What Economic Benefits Will The New Airport In Mexico Bring?

Very few airports in the world are capable of exceeding their operational safety limits, and the Benito Juárez International Airport, located in the center of Mexico City, is one of them . Faced with this inconvenience, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador launched the construction of a new terminal with the intention of relieving air congestion in the capital city. In this way, and after two years and five months, the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) opened its doors to the public on March 21.

The construction of the new airport in Mexico managed to generate approximately 162,000 jobs during the more than 800 days of work, and according to analyst estimates, it is expected to begin to be profitable in about four years . In addition, according to projections by government authorities on the day of the inauguration, they expect the AIFA to be able to meet a passenger demand of 2.4 million per day and exceed 100,000 operations per year. Of course, all the movement and profitability of this terminal will depend on the acceptance of travelers.

Likewise, another essential point for the AIFA to begin to obtain economic benefits revolves around the airlines and their intention to add new routes. And it is no secret to anyone that Mexico City tends to concentrate the largest air traffic in Latin America, so the construction of this new airport will mean the transit of more passengers and even tourists to the country. However, so far the AIFA will only have one international route and it will be to Caracas, Venezuela, while some Mexican airlines will fly to the United States in the second half of the year.

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On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the construction of this new airport in Mexico has been marked by certain controversies. President López Obrador gave the green light to his project after canceling the one that his predecessor had started in 2018, whose contracts were questioned for alleged corruption. The so-called New Mexico International Airport had an approximate cost of $5,500 million, while the work of the current president had an investment of close to $3,600 million. All this according to data from the Superior Audit of the Federation, a State body.

Finally, although the inauguration of the AIFA is a strong commitment by the Government of Mexico to improve its airport aspect, we cannot ignore the doubts it leaves in the short term. Some airlines have expressed their concern regarding the air and land connectivity of this new airport, implying that due to the lack of studies and the rush to open it, it would be a danger if they were forced to move there. For now, it is estimated that the authorities will release 30% of operations in Mexico City in the next two years and thus be able to include more scales in Latin America.

The news of modern airports in Latin America

Given the inauguration of the new airport in Mexico, which is destined to receive a large influx of travelers over time, we cannot miss the opportunity to review the current situation of other air terminals in Latin America that today are at the forefront in terms of modernity. For this list we have based ourselves on a ranking by Skytrax, a consultancy in charge of collecting data and opinions from the passengers themselves.

• Mariscal Sucre International Airport: since its inauguration in 2013, the Quito terminal (Ecuador) has constantly received awards and recognitions. What most characterizes this airport is its safety, since due to the strong winds in the area it was difficult for aircraft to maneuver. With all that, it is an outstanding entrance in Latin America for international tourism.
• Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport: to talk about modernity, we must highlight Chile's main terminal, located in Santiago. Its importance is because it is the gateway that connects South America with Oceania. In addition, in recent days they inaugurated a new international terminal that made them the most modern airport in Latin America.
• Jorge Chávez International Airport: It is the busiest air entrance in Peru. For years it has been one of the model airports on the continent and is partly due to its continuous renovations, which are intended to improve the environment by reducing polluting emissions from aircraft with the construction of an artificial wetland.
• Juan Santamaría International Airport: Costa Rica's main air terminal is one of the busiest in Central America. After a series of eventualities, the authorities resumed the modernization works in the 2000s, where two boarding halls for wide-body aircraft stand out, as well as the expansion of the aerodrome by 20%.
• El Dorado International Airport: Not only does it represent Colombia with pride, but it is also the third airport with the highest volume of passengers in Latin America. Today it stands out for its security protocols, in addition to its commitment to clean energy and the future implementation of a solar power plant.