ADN: Executive Class

Twenty kilometers north of Monterrey sits Del Norte International Airport (ADN). No commercial flights are regularly scheduled and few pleasure travelers make their way to Mexico via this gateway. It is exclusively used for executive and corporate aviation. It also is the second busiest private airport in Mexico. Only Toluca, which supports Mexico City International Airport, gets more executive traffic.

ADN is run by OMA, a group that operates and administrates international airports in 13 cities in central and northern Mexico. The airport has two runways measuring 5,049ft and 6,260ft and a 260,000ft2 ramp for takeoff and landing. Runways 2, 11 and 20 have Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights and Runway 20 has Runway End Identifier Lights (REIL) to guide pilots into ADN. Military personnel, certified security guards, closed-circuit cameras and access control ensure the safety of passengers and personnel.

The airport’s six anchored FBOs, Aero Corporation Azor, Avianet, Aerolíneas Ejecutivas, Asertec, Jetmach and Transpaís Aero, have the rights to perform services at the airport ranging from aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, fueling and hangar storage. Along with five ground trucks, ADN has a three day fuel truck for jet fuel and a two-day fuel truck for AvGas. Single-point refueling also is available.

The airport strives to maintain good relations with authorities so that trips through customs and immigration are as smooth as possible. It has a customs area run by the Ministry of Finance and immigration area run by the federal government. Navigation Services for Mexican Aerospace (SENEAM) and Dispatch have offices within the airport to allow the drawing of flight plans. Also within the airport is the Center for Research and Innovation in Aeronautics (CIIIA), part of the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon. CIIIA undertakes research and development for the aerospace industry, such that proximity to the airport is fitting and useful for its students and research.

DGAC, a department of the Ministry of Communications and Transport, has an office at ADN. This is particularly convenient for enterprises requiring paperwork to be completed on site and for undergoing civil aviation processes. DGAC is responsible for ensuring aviation contributes to sustained and sustainable growth, job creation and wellbeing in Mexico. For this reason, ADN counts its presence at the airport as a competitive advantage over other private aviation locations.