Mexico City Airport Hit by Storms, Brief Communication Halt

Mexico City International Airport (AICM) experienced significant weather-related disruptions after lightning strikes and heavy rain damaged critical systems, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Sept. 29. The events began two days earlier during an intense storm.

“A lightning bolt hit the control tower of the Mexico City International Airport,” Sheinbaum said of the Sept. 27 incident. “For a few minutes it was necessary to restart the systems. For safety, what is done in those cases is to stop operations.” Communication with all aircraft was briefly lost while technicians rebooted equipment and controllers followed emergency protocols.

Later that evening, heavy rain flooded both runways, forcing operations to continue on Runway 05 Left–23 Right, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport. At 6:04 p.m. officials issued NOTAM A7774/25 to close one runway until 8 p.m., with some flights diverted to alternate airports. Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said the storm “broke all forecasts,” flooding taxiways and affecting several boroughs.

José Alfredo Covarrubias Aguilar, secretary general of the National Air Traffic Controllers Union (SINACTA), said controllers initially stopped departures to give priority to landings. “The situation was chaotic for a moment, but passengers were never at risk,” he said. Portable radios and a light gun were used to direct pilots when main communication systems were down.

A second lightning strike later hit the control tower, but backup systems kept contact with aircraft. Between 8:01 p.m. and 8:33 p.m., departures were again suspended to clear a backlog of arriving flights. Only a few aircraft were diverted, including an Air France flight to Merida, Yucatán. Most planes remained in holding patterns near Mexico City until conditions improved.

Operations returned to normal around 10 p.m. after coordinated efforts by the Federal Civil Aviation Agency, the Air Navigation Services of Mexico and airport management. Authorities said they are reviewing lightning protection and emergency procedures. No injuries or aircraft damage were reported, but officials emphasized that extreme weather continues to pose challenges for aviation infrastructure in the region.