Mexico City International Airport

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Mexico City International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México

IATA: MEX – ICAO: MMMX
Summary
Airport type Civil
Owner Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México
Serves Mexico City, Mexico
Elevation AMSL 7,316 ft / 2,230 m
Coordinates 19°26′10″N 099°04′19″W / 19.43611, -99.07194
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
05R/23L 3,900 12,795 Asphalt
05L/23R 3,952 12,966 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Mexico City International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México or AICM), also called Benito Juárez International Airport (IATA: MEX, ICAO: MMMX) is a commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. It is Mexico's largest, busiest and most important airport. Although this was not its official name for several decades, it was formally named after the 19th century president Benito Juárez in 2006, and is Mexico's main international and domestic gateway. This hot and high airport offers direct flights to more than 100 destinations worldwide. In 2007, the airport served 25.9 million passengers [3]. In optimal conditions, and with the current renovations and expansion projects completed, the airport will be able to handle up to 32 million passengers per year[4].

AICM is Latin America's largest and busiest airport[5]. The airport houses a wide variety of options for its passengers, including a hotel inside Terminal 1 (Hilton, and two adjacent hotels: Camino Real, and Fiesta Inn). A new NH Hotel is expected to open in Terminal 2.

Contents

[edit] Lack of Capacity, Slot Restriction and Recent Expansions

The airport has suffered since the early 1990s from a lack of capacity due to the limitation of space at its surroundings, since it is located in a densely-populated area, and it has no more space for expansion. Some analysts have reported that if the airport had grown at the same speed as the demand, it would nowadays serve over 40 million passengers annually. The main issue with the airport, is the limitation that two runways provide, since they are used at 97.3% of their maximum capacity, leaving a very short room for new operations into the airport. Even with the inauguration of new Terminal 2, the airport would be ideally designed to serve around 18 million passengers per year, according to the international standards for runway and terminal usage, instead, the airport will keep increasing the number of passengers from around 26 million passengers in the present year at a rate of 16% per year.

Since the year 2000, the federal government has been trying to maximize the operational capacity if the airport. Former president Vicente Fox Quesada launched the program Expansion of Mexico City Airport to its Maximum Capacity, to expand the airport terminal and operational-wise to its largest extent possible. Several taxiways were planned and built, as well as the expansion and complete remodeling of Terminal 1, demolishing of Old Terminal 2, and finally the construction of New Terminal 2 at the other side of the largest terminal.

In 2005, the airport management together with the federal government decided to build a new terminal at the other side of the airport, in order to take advantage of every single space inside the airport borders. Old Terminal 2 which only housed Aeromar's operations in and out the airport was demolished, and a whole new terminal was built in less than two years. Terminal 2 increased the airport's contact positions on a 40%, and the operational capacity on a 15%. Terminal 2 is connected to the Domestic Building of Terminal 1 by a monorail system, which is capable of connecting both buildings in less than 7 minutes.

[edit] Criticism of plane spotting area by U.S. newspaper

On November 28, 2004, The Arizona Republic, a U.S. newspaper, published an article saying that it was remarkable that, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Benito Juárez International Airport kept its plane spotting area open to the public, whereas a large number of airports worldwide had decided to close theirs. The Republic estimated that about 300 viewers and 100 model airplane and food sellers are attracted to the area every day. The airport's director told the newspaper that they had decided to leave the area open because it offered a free alternative for low-income families to spend the day. Nevertheless, from inside the airport facilities, it is practically impossible to get a full view of the airport, since many obstructions have been built in order to meet the airport's safety standards.

[edit] Incidents

[edit] Airport Specifications

Mexico City's Airport Terminal Layout (Before T2 was built).
Mexico City's Airport Terminal Layout (Before T2 was built).

