Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA ) confirmed that it has built six cargo warehouses and expanded its apron , with an investment of 1.3 billion pesos (mdp). This new infrastructure will allow it to handle up to 900,000 tons annually.
Isidoro Pastor, director general of AIFA, emphasized, in response to a question from T21, that these bonded facilities were built last March and have already been awarded , although they only need to complete the corresponding procedures with the Mexican National Customs Agency (ANAM) for them to begin operating.
“They’re ready, they’ve been awarded, and they’re being equipped. All that’s left is for the trading partners themselves to complete the paperwork with the Mexican National Customs Agency to begin foreign trade operations. They’ve told me they intend to start in late July or August,” he said.
In an interview following his participation in ACI Airport Day Mexico , he commented, without giving names, that five are new companies, only one already operating in AIFA .
As well as Talma Mexico Airport Services , which recently announced it will invest nine million dollars to build its second warehouse at the AIFA . The authorization process for the facilities began in 2022 and will end in 2032.
Isidoro Pastor commented that the current facilities have the capacity to receive 470,000 total tons , but in 2024 they will close with more than 447,000 tons, the maximum cargo handling limit.
Under this scenario, he explained that the six new facilities were built with AIFA’s own resources, and with the new infrastructure they will be able to receive almost 900 thousand tons annually .
“We have a strategic bonded facility with the capacity to carry an additional 200,000 tons, and with the expansion of the cargo platform, we can operate five regular-size aircraft simultaneously,” he said.
He assured that the additional facilities will give AIFA the necessary capacity to face the next five years , as long as there is no growth in foreign trade.
They want a train to move cargo
Although Pastor stated that it is a preliminary project promoted by the Railway Transport Regulatory Agency (ARTF) , there is interest in moving cargo via rail to and from the AIFA.
“We are currently conducting a study with the railway agency. They are determining whether it is feasible for the ports, primarily Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Veracruz, and Salina Cruz, to transfer from ship to train, and from train to AIFA and clear customs there. However, it is still a preliminary project,” he stated.
He explained that, if this project is carried out, it would be the first intermodal airport in Latin America . He also indicated that they have the necessary land to build a rail terminal, and that after a year and a half of operation, the AIFA would be receiving nearly 200 million pesos annually in rent.
During the first five months of 2025, according to data from the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) , the AIFA moved 152,524.5 tons, a 16.9% drop compared to the same period in 2024, when it moved 183,494.2 tons.
Pastor considered that the decline in cargo movement is due to the tariff policy imposed by the United States .
“I would encourage everyone not to focus on the AIFA. This is a phenomenon affecting all airports in general, because the tariff policies of our northern neighbor have led to a decline in foreign trade operations. These are simply precautions taken by businesses engaged in this type of activity,” he explained.
Regarding the start of operations for the extension of the Suburban Train to the AIFA, he stated that it will be next December, “although it could be sooner. The construction work is already practically 90% complete; the issue is those two or three kilometers where the social conflict is occurring.” He also indicated that testing will be conducted between October and November of this year.
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