Mexico: Government prepares decree to move flights from AICM to AIFA
The Federal Government is preparing a decree to reduce hourly operations at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) by up to 22.6%, from the current ceiling of 62 flights per hour to a threshold of 48 to 50 flights, in order to encourage airlines to place more flights at Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA).
According to Rogelio Jiménez Pons, Undersecretary of Transportation of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), the decree will be issued in the coming months, and is being worked on in conjunction with the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) and Services to Navigation in Mexican Airspace (Seneam), Expansión reported.
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“Right now we are making a calculation; we have to start with cargo flights, charters, with excessive flights, new airlines, in short, everything that is apparently in excess, and then we start with all the airlines,” the official told the media. “We have to see how much can be allocated elsewhere, particularly to AIFA, because it is already ready, but Toluca, which worked very well, and other alternatives can also be opened.”
The eventual decree is on the table two months after a declaration of saturation of passenger terminals at the AICM was issued in the Official Journal of the Federation.
Specifically, Terminal 1 was declared saturation between 5:00 am and 10:59 pm, and Terminal 2 from 6:00 am to 7:59 pm, so the AICM Schedules Coordinator was instructed to review and even modify the general bases for the allocation of landing and take-off times (slots) at airports under saturation conditions.
However, Jiménez Pons warns that the current situation at the AICM goes beyond the issue of slots.
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“The AICM is saturated, not just now, it has been saturated for more than 20 years. It is not only the problem of slots, but all the airplanes have increased in size. We started with 120-seat planes and now we have planes over 200,” he said.
To attract more airlines to AIFA, the Undersecretary of Transportation said that an incentive program is being worked on to motivate companies to place more flights at the new airport.
“We are going to look for a joint effort, there we have to ask the Treasury, the SAT. We would be looking at fuel discounts from ASA, we are looking for that scenario, but these are negotiations that take a lot of time. There are many things, it is a very broad issue, it involves the whole industry. We do not want to do anything forced, but we do want them to understand that there are already very serious conditions that need to be addressed”, said Jiménez Pons.
Photo: Vmzp85/Wikimedia
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