Felipe Ángeles International Airport

Felipe Ángeles International Airport (IATA: NLU, ICAO: MMSM) is the second civilian airport serving the Mexico City metropolitan area; it opened on March 21, 2022. It is located in Zumpango, State of Mexico, north-northeast of the historic center of Mexico City by car. Originally called Santa Lucía Airport (Mexican Air Force base no. 1), it was renamed after Felipe Ángeles (a general in the Mexican Revolution) in early 2021. In Spanish, its initialism is AIFA.
Construction started on October 17, 2019, after all judicial suspensions against the project were revoked. Two runways and a new terminal were planned during the first phase, which was completed on March 21, 2022, as scheduled. The airport is owned by the Mexican government and operated by the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) (through a subsidiary).
By territorial extension, it is the largest airport in the State of Mexico and the second largest airport in the country behind Cancun International Airport.
History
Background
The Santa Lucía Air Base was partially inaugurated in 1952, due to the need to relocate the Balbuena Military Air Field. The aerodrome was inaugurated on November 24, 1952, during the presidency of Miguel Alemán Valdés; however, the aircraft that still operated in Balbuena did not move to Santa Lucía until 1959. It came to have a runway 3,780 meters long and 75 meters wide, which at the time was the widest paved runway in the country. Mexico and was named "General Alfredo Lezama Álvarez" in honor of who was its commander from 1961 to 1964.
In March 2018, as part of his campaign for the presidency, then-candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposed the privatization of the Mexico City Texcoco Airport or the expansion of the Santa Lucía air base to convert it into an airport, finally leaning towards the latter.
In the first half of October 2018, López Obrador, already as president-elect, called for a popular consultation organized by the Arturo Rosenblueth Foundation and a group of citizens. The consultation was met with some controversy. In 2014, a law was enacted that institutes as a form of citizen participation, and the process that was carried out was a survey carried out by an individual and without official validity, where those who participated in this process could choose if they preferred to continue with the construction of the NAICM or interrupt it. The result favored the construction of Santa Lucía; 311,132 people (29.08% of the total) voted for the continuity of the Texcoco project and 748,335 voted in favor of Santa Lucía (69.95%).
Construction
On April 24, 2019, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that construction of the new airport would commence on April 29, 2019. On 12 June, a judge ordered the suspension of construction of the airport until environmental and cultural studies have been completed. The Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) announced its approval of construction of a terminal at the new airport site on July 17, 2019. Construction officially started on October 17, 2019. President López Obrador stated information regarding construction would be released in the coming days, saying transparency will be key in the project.
The airport is intended to focus on low-cost and cargo airlines to help relieve congestion at Mexico City International Airport. Mexican architect Francisco González Pulido and military general Gustavo Vallejo are in charge of airport design. The master plan is in charge of Groupe ADP and the airspace navigability studies were made by Airbus subsidiary NAVBLUE. The Valley of Mexico will be the first in the country where the performance-based navigation system (PBN) is used, which will allow the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, Mexico City International Airport and the Toluca International Airport to operate simultaneously without the operations of one impeding those of the others.
Remains of at least 200 mammoths were discovered during the construction of the terminal area, in the former Lake Xaltocan. Most of the newly discovered mammoths likely died after being trapped by mud in the ancient lake or hunted by other animals. Nothing was found that would require halting work on the airport project.
Construction occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite social distancing and other efforts to avoid infection, at least four employees were infected with the virus, and there were 37 suspected cases along with three deaths as of June 9, 2020.
President López Obrador flew on the fifteen-minute Air Force inaugural flight from the Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City on February 10, 2021. He was accompanied by Luis Cresencio Sandoval González (SEDENA), Claudia Sheinbaum (head of government of Mexico City), Alfredo del Mazo (governor of the State of Mexico), Omar Fayad (governor of Hidalgo), Arturo Zaldívar (president of the Supreme Court), Dolores Padierna (vice president of the Chamber of Deputies), and José Rafael Ojeda Durán (SEMAR)
The airport's first terminal and two runways were officially opened on March 21, 2022. The inaugural commercial passenger flight, VivaAerobús flight 3280, departed from Guadalajara and landed at AIFA on March 21.
Access
Access to the airport is poor, being limited to road as of May 2023. A proposal has been drawn up on March 19, 2020, proposing a 23-km extension of the Tren Suburbano suburban train network to the airport, which would branch off from the current line at Lechería station and head northeast towards the field, with delivery date in December 2023. However, due to delays due to construction challenges related to the relocation of tracks designated for cargo-carrying trains, the new line is not expected to open until the April to June timeframe of 2024.
Road
One of the main vehicular entrances to the AIFA will be the road interconnection to the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense, with an approximate length of four and a half kilometers. A wide road with three entry lanes and three exit lanes and sculptures of mammoths in the central part due to the discoveries, will provide high efficiency for transfers in a short time. The development will combine public transport systems with private transport.
The Mexico-Pachuca highway will also be extended towards the AIFA, in which there will be a deviation at the height of the town of Santa Lucía to connect with the airport.
It is expected that this road will be used mainly by cargo vehicles since it connects directly with the customs area and the domestic and international cargo terminal. It can also be used by passengers because there are diversions to the CEM and Camino a Tonanitla to get directly to the airport and avoid going around the loading area.
Bus services
Line I of the Mexibús bus rapid transit system connects the airport at Terminal de Pasajeros station to the Mexico City metro system at Ciudad Azteca station with a transfer at Ojo de Agua. Mexibús Line IV is to be extended to AIFA at a later date, and will connect the airport to the metro at Indios Verdes station.
Autobuses de Oriente serves the airport with connections from TAPO, Indios Verdes and AICM.
Luxury bus company ETN Turistar serves the airport with connections from :es:Terminal Central de Autobuses del Sur, :es:Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte and :es:Terminal de Autobuses de Querétaro.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
The first cargo airline with a sustained schedule is AeroUnion, operating a route to Tijuana that began flying on September 1, 2022.
Since March 2023, China Southern flies three times weekly.
By July 2023, cargo operations were scheduled to cease in AICM, due to decree.
Airlines providing on-demand cargo services
Aeronaves TSM
Air Cargo Carriers
Air Transport International
Ameristar Air Cargo
Atlas Air operated by Panalpina
IFL Group
Kalitta Air
LATAM Cargo Chile
Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas
USA Jet Airlines
Vigo Jet
Destinations map
Statistics
Busiest Routes
See also
Mexico City International Airport
Aerolínea del Estado Mexicano
Transportation in Mexico
Transport in Mexico City
References
External links
Felipe Ángeles International Airport - official website
AIFA construction - official website
AIFA institutional website
Airports established in 2022
2022 establishments in Mexico
Airports in the State of Mexico
Zumpango