AICM to Construct Emergency Area
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AICM to Construct Emergency Area

Photo by:   Carlos Aranda
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Fernando Mares By Fernando Mares | Journalist & Industry Analyst - Fri, 08/05/2022 - 16:08

As part of the work to desaturate Mexico City International Airport (AICM), the airport is to construct an emergency area for airplanes and helicopters. The project attracted the attention of prominent companies, which participated in the tender process launched by the airport authorities.

AICM’s authorities received eight project proposals that require investments from US$6.3 million to US$9.5 million. Among these are proposals coming from major developers like Ingenieros Civiles Asociados (ICA) and Epccor. 

AICM had previously requested the resources for the construction of the platform in 2020 as part of the extraordinary overhauling works to maintain the airport’s operations in the long-term. At the time, AICM asked for a budget of US$10.3 million.

The result of the tender was meant to be published by July 28, 2022, but it was rescheduled to Aug. 10, 2022. Works are expected to start by the end of August and will take place near the airport’s control tower, where maintenance works for runway 05L/23R are carried out during the night.

The emergency area is a legal requirement for every airport to operate. It is used in case any plane presents an anomaly or a security alert. AICM deemed the area as invaluable, since it has multiple benefits, “but ideally it is never needed,” the airport’s management said. 

The interested companies were Constructora y Promotora Tierra Blanca, which proposed the cheapest project requiring US$6.34 million, followed by Epccor and Agua de México needing US$8.4 million, Moncayo Cedillo for US$8.5 million, Ingeniería Técnica and Caminos and Triturados Basálticos Tepetlaoxtoc bidding US$8.5, GCP and Constructora Raber asking for US$8.8 million, Concretos Alfásticos Tecámac with US$9.32 million, Distribuidora y Constructora Muñoz needing US$9.35 million and ICA’s proposal, which was the most expensive: US$9.5 million. 

AICM has been under public scrutiny since a pothole in one of the runways disrupted the airport’s operations, but the airport has been battling saturation for some time now. MBN reported that during 1H21, over 30 percent of flights to and from AICM were delayed by at least 15 minutes. Industry insiders associate saturation and recent incidents with lacking maintenance and resource mishandling. 

In this context, President López Obrador suggested the reconstruction or revamping works for AICM’s Terminal 2, but an anonymous source working on the restoration of the terminal told El Financiero that the terminal is not to be reconstructed but renovated due to lack of time and resources. 
 

Photo by:   Carlos Aranda

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