The costly renovation of Mexico City International Airport

While the project of Santa Lucia’s airport settles, Mexico’s government is planning to invest MXN $3.5 billion to improve Mexico City International Airport (AICM).

The amount is 23 times bigger than what was considered in the budget for the current year.

According to the project of the 2020 Expenditures Budget of the Federation , there are eight proposals of investment for both terminals of AICM.

The project that will require more budget is the relocation of the facilities of the National Defense and Navy Ministries to another space within the same polygon of the airport to improve their efficiency, which will cost MXN $2,142,312,000 .

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The electricity substations of the AICM will also be refurbished; 85 electricity substations capsuled in SF6 gas will be purchased, the main function of which is to separate, transform, measure, and distribute electricity to power systems. This project has been assigned MXN $553,684,821 .

And to improve the movement of aircrafts in both terminals, an exit bay and an extension of B1 taxiing will be built, which will allow airplanes to pass each other when they perform movements before or after launching or landing, to get in position or to get to the terminal building. For this bay, MXN $438, 553,000 are destined.

They have also considered to refurbish, equip, and distribute the toilets of terminals 1 and 2, besides building two new groups of toilets, for which are assigned MXN $51,095,000.

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. Rogelio Rodríguez , lawyer in Constitutional and Air Law, said that improving the terminals and refurbishing the toilets is a necessary maintenance because the airport is the entrance door to Mexico.

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Nevertheless, he considers that it is unfortunate that budgetary resources have to be used since the AICM generates income from the Airport Use Fee (TUA) and the complimentary and airport services.

“The airport charges for everything . It charges the use of space to airlines, to passengers, to commerce. They are the most expensive malls of the country and commercial income would be more than enough to do this, but since the TUA is used as a guarantee to the i nvestors who financed Texcoco airport. ..” said Rodríguez.

Another investment project is the construction of the “L” hallway to transform the seven remote positions that provide the boarding and descending of passengers, with a telescopic hallway .

The “L” hallway will be used as a connection between lounge 75 with the remote positions 75 to 81, and, basically, to prevent passengers from using a bus from the terminal to their airplane. For this, MXN $144,547,959 will be used.

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Likewise, an area of 23 meters wide and 1,150 meters long will be refurbished , corresponding to a section of Coca taxiing, which means that the area of the airplanes cemetery will be used for the transit of both land vehicles and aircrafts.

Additionally, MXN $114,358,686 will be used for the pre-investment studies for the construction of Terminal 3 .

There will also be pre-investment studies for berth positions and an elevated bridge for MXN $6,886,000 .

To alleviate the congestion of the AICM , the government plans to lean on T oluca International Airport and Santa Lucía’s International airport , when it is concluded.

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