Airport Mexico City (Mexico) - International

Mexico City International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México
IATA: MEX ICAO: MMMX
Summary
Airport type		Civil
Owner		Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México
Operator		Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares
Serves		Mexico City, Mexico
Hub for		Aeromexico Interjet Mexicana Aeromar
Elevation AMSL		7,316 ft / 2,230 m
Coordinates		19°2610N 099°0419W / 19.43611°N 99.07194°W / 19.43611; -99.07194
Website		www.aicm.com.mx
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
05R/23L	3,900	12,795	Asphalt
05L/23R	3,952	12,966	Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft operations			348,306
Passengers			24,243,056
Cargo tonnage			321,133
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Mexico City International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México or AICM), also called Benito Juárez International Airport (IATA: MEX, ICAO: MMMX) is a commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. It is Mexico's and Latin America's busiest. Although this was not its official name for several decades, it was formally named after the 19th century president Benito Juárez in 2006, and is Mexico's main international and domestic gateway. In recent years Toluca airport has become a major alternate airport.

This hot and high airport offers direct flights to more than 100 destinations worldwide. In 2009, the airport served 24,243,056 passengers, a decrease of 7.5% compared with 2008, who received 26,210,217. This modest decline was mainly due to the global financial crisis and the outbreak of influenza. In optimal conditions, and with the current renovations and expansion projects completed, the Benito Juárez airport will be able to handle up to 32 million passengers per year.^[3]. It provides non-stop services from Mexico City to North America, Central America and Caribbean, South America, Europe and Asia.

As the main hub for Mexico's largest airline Aeroméxico and a secondary hub for its subsidiary Aeroméxico Connect, the airport has become a SkyTeam hub. In addition, the airport is a Oneworld hub, Mexicana and its subsidiary MexicanaClick being part of this alliance.

AICM is Latin America's busiest airport.^[4] The airport houses a wide variety of lodging options for its passengers, including hotels inside Terminal 1 (the Hilton Hotel, the Camino Real, and the Fiesta Inn), also a NH Hotel at Terminal 2.

Contents 1 History 2 Lack of capacity and slot restriction 3 Airport Specifications 3.1 Terminal 1 3.2 Terminal 2 4 Terminals, airlines and destinations 5 Cargo Airlines 6 Statistics 7 Passenger traffic 8 Operations 9 Ground transportation 9.1 Metro and bus services 10 Accidents and Incidents 11 See also 12 References 13 External links

History

The airport first opened as Balbuena Military Airport. The first landing was on November 5, 1928 and regular service started a year later, but was officially inaugurated on May 15, 1931. Its first international route was to Los Angeles International Airport operated by Mexicana. President Miguel Aleman opened the terminal in 1952, which signifies the official disappearing of the Balbuena Military Airport. In 1980, the terminal was expanded to duplicate its capacity, using a single terminal concept rather than multiple terminals as in other airports. Ten years later in 1990, the mixed domestic international gates were separated to increase the terminal's functionality, along with the separation of domestic and international check-in halls.

In 2001, the east wing of the terminal was opened, being an international last wait area and was mainly used by SkyTeam members. Former president Vicente Fox launched a program called Expansion of Mexico City Airport to its Maximum Capacity in 2002 to increase the airport's capabilities. The whole terminal was expanded and upgraded with new check-in halls, 13 more baggage claim belts, the separation of the terminal into Departures and Arrivals floors, construction of several new taxiways and a whole new terminal at the other side of the airport, breaking the single terminal concept but the only way to relief the saturated terminal 1. The project was started with an initial investment of $200,000,000 MXP. Nevertheless, its final cost was $800,000,000 MXP. Old Terminal 2 which only housed Aeromar's operations in and out the airport was demolished, and the new terminal was built in less than two years.

On November 15, 2007, terminal 2 was opened, increasing the airport's operational capability by 40%. All SkyTeam members moved their operations to it, except Air France and KLM. It was officially inaugurated on March 2008, once the new road accesses and taxiways were finished. Terminal 2 increased the airport's contact positions by 40%, and the operational capacity by 15%. Terminal 2 is connected to the Domestic Building of Terminal 1 by the Aerotrén monorail system, by which a transfer between both buildings is possible in less than 7 minutes.

