The Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) considered that for the logistics and trade sectors in the country  , investment in complementary infrastructure should be made in regions with high air cargo capacity , such as the State of Mexico, where the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) is located  , in order to take advantage of and strengthen Plan Mexico , which seeks to accelerate in the context of the United States tariff policy.

Thanks to this infrastructure and taking the Querétaro International Airport as an example, the state can consolidate itself as a strategic hub  in central Mexico,  attracting high-value supply chains  through the development of distribution centers, industrial parks, and intelligent transportation systems, the agency emphasized during the presentation of the 2025 State Competitiveness Index (ICE) .

He also noted that it is necessary to develop a long-term regional infrastructure plan that identifies the logistical needs of each state and establishes roadmaps for the development of roads, railways and ports for their growth, following the example of the Nuevo León Mobility Master Plan and the California-Baja California Border Master Plan .

At the event, IMCO presented a series of proposals aimed at leveraging and strengthening Plan Mexico, based on the country’s division into Economic Corridors of Well-being , to adapt strategies according to the needs of each region.

Regarding security, IMCO proposed the permanent presence of state police forces at key logistics hubs , in addition to professionalizing and coordinating security forces with the private sector and the National Guard , in industrial areas with high crime rates.

In her participation, Valeria Moy , general director of IMCO, emphasized that while Plan Mexico represents a good strategy, it will not solve the economic and social challenges on its own. Therefore, she considered it essential that each state commit to improving its areas of opportunity and work together with the federal government and the private sector.

“I believe the State Competitiveness Index provides a great tool for states to take advantage of the ideas outlined in Plan Mexico, but if the states don’t work together with each other and the federal government, it will be very difficult for Plan Mexico to succeed,” he said.

ICE 2025 Results

The study evaluated each state based on 53 indicators distributed across six sub-indexes , providing a ranking that reflects the states that showed the most progress and those that lagged behind, with the goal of designing public policies that improve their competitiveness.

The ICE results showed Mexico City as the most competitive state in Mexico , followed by Baja California Sur, Nuevo León, and Jalisco. On the other hand, the states with the lowest levels of competitiveness were Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Michoacán.

Furthermore, the states’ performance in the study’s six sub-indexes revealed significant contrasts. Mexico City ranked highest in the sub-indexes for innovation and economy, infrastructure, society and environment, and political system and government.

Chiapas was the state that ranked last in infrastructure, labor market, and society and environment.

Baja California Sur topped the labor market sub-index; Coahuila led the law sub-index, while Colima was last. Guerrero ranked last in innovation and economy; while Michoacán received the lowest rating for political system and government.

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El cargo IMCO proposes investing in infrastructure to improve Mexico’s logistics sector. apareció primero en T21.

EL MARQUÉS, QRO .- DHL Express México inaugurated its air hub at Querétaro International Airport (AIQ), which required an investment of more than 120 million dollars, infrastructure that is positioned as the most advanced and with the greatest capacity in Latin America.

With this investment, the facility now has more than 30,000 square meters of space , 44 automated freight lines, and a handling capacity of 41,000 shipments per hour.

“This hub connects 100,000 packages every night and can reach 250,000. This is very important to us because it represents the future of DHL Express Mexico. The present and the future are built by working today,” said Antonio Arranz, CEO of the company.

At a press conference, Arranz announced that they will also seek to convert this infrastructure into a domestic land hub, which will be the second phase of this project.

Arturo Fonseca, the company’s Vice President of Operations, mentioned that these facilities are fully automated, which allows them to increase their efficiency.

“We have the capacity for large packages, standard-sized boxes, and the flyer component, which allows us to be very efficient with smaller items. Fifty percent of the volume we handle comes from Mexico City and is distributed throughout the country. We also have a lot of volume from Tijuana, where the planes are generally full, and also in the southeast, especially Cancún and Mérida. We have the advantage that the 737 planes that serve these regions are full on both flights,” he indicated.

Regarding the second phase, in an interview with T21, he specified that the original building where they began work, which is no longer operational, will be converted into a facility to host ground operations.

Without mentioning a date, he said they will wait for the results of the peak season, which begins with Buen Fin and ends with Three Kings’ Day, to determine their projections for the coming years.

He explained that this hub handles cargo from various segments, including automotive, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, and others.

Erika Quezada, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for DHL Express Mexico, noted that Querétaro has been a key hub for the company since 2011 , which is why it underwent its first expansion of its facilities in 2014, before moving to this new hub.

“This facility will give us life for many years to come and the capacity our clients are waiting for to continue managing our businesses,” he said.

He explained that this infrastructure is the company’s largest capacity , becoming the “heart” for the coming years. Furthermore, with this facility, they will be able to process 41,000 packages per hour and connect 98% of them to different destinations next day.

Currently, this facility serves 12 daily domestic flights (arrivals and departures) to Mérida, Cancún, Monterrey, Ciudad Juárez, Mazatlán, Cabo San Lucas, Torreón, Hermosillo, Chihuahua, Villahermosa, Culiacán, and Tijuana, with a total of 33 interconnected cities. Additionally, there are daily flights to Cincinnati, United States.

“This isn’t just an air hub, but a ground hub, because it operates from 11 p.m. until the early morning, and during those hours we work our magic. It connects to all the domestic ground networks that extend to all the states of the Republic. And it also lands a plane coming from the United States,” Quezada added.

Regarding job creation, they specified that there were approximately 600 indirect jobs, while there were 280 direct jobs.

Luis Felipe Rivas, CEO of TL Kapital, said the hub is LEED-certified, and its construction includes 610 solar panels, a rainwater harvesting system, regional materials, and recyclable content, among other elements. This reflects the commitment of all companies to the environment and aligns with the airport’s vision of reducing carbon emissions.

Mauricio Kuri González, governor of Querétaro, was in charge of the symbolic lighting of the machining center, the ceremony that officially inaugurated the facilities.

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El cargo DHL inaugurated its most advanced and largest hub in Latin America at the AIQ. apareció primero en T21.