Federal Government Hands Over AICM’s Control to SEMAR

The federal government has announced that it has granted the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) control over three public airport entities located in Mexico City. This move appears to be the initial step toward transferring additional airport operations across the country to SEMAR. 

SICT reported that President López Obrador, along with the Minister of the Navy, José Ojeda, and the Minister of Infrastructure, Jorge Nuño, signed a resolution to grant control of the state-owned airport entities Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México (GACM), Servicios Aeroportuarios de la Ciudad de México (SACM) and Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México AICM, to SEMAR. The resolution was published at DOF on July 8, 2023. 

According to the resolution published in the Federal Official Gazette (DOF), SICT and SEMAR will be responsible for the management transfer, which includes the transfer of human, financial and material resources owned by state companies. The resolution states that the entities have up to 60 calendar days to complete this process and that any additional expenses arising from the upcoming changes must be covered using the resources already allocated, as no further resources will be provided to the entities. “During this period, SICT, in its capacity as the sector coordinator of the three state-owned entities, will carry out the updating of their share capital based on the audited financial statements at the end of the immediately previous fiscal year. The SICT will also be responsible for the complete transfer of the shares representing the federal government and other shares as stipulated in the applicable legal provisions,” the document states, adding that other public dependencies and entities may assist in the transition process if applicable.

The federal government emphasized that given the national security implications of the activities undertaken by the three airport companies, it is crucial to re-sectorize and transfer their control to SEMAR.

The presence of SEMAR units is not new at AICM and, despite criticism, the federal government expects more presence of the armed forces at more airports in Mexico. During its daily morning conference of June 28, 20223, López Obrador mentioned his intention to hand over the control of the airports of Ciudad Obregon and Guaymas, Sonora, and Ciudad del Carmen, in Campeche. 

Similarly, the federal government has granted control to the Ministry of Defense (SEDENA) to oversee surveillance duties at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), as well as the airports in Campeche, Puebla, Tulum, Chetumal and Nuevo Laredo. Additionally, on October 6, 2023, MBN reported SEDENA’s plans to transform its company Grupo Aeroportuario, Ferroviario, de Servicios Auxiliares y Conexos Olmeca-Maya-Mexica (GAFSACOMM, formerly known as GAFSAOMM), into a tourism-focused holding company. The company would control airports, tourist complexes, parks, hotels and the Mayan Train, one of President López Obrador’s key infrastructure projects.