Lack of capacity and slot restriction

The airport has suffered since the early 1990s from a lack of capacity due to the limitation of space at its surroundings, since it is located in a densely-populated area and has no more space for expansion. Some analysts have reported that if the airport had grown at the same speed as demand, it would now serve over 40 million passengers annually. The main issue with the airport is the limitation that its two runways provide, since they are used at 97.3% of their maximum capacity, leaving a very short room for new operations into the airport. Only government, military and commercial aircraft are allowed to land at the airport. Private aircraft must use alternate airports, such as Lic. Adolfo Lopez Mateos International Airport in Toluca, General Mariano Matamoros Airport in Cuernavaca or Hermanos Serdán International Airport in Puebla. Even with the inauguration of new Terminal 2, the airport would be ideally designed to serve around 18 million passengers per year, according to the international standards for runway and terminal usage. Instead, the airport will keep increasing the number of passengers from around 26 million passengers in 2008 at a rate of 16% per year.

Airport Specifications

Terminal 1

• Opened in 1958; expanded in 1970, 1989, 1998, 2000 and 2004
• Overall terminal surface: 548,000 sq meters
• Contact positions: 33
• Remote positions: 20 (34 Before New T2 was built)
• Number of jetways: 32
• Number of airside halls: 10 (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J)
• Number of landside (check-in) halls: 9 (A1, A2, B, C, D, D1, F1, F2, F3)
• Number of mobile-lounges: 11 (A7-A, A7-B, A7-C, A9-A, A9-B, A9-C, A9-D, A9-E, F19-A, F19-C, F19-D)
• Hotel service: 600 rooms (Camino Real), 110 rooms (Hilton)
• Parking service: 3,100 vehicles (Domestic), 2,400 vehicles (International)
• Space per passenger in T1: 17 sq meters
• Number of baggage claiming carousels: 22
• Premium Lounges in T1: Salón Premier Internacional T1 (Aeroméxico), Red Carpet Club (United Airlines), Admirals Club (American Airlines), American Express Lounge (American Express), Elite Lounge Nacional (Mexicana), Elite Lounge Internacional (Mexicana).

Terminal 2

• Opened in 2007
• Overall terminal surface: 242,000 sq meters
• Contact positions: 23
• Remote positions: 17 (Aeromar and Aeromexico Connect)
• Number of jetways: 23
• Number of airside halls: 2 (Domestic, International)
• Number of landside (check-in) halls: 3 (L1, L2, L3)
• Hotel service: 287 rooms (NH)
• Parking service: 3,000 vehicles
• Space per passenger in T2: 22 sq meters
• Number of baggage claiming carousels: 15
• Premium Lounges in T2: Club Diamante (Aeromar), Salón Premier (Aeroméxico), Salón Premier Internacional T2 (Aeroméxico), Riedel Wine Room (Aeroméxico) , Travel Pass Elite Lounge (Banamex) , Centurion American Express Lounge American Express.
• Platform surface: 426,000 sq meters
• Inter-terminal Aerotrén capacity: 7,800 daily passengers

