Following the decree of the President of Mexico to move air cargo to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), there is great pressure to move operations by the end of May 2023. 

There are currently doubts about how viable cargo migration is, however, there are different arguments that support the movement.  

The Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) reported that since last year, it has held talks with members of the airline sector where it uncovered the benefits of moving cargo operations from the Mexico City Airport (AICM) to the AIFA. The SICT argued that there are more than 1000 cargo motor transport vehicles entering and leaving the AICM, which causes significant road congestion, whereas the AIFA cargo terminal has a road design that will lead to the decongestion of roads.  

What Is the Current Situation of the Mexico City Airport?  

According to airport data until December 2022, around 570 809 tons of goods were mobilized at this airport; 483 707.8 tons internationally and 87 101 domestically. 

This translates into 9110 international air cargo operations during 2022 (2918 domestic operations). 

It is due to the high flow of cargo in this terminal that there is a call for the change of cargo reception terminal. In March of last year, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency declared that the AICM was saturated and determined that passenger and cargo traffic in Terminal 1 exceeded its capacity. 

For the reception of cargo at the AICM airport, there are 16 bonded warehouses distributed in 72 000 square meters, whereas the AIFA has 12 bonded warehouses totaling 345 881 square meters, of which 6 are destined for international cargo and 6 for domestic cargo. 

What Does Migrating Cargo to AIFA Involve? 

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) has estimated that migrating the 16 cargo airlines that currently operate in the AICM would cost 9 600 000 pesos. 

In addition, the logistical planning of new routes will require a lot of precision because the Distribution Centers (CEDIS) of the different industries that are mostly located in Mexico City will be more remote.