Mexico Invests in Airports, an Industrial Info Market Brief

The largest air traffic in Mexico (100 million passengers per year) is concentrated in the airports of Mexico City, Cancun and Guadalajara, which occupy the No. 1, 2 and 5 places, respectively, in connectivity with selected cities throughout the country.

However, infrastructure is becoming an impediment to the continued growth of this sector in Mexico, both in airspace and in airport capacity. Following the cancellation of the New Mexico International Airport (NAIM) in early 2019, a capacity deficit of around 20 million annual passengers is expected. However, at the end of last year, Mexico's president announced the construction of the new Santa Lucia airport, which is 5% complete and expected to received more passengers than NAIM.

Although the coronavirus pandemic will surely delay all air infrastructure plans not only in Mexico but internationally (due to the number of flights canceled and the closure of borders), it is also important to mention that the airport groups have managed to recover after other crises.

The National Infrastructure Plan (PNI), published by Mexico's federal government, considers the expansion and improvement of 29 air terminals from 2020 through 2024.

Industrial Info is tracking 17 airports in Mexico with more than $530 million in projects. Click here for a list.