[edit] Terminal 1 (Built in 1958, expanded in 1970, 1989, 1998, 2000, and 2004)

  • Overall terminal surface: 548,000 sq meters
  • Contact positions: 33
  • Remote positions: 30 (44 Before New T2 was built)
  • Number of jetways: 32
  • Number of airside halls: 10 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J)
  • Number of landside (check-in) halls: 9 (A1, A2, B, C, D, D1, F1, F2, F3)
  • Number of mobile-lounges: 11 (A7-A, A7-B, A7-C, A9-A, A9-B, A9-C, A9-D, A9-E, F19-A, F19-C, F19-D)
  • Hotel service: 600 rooms (Camino Real), 110 rooms (Hilton)
  • Parking service: 3,100 vehicles (Domestic), 2,400 vehicles (International)
  • Space per passenger in T1: 17 sq meters
  • Number of baggage claiming carousels: 22
  • Premium Lounges in T1: Salón Premier Internacional T1 (Aeroméxico), Red Carpet Club (United Airlines), Admirals Club (American Airlines), American Express Lounge (American Express), Salón Ejecutivo Nacional (Mexicana), Salón Ejecutivo Internacional (Mexicana).

[edit] Old Terminal 2 (Built in 2001)

  • Overall terminal surface: 3,680 sq meters
  • Contact positions: 3
  • Remote positions: 6
  • Number of jetways: None
  • Number of airside halls: 1
  • Number of landside (check-in) halls: 1 (A)
  • Hotel service: None
  • Parking service: 140 vehicles
  • Space per pasenger in T2: 14 sq meters
  • Number of baggage claiming carousels: 2
  • Premium Lounges in T2: Club Diamante (Aeromar).
Mexico City's Airport Terminal Layout (After T2 was built).
Mexico City's Airport Terminal Layout (After T2 was built).

[edit] New Terminal 2 (Built in 2007)

  • Overall terminal surface: 242,000 sq meters
  • Contact positions: 24
  • Remote positions: 13
  • Number of jetways: 23
  • Number of airside halls: 2 (Domestic, International)
  • Number of landside (check-in) halls: 3 (L1, L2, L3)
  • Hotel service: 300 rooms (NH)
  • Parking service: 3,000 vehicles
  • Space per pasenger in T2: 22 sq meters
  • Number of baggage claiming carousels: 14
  • Premium Lounges in T2: Salón Premier (Aeroméxico), Salón Premier Internacional T2 (Aeroméxico), Riedel Wine Room (Aeroméxico).
  • Platform surface: 426,000 sq meters
  • Inter-terminal monorail capacity: 7,800 daily passengers

[edit] Terminals, Airlines and Destinations

[edit] Terminal 1 (T1)

[edit] Domestic Building (Gates A1 to E18)

  • Hall A1

Will soon house some Mexicana operations

  • Hall A2
    • Aero California (Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Obregón, Colima, Culiacán, Durango, Guadalajarara, Hermosillo, La Paz,Leon/Bajio, Los Mochis, Mazatlán, Monterrey, Tepic, Tijuana, Torreón)
  • Hall B
    • Mexicana (Acapulco, Cancún, Culiacán, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Mexicali, Minatitlán/Coatzacoalcos [ends June 30], Monterrey, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta [ends June 30], Tijuana, Zacatecas)
      • Click Mexicana (Aguascalientes, Chetumal, Ciudad del Carmen, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, León, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mérida, Minatitlán/Coatzacoalcos [begins July 1], Nuevo Laredo, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta [begins July 1], Reynosa, Saltillo, San Luis Potosí, Tampico, Torreón, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa)
  • Hall C
    • Aviacsa (Acapulco, Cancún, Chetumal, Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mérida, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, Tampico, Tapachula, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa)
  • Hall D1
    • Magnicharters (Cancún, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mérida, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta)
    • Nova Air (Cancún, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Toluca) Charter Flights
    • Aladia (Cancún)

[edit] International Building (Gates F19 to H36-A)

