In 2025, air cargo handling in Mexico registered a drop of 2.4% compared to 2024 , due to the United States’ tariff policy, the review of trade with Asia, among other factors, specialists agreed.
Alik García, deputy director of Stock Market Analysis at VALMEX Casa de Bolsa , added that the reconfiguration of air transport after the departure of dedicated cargo from the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) generated uncertainty.
“The freight sector is facing, on the one hand, tariff uncertainty, though not to the extent that had been expected. Furthermore, we have seen a gradual recovery at the end of last year. There has also been a cooling of nearshoring expectations due to the policies of US President Donald Trump and the review of trade with China, as well as the pressure Mexico has received to limit imports from that country,” García explained in an interview with T21.
He emphasized that the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) , and the impacts of meteorological phenomena, such as the case of the Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMA) and its Monterrey airport, influenced the results.
The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) reported that during the past year 1,232,808.4 tons were transported, 30,777.2 tons less than in 2024, that is, a decrease of 2.4% year-on-year.
Juan Antonio José, an independent aviation analyst, agreed that the reduction originated from decisions made by the U.S. government. He also noted that cargo shippers are utilizing more ship capacity due to lower tariffs.
“If you have good supply chain planning, you don’t have to pay the premium for air freight for some supplies; it’s better to move them by sea, since they have more capacity and that means less need for air freight,” he commented.
The AFAC indicated that national air cargo volume fell from 391,667 tons in 2024 to 383,222.6 tons in 2025, representing a 2.2 percent annual decrease . Tijuana, Guadalajara, San Luis Potosí, Mérida, Hermosillo, and Cancún experienced declines of 1.2%, 8.6%, 4.3%, 1.6%, 17.4%, and 6.9%, respectively.
In the international market, the decrease in air cargo was 2.6% year-on-year , as 2025 closed with 849,585.7 tons, 22,332.9 tons less than in 2024.
The agency specified that the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) and the Monterrey Airport suffered annual declines of 7.7% and 11.9%, respectively.
Data from AFAC highlighted that AICM, Guadalajara and Cancun grew 3.4%, 10.9% and 4%, respectively, in the period January-December 2025.
Regarding the growth and decline for AICM and AIFA, Alik García considered that logistical issues played a role in this situation, since “the routes and connections that the airport (AIFA) will have are still not well defined and it is very likely that some cargo operations that were initially transferred are trying to relocate to other airports.”
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