DHL Rules Out Return to AICM, Reinforces Cargo Hub at AIFA

DHL Express Mexico has consolidated its air cargo operations at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), positioning the facility as a central node for its domestic and international logistics network. The company’s decision, taken ahead of regulatory mandates and capacity restrictions at Mexico City International Airport (AICM), has expanded its operational footprint, increased flight frequency, and strengthened Mexico’s role within DHL’s global system.

“We had a meeting with President López Obrador and he shared his vision for the AIFA,” said Antonio Arranz, CEO, DHL Express Mexico, who traces the company’s move to AIFA to a 2020 meeting with then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, when capacity constraints at AICM limited further growth. “We told him, ‘We have been trying to grow operationally for 10 years and we can’t. If there is an opportunity at the AIFA, we will be the first.’ That is why we moved, because we wanted to keep growing in Mexico,” said Arranz in an interview with Expansión. 

DHL operated its first cargo flight from AIFA on Feb. 28, 2023, becoming the first logistics company to initiate freight operations at the airport, which is operated by the Ministry of Defense and was opened by federal decree. The move preceded the government’s decision to restrict cargo-only operations in the Mexico City metropolitan area exclusively to AIFA, announced through a decree published in the Official Gazette on Feb. 2, 2023.

At that moment, the president did not tell us that he was going to issue a decree to remove all cargo airlines. He simply told us there was an airport, that warehouses would be built, and that if we wanted more space, we should move to AIFA,” he said.

The early relocation has significantly increased DHL’s operational capacity. At AIFA, the company operates a 10,000 m2 warehouse located immediately after customs clearance. At AICM, DHL’s cargo facilities did not exceed 1,500 m2. “Going back to AICM would be unthinkable. How do you fit 10,000 m2 into 1,500 m2? Someone would have to explain how that is possible. You could automate it, but you would have to tear everything down and build something that would cost many tens of millions of dollars. And for what, if we are already operating well here?,” Arranz said.

From AIFA, DHL currently operates three daily cargo flights using Boeing 757 aircraft. These include a regional route linking Panama, Guatemala, and Mexico, and two flights from Cincinnati, the location of DHL’s main global hub. At AICM, the company was limited to receiving a single aircraft per day.

DHL holds a 10-year concession at AIFA, with the option to begin renewal three years before expiration. Arranz confirmed that the company has formally expressed interest to President Claudia Sheinbaum in extending the concession to 20 years.

“Why do we want 20 years? Right now, we operate with three aircraft, but the next step will probably be another one. You grow until you have the scale to bring in a 747, which carries about 100 tons. That is a very large aircraft,” he said.