IATA responds to Mexico because of Mexico City Airport's capacity

06-09-23

• The association warns that the Latin American country's priority should be to regain Category 1 status with the U.S. FAA.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has responded to the Mexican government over the capacity of Mexico City International Airport (AICM), the country's busiest airport. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador recently announced a reduction in operations at the facility, a "unilateral decision" that IATA "rejects and questions".

In this regard, the association calls on the Mexican authorities to jointly seek alternative measures that take into account the negative impact on passengers, air operations, connectivity, tourism and competitiveness, as well as compliance with the international commitments made by the country.

"This decision by the Government does not take into account the interests of consumers nor does it respect the necessary consultative procedure with operators and users, especially at the country's main airport. These measures must be taken with the utmost technical and operational rigor, based on studies and expert analysis," said Peter Cerdá, IATA's regional vice president for the Americas, very critically. "In this case, we question the methodology used by SENEAM, AFAC and AICM to determine airport capacity," he said.

As IATA recalls, last year, the Mexican government had already reduced the capacity of the AICM from 62 to 52 operations per hour, citing limitations in Mexico City's airspace. "The main problem at AICM is not the operations capacity, but the age and deterioration of the infrastructure that requires immediate intervention to modernize terminals 1 and 2," lamented Cerdá. In this regard, the Mexican government promised last year to carry out such remodeling, but work has not yet begun.

From IATA they also warn of the importance of air transport worldwide and, specifically, for Mexico, where in 2021 this sector generated a total of 1.3 million jobs and contributed $46.8 billion to the country's GDP. For the association, the AICM, where 24 national and international airlines operate, plays a very important role as a hub that connects all the states of the Republic and most international destinations.

In this sense, IATA assures that the priority of the Mexican Government should focus on the recovery of Category 1 of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), since Category 2 has had a negative impact on the country with the loss of connectivity and competitiveness of Mexican airlines, as well as the increase in airline ticket prices.