Mexico City International Airport (AICM), the most important in the country, registered a drop in the number of passengers for the second consecutive yearreflecting both lower economic growth and the decision of some airlines to reduce operations at the terminal, sector experts said.
Between January and September of this year, the Benito Juárez served 33.2 million passengers, which represents a decrease of 2.6% – equivalent to 880 thousand fewer travelers – compared to the same period in 2024, and this is the lowest traffic since 2021according to the airport’s own records.
The drop was mainly concentrated in domestic flights, whose traffic fell 5%, while international flow increased 1.5%. This shows an uneven dynamic in the recovery of passengers after the pandemic, with greater strength in international connectivity compared to domestic connectivity.
The AICM is the only one of the country’s main airports that has not managed to return to the volume of users prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among the causes is the operation limit imposed to avoid saturation, as well as the intention for airlines to use the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) as an alternative to expand.
At the end of last May, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) authorized increasing landings and takeoffs from 43 to 44 per hour at the capital airport. However, this figure still remains below the 52 movements that were no longer allowed at the beginning of January 2024 and the 61 authorized until October 2022, which shows limited margin to increase operational capacity.
Aviation analyst Jonathan Félix, from Verum, explained that the decrease in passengers responds to multiple factors. “Economic growth is fundamental for the increase in passengers, although there is also a reconfiguration of the market,” he indicated.
Félix highlighted that Aeroméxico, whose hub is located in the AICM and is the airline that offers the most connections in the terminal, has reduced its national operations while increasing international operations, generating less traffic within Benito Juárez. In addition, he pointed out that the remodeling and saturation of the infrastructure may be motivating airlines to look for alternative terminals for their operations.
He AICM It also faces the obligation to serve at least 40 million passengers a year to cover the Airport Use Fee (OLD), which is transferred to the trust in charge of paying the bonds that financed the construction of the project. Texcoco.
In 2024, the terminal lost its position as the busiest airport in Latin America, surpassed by the El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia, also considered the best in the region according to the British consulting firm Skytrax. This situation reflects the structural and competitive challenges that the AICM faces compared to other international hubs, as well as the need for adjustments in its operation and strategic planning. The drop in the number of passengers shows the combination of economic, operational and strategic factors that affect the most important airport in the country, while seeking to balance operating capacity with the growing demand of users and the expansion of other terminals.
CT