Andrés Conesa, CEO of Aeroméxico, reiterated that building a third terminal at Mexico City's International Airport (AICM) is essential to expand capacity in the Valley of Mexico to 100 million passengers annually, combining AICM, AIFA, and Toluca. Conesa acknowledged ongoing works at AICM ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and avoided commenting on proposals for a single airport in Texcoco. Experts warn that the current system is inefficient, with saturated skies and rising operational costs.
Andrés Conesa, CEO of Aeroméxico, emphasized the need for a third terminal at AICM to complement the metropolitan airport system. "A third terminal would be very good for users, for the country, and for the airport itself. It would complement the metropolitan airport system," Conesa told El Financiero. This terminal would enable up to 100 million annual passengers in the Valley of Mexico, integrating AICM, Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), and Toluca.
The Terminal 3 project was planned under former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's administration but canceled with AIFA's launch. In July 2019, the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation requested 698 million 275 thousand pesos for pre-investment studies, aimed at improving traveler experience in a former presidential hangar without increasing operations at the saturated AICM.
Conesa praised modernizations in existing terminals and runway taxiway renewals at AICM, in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. "I hope that after the World Cup we can resume this topic (of Terminal 3)," he added. He noted AIFA can still grow in passengers but AICM expansion is required for regional demand.
At a Centro de Estudios Espinosa Yglesias (CEEY) forum, experts like Roberto Kobeh González, former OACI president, criticized the current system: "The airport system is talking about something that doesn't exist. The system is a group of airports serving a city where they coordinate, complement, and help each other. In this case, they don't help, complement, or coordinate." José Alfredo Covarrubias from the National Union of Air Traffic Controllers highlighted an 11% drop in aircraft at AICM compared to pre-pandemic levels, with 50.3 million passengers pre-pandemic versus 44.5 million in 2023, and 7 million at AIFA, for a total increase of just 2.3% over more than five years.
The airspace redesign has extended approaches up to 80 nautical miles, raising fuel costs for airlines, according to air traffic controller María Larriva. Experts call for a central hub to provide certainty to the aviation sector.
