German international logistics company DHL will be the first company to move its air cargo operations to Mexico City’s Felipe Ángeles International Airport (known as AIFA).
The news came almost two weeks after the Comisión Nacional de Mejora Regulatoria (CONAMER) issued a decree to close Benito Juárez International Airport (known as AICM) to cargo flights and move them to the new terminal that also serves the capital city.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s president, confirmed the following Thursday that he would push ahead with the measure and cited congestion at the AICM as the main reason. However, he assured that it would only be implemented on the basis of a consensus among all parties involved.
On 24 January, the president confirmed in his daily morning conference that DHL would become the first foreign operator to relocate its operations. He said the first service will take place towards the end of February or early March. In addition, he assured he would be present to welcome the company to the new airport.
Controversy over time required to move operations
The decree published establishes in its fifth transitory article that concessionaires and permit holders that provide air cargo transport services to the public, both regular and non-scheduled, will have a period of 90 working days to relocate their operations.
After the text became known, the air cargo sector in Mexico was convulsed. The Cámara Nacional de Aerotransportes (CANAERO), which represents more than sixty national and international airlines and other air service providers in the country, said the industry requires a minimum of 360 calendar days to complete the migration «under the same technical and operational conditions that currently exist in the AIFA».
For its part, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had proposed an adaptation period of 180 days. The body mentioned that AIFA is not yet ready to receive operations, as it lacks the necessary cargo warehouses and even customs agents.
Authorities have since extended the deadline to 108 days. The airlines, for their part, requested between 180 and 365 days to complete the move. Operators pointed to the need for a full analysis of the implications and costs.
The relocation of DHL services would set in motion the countdown to the deadline for other carriers to move their operations from AICM to AIFA or find other alternatives close to Mexico City.
In this context, the deadlines proposed by the companies would be discarded. The measure will not reach operators that also provide passenger air transport services.
See also: Government of Mexico seeks to move cargo flights from AICM to AIFA
