Servicios Médicos Cubanos
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
INTERFER
MITM Events
blackanddecker
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
INOR
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Walmart
MuniGuate
AVA Resorts
Intecap
Realidad Turística
Nestle
Los Portales
Agexport
Cubasol
Barceló Solymar
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Herbalife

Mexico City’s New Airport Set for Bumpy Takeoff

Date:

Share:

AVA Resorts
INTERFER
Los Portales
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Herbalife
INOR
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
MITM Events
Realidad Turística
Intecap
Nestle
blackanddecker
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo

Three weeks before facing a midterm recall referendum, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will on Monday inaugurate his first major infrastructure pet project — a controversial new airport for Mexico City.

Built at a military air base outside the capital, Felipe Angeles International Airport is meant to take the pressure off the city’s Benito Juarez airport.

But so far only a few airlines have agreed to use it, for a small number of mostly domestic flights.

Benito Juarez, which handled a record 50.3 million passengers in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic and is located within Mexico City, is one of the busiest airports in Latin America.

Felipe Angeles, named after a general in the Mexican revolution, divided opinion from the start.

After taking office in 2018, Lopez Obrador canceled another airport project launched by the previous government that was already one-third complete.

He branded the $13 billion project a “bottomless pit” rife with corruption and decided instead to turn the Santa Lucia military air base into a second airport for the sprawling Mexican capital.

Lopez Obrador tasked the military with overseeing construction of the new airport at a cost of around $3.7 billion.

The army is also involved in construction of a tourist train in the Yucatan Peninsula — another one of the president’s major infrastructure projects, which also include an oil refinery in the southeastern state of Tabasco.

Lopez Obrador has hailed the new airport as an example of his government’s austerity and efficiency, with zero cost overruns.

“It’s a modern airport built by military engineers in record time, at a low cost and with the most advanced technology and quality materials,” he said ahead of the opening.

Airport officials acknowledge that Felipe Angeles is not expected to be profitable until 2026.

In the meanwhile, it will be funded with public money.

Voters to have say

The opening comes as Mexicans prepare to vote on April 10 in a referendum championed by Lopez Obrador on whether he should stay in office.

While the president argues that the vote is an important democratic exercise, critics accuse him of wasting resources and even plotting to circumvent the constitutional limit of a single six-year term.

Lopez Obrador, who took office in December 2018, has promised not to seek reelection, following accusations by opponents that the referendum is a step towards trying to stay in power.

He enjoys a public approval rating of around 58%, according to opinion polls.

Lopez Obrador has overseen a series of referendums since taking office on controversial issues including his “Maya Train” railroad project and canceling the partially finished Mexico City airport.

Felipe Angeles airport will begin operating with only eight daily flights from national airlines Volaris, VivaAerobus and Aeromexico, as well as Venezuela’s Conviasa — the only international service.

On Friday, Lopez Obrador said that he had personally invited the president of Delta Air Lines to operate from the new hub, though it is unclear if the U.S. carrier will accept.

Benito Juarez’s location in eastern Mexico City is far more convenient for many residents of the capital than Felipe Angeles, which is located about 40 kilometers north of the city’s historic district.

A planned rail link to connect the airport with the capital’s suburban train network is not scheduled to be completed until the second half of 2023.

The government admits that it will take longer to get to Felipe Angeles, so it has promised to reduce the time it takes to check in.

Source: VOA.

Realidad Turística
Los Portales
Herbalife
Cubasol
Walmart
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Agexport
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
INOR
MITM Events
MuniGuate
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Nestle
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Intecap
AVA Resorts
INTERFER
blackanddecker
Barceló Solymar
MuniGuate
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
INTERFER
Cubacel
Intecap
Henkel Latinoamerica
Blue Diamond Resorts
AirEuropa
Havanatur
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
Barcelo Guatemala City
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala

Subscribe to our magazine

━ more like this

Pole Dancing in Israel: A New Dimension with BlueDance.co.il

In recent years, pole dancing has experienced a remarkable transformation, shifting from a misunderstood niche to a popular activity combining fitness, self-expression, and empowerment....

A New Luxury Hotel Just Opened on An Idyllic Beach in Cancun, Mexico — And We Were the First to Stay

Waldorf Astoria Cancun opened to the public on Nov. 1, the brand's first new build in Mexico, with two waterfront pools and a fantastic...

Pan American Health Organization Launches Interactive Dashboard on Avian Influenza in The Americas

To monitor cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched an interactive dashboard on the web...

Nicaragua Presents Its New Interoceanic Canal Route to China and Seeks to Compete with Panama

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes With a length of 445 kilometers, in a second attempt, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, presents China with a new...

US Lawmakers Join Requests to Extend TPS To Central Americans

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, along with other legislators gathered outside the Capitol this Thursday to express his...
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
Blue Diamond Resorts
Havanatur
Henkel Latinoamerica
Cubacel
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
Intecap
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
AirEuropa
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Barcelo Guatemala City
INTERFER

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

MuniGuate
Cubasol
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Nestle
Realidad Turística
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
MITM Events
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Herbalife
AVA Resorts
Barceló Solymar
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
INTERFER
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Los Portales
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
INOR
blackanddecker
Walmart
Agexport
Intecap