Mexico City International Airport (AICM) assured that there is room to increase slots (takeoff and landing times), however, they will wait for the results of the study carried out by Services for Navigation in Mexican Airspace (Seneam) and the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) .
“The authorities are carrying out an in-depth study because ultimately what we want is, in every sense, to provide a quality service. It is the authorities who are going to determine whether it is done or not,” said José Ramón Rivera Parga, the airport’s general manager.
However, he assured that “yes there is (space), but we will wait for what Seneam and AFAC say and we will align ourselves.”
In an interview after Cirium awarded AICM the recognition of being one of the most punctual global airports in the world during 2024 , he stated that there was no proposal from them, but that they will wait for what the authority determines. Although he specified that there is no date for the delivery of the slots study, they hope to have favorable responses .
It is worth remembering that last December, Jesús Esteva, head of the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) , announced that this study would be ready in the first third of this year.
Last year, the previous federal government decreed a temporary reduction of domestic flight operations from 52 to 43 per hour due to the saturation of the capital’s airport and for security reasons, actions that, according to the authorities, contributed to improving this infrastructure.
According to AICM’s own statistics, the airport transported 48 million 415 thousand 693 passengers in 2023, an increase of 4.7% year-on-year, while a year later it ended with a decrease of 6.3% as it handled 45 million 359 thousand 485 users; by January of this year, it went from three million 794 thousand 940 to three million 715 thousand 108 travelers, which is 2.1% less.
Likewise, Rivera Parga mentioned that the SICT’s Transportation Undersecretariat is conducting a study on the access of taxis to the application not only for the AICM, but at a general level.
“They asked us for information and we hope that they will give us an answer soon, but it is an issue for the Undersecretariat and is not exclusive to the airport, since it is at a national level,” he said.
In this regard, he explained that this document will be submitted to the Federal Economic Competition Commission (Cofece), which is the one that regulates how many units could enter into operation at this airport.
Cirium Recognition
AICM became the third airport with the highest punctuality during 2024, for which it received recognition from the consulting firm Cirium, achieving 84% in flights that departed on time or within 15 minutes before or after the scheduled time.
Cirium CEO Jeremy Bowen said AICM’s performance and teamwork enabled millions of people to travel with minimal disruption over the period.
He highlighted that in 2022, AICM ranked 22nd globally, while a year later it ranked 20th, to “rise impressively” during 2024, since its Punctuality Index (OTP) went from 76% to 84 percent in the last two years.
Comment and follow us on X: @evandeltoro / @GrupoT21
