ministry said the third terminal would be “unnecessary” anyway, because defense ministry Sedena will open Felipe Ángeles airport in March 2022.

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IATA’s Cerdá said the cancelation was an “appropriate” decision.

"We always have to look closely at the construction of any infrastructure … when we are in a crisis like the one we are in now," he said. 

The expert added that IATA supports President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO) plans to continue with the three-airport system, as the agency was even involved in the planning process.

SCT planned to launch the tender for the third terminal in April.

Last year, the ministry launched a modernization program for the runways and Terminal 2. 

Before the pandemic, Mexico City’s airport was highly saturated, so the previous administration began building a 300bn-peso airport (NAIM) to replace AICM.

But AMLO canceled the works, saying the planned airport was too expensive and would harm the environment. He proposed the three-airport system instead, which, he later said, saved the government some 220bn pesos.

AIFA

Works at Felipe Ángeles international airport continue as planned, according to weekly updates from Sedena.

ALSO READ: Mexico’s Santa Lucía airport: Where does it stand?

AMLO declared the airport a priority during the presentation of an economic recovery plan. The plan includes mobility projects to link AIFA to the other two airports.

AIT 

Because of the pandemic, the government postponed plans to fully take over Toluca airport, according to infrastructure operator Aleatica, formerly OHL, which owns 49% of the facility.  

In a statement sent to Mexico's stock exchange BMV on June 10, the company said it had “informal communication” with a member of federal airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México (GACM) which would absorb AIT. 

While figures were not revealed, GACM, a subsidiary of SCT, confirmed it is still interested in buying Aleatica’s shares, but the COVID-19 emergency would delay the process.

Acquiring Aleatica’s shares is part of plans to resuscitate the underused airport, AIT director Luis Federico Bertrand Rubio told BNamericas in an interview in January.

“Once this process is completed and an agreement is signed with the government of Mexico state, the [state government] will own 49% of the airport and the federal government will keep 51%. Thus, GACM will become the new Grupo Aeroportuario Metropolitano [GAM],” he said. 

Neither the finance ministry nor AIT were available for comment.

ALSO READ: Airport operator delays Mexico investments over COVID-19