AICM’s Terminal 2 Will Undergo Major Restoring

On the back of incidents in the air and a serious deterioration of the facilities, Mexico’s federal government announced major investment in the maintenance of Terminal 2 (T2) of Mexico City International Airport (AICM). Due to maintenance work and airport saturation, the government will also limit flights operating in T2.

With an investment of MX$600 million (US$30.18 million) from the federal budget, Mexico City's government will carry out the maintenance works at the AICM's T2, which is slowly sinking. The works are expected to start this year and finish by the end of 2023.

"We are going to reinforce T2. The work will be overseen by the Mexico City government. The entire foundation will be reinforced because the terminal has structural problems,” stated President López Obrador.

The president justified the local government’s participation, since the federal government is saturated with other infrastructure works, which are flagship prokects of López Obrador's government.

Following the announcement, Claudia Sheinbaum, Mayor of Mexico City, confirmed that it will be the capital's administration that will carry out the rehabilitation works. Nevertheless, the federal government will provide the budget.

Sheinbaum also highlighted that to solve the AICM’s issues, it held meetings with the specialists from the Institute of Safety for Construction (ISC) and the UNAM’s Institute of Engineering.

Carlos Velázquez Tiscareño, Director, AICM, ruled out that T2 will be closed due to the works. "It is a fact that the terminal will not be closed during the works. That is to say, we will be working on the repairs but people will continue, and operations will remain normal."

AICM T2 in the Spotlight

On May 8, an incident occurred between two airplanes on the AICM runway. Following the incident, the federal government announced a 2 percent reduction in the airport's total operations. Subsequently, on May 11, domestic cargo and charter flights operating at AICM were almost immediately migrated to the new Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), one of the flagship infrastructure projects of the López Obrador administration.

Following these incidents, another problem occurred on July 25 that hampered operations at the AICM. A pothole in one of the two runways at T2 forced the delay or cancellation of 35 flights, including one hosting President López Obrador.

The repair took 10 hours. Following the event, AICM’s management announced the closure of the T2 runway for five days in the early morning hours for maintenance. However, two days later, it was reported that the work would be extended until December.

The airport infrastructure is also operating at maximum capacity. To solve the current saturation, the federal government will once again limit the number of operations at the country's main air terminal.

Currently, the number of take-off and landing operations allowed at AICM is 61 per hour. However, this figure can be exceeded in practice if weather conditions and other factors allow it, without risking operational safety. On the other hand, a document prepared by Servicios a la Navegación en el Espacio Aéreo Mexicano (SENEAM) in April suggested that the maximum number of operations would be 49 under optimal flight conditions.

"The planes are bigger than before and this means more travelers. So, the saturation comes from the number of flights and the increase in passengers. There are too many operations at the AICM. We have the Felipe Angeles Airport (AIFA) as an alternative, so the use of this airport is going to be arranged," the president explained.

When the restriction measures are initiated, the airlines that must reduce operations at AICM are not obliged to transfer them to other terminals. This transfer will depend on their commercial interests and installed capacity.

As part of the AICM’s restructuring works, a study is being prepared to determine the new maximum capacity under which the airport will operate. According to AICM, the study conducted by the International Air Transport Association will be completed next November.