New International Airport of Mexico City construction halted

President-elect, Andres Manuel López Obrador

Amlo has said that the money being used to build this new airport can be better used to improve already existing services in the country. However, despite the reasoning to save the country money, IATA has conducted a study that believes if the new airport is not built, the impact of the restriction on demand could be more than 20 million annual passengers to the year 2035. The economic cost can also be significant, with a negative impact of up to US$20 billion in the contribution to GDP and up to 200,000 less jobs supported by aviation, according to our forecast of the contribution of the sector with the construction of the new airport. 

In its ‘Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Harmonisation, Key to Delivering Aviation’s Benefits in Latin America’ article, IATA said that it is extremely disappointing that the government intends to cancel the project to build a new international air hub for Mexico City at Texcoco. The economic impact of not constructing a world class hub will be felt in jobs and economic growth. Today’s decision is a setback for the airline industry and the Mexican economy.

The study looks at the last 20 years, where there has been a constant need to expand the capacity of the International Airport of Mexico City, in order to respond to the growth rate of the country. The increase in passenger volume and cargo has reached a point where the airport’s current capacity is clearly insufficient. For the Previously, the Government of Mexico prepared a project for the development and construction of the New International Airport From Mexico City. The construction of the New International Airport of Mexico City (NAICM) is one of the main projects of infrastructure in recent years in Latin America, not only because of the high value of the investment but also because of the positive impact that is expected to generate. Its  construction implies the possibility for Mexico to compete with the major airports in the region and the world, besides generating the necessary conditions for connectivity provide the economic and social benefits that they produce in a country.

The BBC has reported that the president-elect, Mr López Obrador said that the current international airport would instead be upgraded and two runways would be added at a military airfield south of the city. He said another airport, at Toluca, would be repurposed. However, the cost to grind the process at NAICM is going to cost the country greatly, not just financially. The BBC report concluded that “IATA would lobby the Mexican government to change its position”.