The debate over Mexico's New International Airport (NAIM) in Texcoco has reignited after a hydraulic engineer claimed the project's design included flood prevention measures. Aviation experts called for reviving the build at a recent forum. This challenges the 2018 cancellation arguments.
The forum 'Panorama: the Airport System of the Valley of Mexico Today', organized by the Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias (CEEY), reignited discussions on the NAIM. Luis Francisco Robledo, a hydraulic engineer involved in the original planning, explained that the design included regulatory lagoons to drain up to 65,000 liters per second of rainwater, preventing accumulation on runways during heavy downpours. Additionally, pumps along the runways were proposed, similar to the system at the Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (AICM).
These strategies were presented to then-Secretary of Communications and Transportation Javier Jiménez Espriú to show the airport would not flood, despite the features of the ancient Texcoco lake. The main argument for the 2018 cancellation was precisely the flood risk from eastern runoff.
Pilots, air traffic controllers, and engineers at the forum agreed that operating multiple terminals—AICM, Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles (AIFA), and Toluca—has not improved passenger flow or connectivity. Data showed the AICM handled 44.5 million passengers recently, below the 50.3 million pre-pandemic, while AIFA gained users but did not meet the expected demand for a single terminal.
Airspace saturation complicates operations and creates risks, experts said. 'There is no option but to resume and build an airport in the area marked by technical studies over the last 40 years,' stated Jesús Ramírez Stabros, former general secretary of the Asociación Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores (ASPA) de México. The proposal aims for one modern terminal for over 100 million passengers annually.