Terminal 2 is now housing all Aeroméxico flights out of the airport, becoming the airlines's main distribution center. Although the terminal was intended to be served by all-SkyTeam member airlines, Air France and KLM are not moving their operations until the new cargo terminal is built aside Terminal 2, since the existing one is at the other side of the airport.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations	Terminal
Aeromar	Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Ciudad Victoria, Colima, Lázaro Cárdenas, Manzanillo, Morelia, Poza Rica, Saltillo, San Luis Potosí, Tepic, Xalapa, Zacatecas	2
Aeroméxico	Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Atlanta [resumes May 1], Barcelona, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cancún, Chicago-O'Hare, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Culiacán, Denver [seasonal], Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Houston-Intercontinental [seasonal], Las Vegas, León/El Bajío, Lima, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mérida, Miami, Monterrey, New York-JFK, Ontario, Orlando, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Phoenix, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Francisco, San José de Costa Rica [begins March 26][5], San José del Cabo, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma [seasonal], Shanghai-Pudong [resumes March 26][6], Tijuana, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson [ends April 4], Villahermosa	2
Aeroméxico Connect	Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Campeche, Chihuahua, Ciudad del Carmen, Ciudad Obregón, Ciudad Victoria, Cozumel, Culiacán, Durango, Guadalajara, Houston-Intercontinental, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, León/El Bajío, Los Mochis, Matamoros, Mazatlán, Mérida, Monterrey, Morelia, New Orleans, Nuevo Laredo, Oaxaca, Poza Rica, Puerto Vallarta, Reynosa, San Antonio, San Luis Potosí, San Pedro Sula, Tampico, Tapachula, Tijuana, Torreón/Gómez Palacio, Veracruz, Villahermosa, Zacatecas	2
Aeroméxico Travel	Cancún, Cozumel, Huatulco, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana	2
Air Canada	Montréal-Trudeau, Toronto-Pearson	1
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	1
Alaska Airlines	Los Angeles	1
American Airlines	Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami	1
Avianca	Bogotá	1
British Airways	London-Heathrow	1
Continental Airlines	Houston-Intercontinental, Newark	2
Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines	Houston-Intercontinental	2
Copa Airlines	Panama City	2
Cubana de Aviación	Havana	1
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Detroit, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City	2
Iberia	Madrid	1
Interjet	Cancún, Ciudad del Carmen, Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Obregón, Culiacán, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Huatulco [seasonal], Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo [seasonal], Los Mochis, Mérida, Monterrey, San José del Cabo, Tampico, Tapachula, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutiérrez	1
KLM	Amsterdam	1
LACSA	Guatemala City, San José de Costa Rica	1
LAN AirlinesA	Cancún, Santiago de Chile	2
LAN Peru	Cancún, Lima	2
Lufthansa	Frankfurt	1
Magnicharters	Cancún, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo, Mérida, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo	1
Mexicana	Bogotá, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Calgary, Cancún, Caracas, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Havana, Las Vegas, London-Gatwick, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexicali, Miami, Monterrey, Montréal-Trudeau, New York-JFK, Orlando, Panama City, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, San José de Costa Rica, San José del Cabo, San Salvador, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Tijuana, Toronto-Pearson, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Vancouver, Washington-Dulles	1
MexicanaClick	Acapulco, Chetumal, Ciudad del Carmen, Cozumel [seasonal], Culiacán, Guadalajara, Havana, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, León, Mazatlán, Mérida, Mexicali, Minatitlán/Coatzacoalcos, Nuevo Laredo, Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Vallarta, Reynosa, San José del Cabo, San Luis Potosí, Tampico, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa	1
MexicanaLink	Campeche, Guadalajara, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Manzanillo, Mazatlán, Torreón/Gómez Palacio, Zacatecas	1
TACA	Guatemala City, San Salvador	1
TACA Perú	Lima	1
United Airlines	Chicago O'Hare [seasonal; resumes May 29], Denver [seasonal], Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles	1
US Airways	Charlotte, Phoenix	1
Volaris	Tijuana [begins March 22]	1

A:^  LAN and LanPeru flights to/from Cancún are only for non-domestic, connecting traffic.

Cargo Airlines

Airlines	Destinations
ABX Air	Los Angeles, New York-JFK
Aerounión	Chicago-O'Hare, Guadalajara, Los Angeles
Air France Cargo	Guadalajara, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Porto
Amerijet International	Guadalajara, Miami, Monterrey
Astar Air Cargo	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Miami
Atlas Air	Huntsville
Cargolux	Houston-Intercontinental, Guadalajara, Luxembourg, Miami, New York-JFK
Centurion Air Cargo	Miami
Cielos Airlines	Lima
DHL Aviation	Miami
DHL de Guatemala	Guatemala City
Estafeta	Hermosillo, Mérida, Miami, San Luis Potosí, Villahermosa
Florida West International Airways	Miami
Lufthansa Cargo	Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Frankfurt
MasAir	Bogotá, Caracas, Guadalajara, Los Angeles, Medellín, Miami, Quito
Regional Cargo	Cancún, Mérida
Tampa Cargo	Bogotá
UPS	Louisville

Airlines that provides on-demand cargo services.

