On Tuesday 17 January, Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Mejora Regulatoria (CONAMER) issued a decree to close Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport (known as AICM) to cargo flights and move operations to Felipe Ángeles International Airport (known as AIFA), opened in March 2022.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed the following Thursday that he would seek to carry out the measure. He cited congestion at AICM as the main reason. However, he assured that it would only be implemented based on a consensus between all parties involved.
In López Obrador’s words, “convincing work” would be carried out between customs agencies and air cargo transport companies. In this regard, he stressed that the new Mexico City airport has the space and security conditions necessary to guarantee the correct development of operations.
The decree and its repercussions
According to the decree’s fifth transitory article, concessionaires and permit holders that provide air cargo transport services to the public, both regular and non-scheduled, will have a period of 90 working days to relocate their operations.
The Cámara Nacional de Aerotransportes (CANAERO) expressed its “concern” about “the economic and social impacts that this decision will have on the air cargo industry in Mexico”. In a press release, the institution argued that this is a “hasty” decision and could generate problems in supply chains.
According to CANAERO, which represents more than sixty national and international airlines, including cargo companies, as well as other air service providers in Mexico, the industry requires a minimum of 360 calendar days to complete the migration “under the same technical and operational conditions that currently exist in the AIFA”.
The Federal Aviation Agency (AFAC) defended the 90-day deadline (which would apply from the entry into force of the decree) and assured that it is a “prudent time” for operators to transfer their activities. For its part, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggested an ideal timeframe of 180 working days.
Should the process move forward, companies could also choose to move their operations to nearby terminals, such as Puebla, Querétaro or Toluca airports. However, the Mexican government will encourage relocation to the new capital airport.
According to El Economista, Rogelio Jiménez Pons, Undersecretary of Transport, assured that companies operating flights to the United States, the most important cargo market from Mexico, would not suffer restrictions in the event of moving their flights to AIFA. In this regard, the official stated that there is already a pre-agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to maintain the authorisations currently in force at the AICM.
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