April 21 marked the one-month anniversary of the inauguration of Felipe Ángeles International Airport, known as AIFA. Located in Santa Lucia, it was built with the aim of decompressing Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX), the main airport serving Mexico City.
The project was not without controversy: when it announced its construction, the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador suspended the construction works on the New Mexico City International Airport (NAICM), even though they were about 50% completed.
The new commercial airport shares space with the Santa Lucia Military Air Base No. 1. Commercial operations will use two parallel concrete runways, 4,500 meters long and separated by 1,600 meters.
See also: First commercial flight took off from Mexico City’s new Felipe Angeles International Airport
According to data provided by AIFA, in the first month of operations, an average of 2,300 passengers per day were handled. In total, around 71,000 people used its services. Aeromexico, Volaris, Viva Aerobus and the Venezuelan state airline Conviasa currently operate at the new airport.
It is expected to have the capacity to handle almost 120,000 operations and transport around 19 million people per year. The passenger terminal has a covered area of 384,000 square meters and 28 boarding bridges. It also has 12 remote positions for commercial flights, 10 for cargo operations and another 26 for executive aircraft.
Current operations at Felipe Ángeles International Airport
- Aeroméxico Connect: flights to Merida (MID) and Villahermosa (VSA) in Embraer 190 aircraft. According to Grupo Aeroméxico, during the first month of operations they offered seven weekly frequencies to Merida and three to Villahermosa (Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays).
- Volaris: flights to Cancun (CUN) and Tijuana (TIJ) in Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. One daily frequency.
- Viva Aerobus: flights to Guadalajara (GDL) and Monterrey (MTY) in Airbus A320 aircraft. One daily frequency.
- Conviasa: flights to Caracas (CCS) in Airbus A340-300 aircraft. First foreign operator at the airport. It made only three flights between March and April; it does not yet have a regular operational schedule.