• Aeropostal Cargo de México
• Air Cargo Carriers
• Air Transport International
• Arrow Air
• Ameristar Jet Charter
• Contract Air Cargo
• Kalitta Air
• Martinair Cargo
• USA Jet Airlines
• World Airways

Statistics

Passenger traffic

Year	Total passengers[7]	% change
2006	24,727,296	2.5%
2007	25,881,662	4.7%
2008	26,210,217	1.3%
2009	24,243,056	-7.5%

Operations

Busiest International Routes out of Mexico City International Airport [2009]

Rank	City	Passengers
1	Los Angeles, USA	341,906
2	New York, USA	275,526
3	Miami, USA	272,976
4	Houston, USA	267,589
5	Madrid, Spain	215,205
6	Dallas, USA	179,905
7	Paris, France	178,350
8	Chicago, USA	171,197
9	Panama City, Panama	134,819
10	San Francisco, USA	115,321
11	Atlanta, USA	104,296
12	Guatemala City, Guatemala	102,136
13	Frankfurt, Germany	99,560
14	Bogotá, Colombia	92,769
15	San José, Costa Rica	91,427
16	Toronto, Canada	88,645
17	Las Vegas, USA	88,321
18	Amsterdam, Netherlands	82,877
19	São Paulo, Brazil	78,110
20	Buenos Aires, Argentina	75,024

Busiest Domestic Routes out of Mexico City International Airport [2009]

Rank	City	Passengers
1	Cancún, Quintana Roo	962,747
2	Monterrey, Nuevo León	947,243
3	Guadalajara, Jalisco	844,015
4	Tijuana, Baja California	352,544
5	Mérida, Yucatán	338,356
6	Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas	315,720
7	Villahermosa, Tabasco	276,148
8	Veracruz, Veracruz	272,025
9	Hermosillo, Sonora	216,971
10	Acapulco, Guerrero	206,483
11	Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco	198,993
12	Tampico, Tamaulipas	188,090
13	Los Cabos, Baja California Sur	186,143
14	Oaxaca, Oaxaca	182,861
15	Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua	179,518
16	Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca	145,708
17	Torreón/Gómez Palacio, Coahuila	138,511
18	Culiacán, Sinaloa	133,507
19	Chihuahua, Chihuahua	120,024
20	Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Guerrero	114,514

Ground transportation

Metro and bus services

The airport is served by the Terminal Aérea Metro station, located just outside the national terminal; it also has a Bus Terminal, which is served by various bus lines [1] with routes to Cuernavaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Toluca, Pachuca, and Córdoba. Whilst the airport always had a bus area, the terminal building itself was created in 2003, to accommodate the many passengers that utilise bus service.

Accidents and Incidents

• On October 31, 1979, Western Airlines Flight 2605 crash-landed. The crew of the DC-10 had landed on the wrong runway and the jetliner hit construction vehicles that were on the closed runway. There were 78 fatalities (including one on the ground) and 14 survivors.
• An Aero California DC-9-15 overran in 2006, during an intense storm at the airport. There were no victims, but the aircraft was scrapped. However, a woman died later due to a heart attack.^{[citation needed]}
• On September 9, 2009, hijacked Aeroméxico Flight 576 landed at Mexico City International Airport from Cancun International Airport.
• On September 13, 2009, Lufthansa Cargo McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 D-ALCO was severely damaged in a heavy landing. Post landing inspection revealed that there were wrinkles in the fuselage skin and the nose gear was bent. It is reported that the aircraft may be written off.^[8]

See also

• List of the busiest airports in Mexico

References

External links

• Mexico City International Airport
• Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares Homepage
  • New Terminal 2 Video
• Information about Mexico City Airport
• Accident history for MEX at Aviation Safety Network

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This article based on this article: Mexico_City_International_Airport from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and work with the GNU Free Documentation License. In Wikipedia is this list of the authors.