Mexico: International Federation of Pilots warns of incidents at AICM due to AIFA operation
The simultaneous operation of two airports in Mexico City has caused different incidents related to air safety, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations (IFALPA) warned Thursday.
The entity said in a safety bulletin that problems have been reported such as flights with low fuel reserve due to prolonged waiting patterns or diversions to land, and a significant number of ground proximity alerts, AFP reported.
→ Mexico: Government prepares decree to move flights from AICM to AIFA.
Since March 21, the Felipe Angeles Airport (AIFA), one of the flagship projects of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and which operates alongside the Benito Juarez Airport (AICM), the capital’s air terminal, began operations.
Apparently the control tower had little training on how to operate this new airspace configuration,” the bulletin adds.
After learning of the document, the Mexican Aviators Pilots Union Association (ASPA), affiliated to IFALPA, requested in a statement a meeting with aviation authorities “to verify and jointly address the problems occurring over the terminal area” of the capital.
ASPA called on the authorities to attend to reports “from Mexican and foreign pilots” after the redesign of the capital’s airspace.
→ Aeromexico to increase flights to Europe.
Experts have pointed out the complications of operating two airports in a city surrounded by mountains and more than 2,200 meters above sea level.
Faced with the saturation of the AICM, the busiest airport in Latin America, the previous Mexican government decided to build a new HUB-type air terminal in Texcoco, in the suburbs of the capital.
But López Obrador canceled that project upon taking office in December 2018 and launched his plan to convert a military base near the capital into a new air terminal, sparking strong criticism from investors and experts.
The president announced this week that he will issue a decree to reduce hourly arrivals and departures at Benito Juárez from 61 to 50 and thus move more operations to Felipe Ángeles, which has a dozen daily flights.
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