Terminal 1 International Area. In the far west an Aeroméxico Boeing 757, when Aeromexico operated at Terminal 1.
Terminal 1 International Area. In the far west an Aeroméxico Boeing 757, when Aeromexico operated at Terminal 1.
  • Hall F2 (Star Alliance Facility)
    • Air Canada (Montréal, Toronto-Pearson)
    • Alaska Airlines (Los Angeles)
    • Lufthansa (Frankfurt)
    • Mexicana (Bogotá, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Calgary, Caracas, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Edmonton, Guatemala City, Havana, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Montréal, New York-JFK, Panama City, Portland (OR), Punta Cana [arrivals], San Antonio, San Francisco, San José (CR), San Salvador, Sacramento, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)
    • United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Denver [seasonal], Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles)

[edit] Terminal 2 (T2)

External façade of Terminal 2.
External façade of Terminal 2.
Terminal 2 Hall L2 in the foreground, Hall L1 in the far background.
Terminal 2 Hall L2 in the foreground, Hall L1 in the far background.

Terminal 2 is now housing all Aeroméxico flights out of the airport, becoming the airline's main distribution center. Although the terminal was intended to be served by all-Sky Team member airlines, Air France and KLM are not moving their operations until the new cargo terminal is built aside Terminal 2, since the existing one is at the other side of the airport.

[edit] Airlines and Destinations (Gates 50 to 75)

  • Hall L2
    • Aeroméxico (Atlanta, Barcelona, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Chicago-O'Hare, Detroit, Houston-Intercontinental, La Romana (DR) [seasonal], Las Vegas, Lima, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, New York-JFK, Ontario (CA), Orlando, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Phoenix, Rome-Fiumicino [Begins July 25], San Antonio, San Diego, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma, Shanghai-Pudong, Tokyo-Narita)
      • Aeroméxico Connect (Austin [ends June 12], Houston-Intercontinental, Managua, San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa [begins June 20])
  • Hall L3
Terminal 2 Hall L3 Entrance.
Terminal 2 Hall L3 Entrance.
Terminal 2 Hall L3 Check-in Counters.
Terminal 2 Hall L3 Check-in Counters.
    • Aeromar (Acapulco, Ciudad Victoria, Colima, Jalapa, Lázaro Cárdenas, Manzanillo, Minatitlán/Coatzacoalcos, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Poza Rica, Queretaro, San Luis Potosí, Tepic, Zacatecas)
    • Aeroméxico (Aguascalientes, Cancún, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Culiacán, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, León/El Bajío, Los Cabos, Mazatlán, Mérida, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Reynosa, Tijuana, Torreón, Villahermosa)
      • Aeroméxico Connect (Acapulco, Albuquerque, Campeche, Chihuahua, Cd. del Carmen, Ciudad Obregón, Culiacán, Durango, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Los Mochis, Matamoros, Mérida, Minatitlán, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Poza Rica, Reynosa, Tampico, Tapachula, Torreón, Veracruz, Villahermosa)
    • Copa Airlines (Panama City)

[edit] Former airlines/destinations

[edit] Domestic

[edit] International

[edit] Cargo terminal

[edit] Ground transportation

[edit] Metro and bus services

The airport is served by the Terminal Aérea Metro station, located just outside the national terminal; it also has a Bus Terminal, which is served by various bus lines [1] with routes to Cuernavaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Toluca, Pachuca, and Córdoba. Whilst the airport always had a bus area, the terminal building itself was created in 2003, to accommodate the many passengers that utilise bus service.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Airport information for MMMX at World Aero Data. Source: DAFIF.
  2. ^ Airport information for MEX at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF.
  3. ^ Passenger statistics for 2007 (In Spanish) http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm_en/AICMinforma/index.php?Publicacion=82
  4. ^ Airport capacity (In Spanish) http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm_en/AICMinforma/index.php?Publicacion=82
  5. ^ World's busiest airports (May 2006 - May 2007) http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm/Estadisticas/index.php?Publicacion=169

[edit] External links