What you need to know before flying into Mexico City’s new airport

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Mexico City’s new Felipe Ángeles International Airport has not even opened yet, but travelers are already confused about what it means for them. Photo: Courtesy

Mexico City’s new Felipe Ángeles International Airport is scheduled to open next week.

But its distance from Mexico City’s main international airport, Benito Juárez, is raising concerns. 

For one thing, travelers looking to connect from one airport to another are looking at quite a long haul in Mexico City’s infamous traffic. 

The distance between the two airports is just over 27 miles, and on average, the trip is likely to take at least an hour and a half.

This could be a major problem for travelers booking tickets separately without noticing the need to change airports.

As a matter of fact, the airport is not even really in Mexico City, but rather Mexico State on the site of the Air Force Base of the same name, in the municipality of Zumpango. 

Earlier: Mexico’s newest airport bathroom turns heads on social media

To facilitate transfers, Mexico City’s government has announced new bus routes to connect the airports, as well as express services costing roughly 150 pesos, or US$7.50.

The Felipe Ángeles International Airport began construction shortly after the start of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s term.

This after the president stopped construction at yet another airport begun by his predecessor in Texcoco, allegedly for political reasons. 

Critics of the new airport say that it is unnecessary and a boondoggle for an out-of-touch elite. Two-thirds of Mexican citizens have never been on an airplane.

The new airport is intended to focus on low-cost and cargo airlines to help relieve Mexico City’s International Airport congestion.

Controversially, Mexico’s armed forces have taken control of seven airports across the country, including the facilities in Mexico City, Mérida, and Cancún.

Carlos Rosado van der Gracht
Carlos Rosado van der Gracht
Born in Mérida, Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican/Canadian blogger, photographer and adventure expedition leader. He holds degrees in multimedia, philosophy, and translation from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
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