Mexico City Texcoco Airport

Mexico City Texcoco Airport is a partially built facility which was supposed to be Mexico City's New International Airport (Spanish acronym NAICM or NAIM), but it was abruptly canceled in late 2018. Instead, the current Federal government of Mexico plans to build an international airport at Santa Lucía airbase north of the city.

Mexico City Texcoco Airport (formerly NAICM)

Aeropuerto de Texcoco, formerly Nuevo Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (NAICM)
Aerial view of the proposed airport location, June 2018
Summary
ServesMexico City
LocationZona Federal del Lago de Texcoco, municipalities of Ecatepec, Atenco and Texcoco, State of Mexico, Greater Mexico City
Coordinates19.5°N 98.9975°W / 19.5; -98.9975
Map
MEX/MMMX
MEX/MMMX
MEX/MMMX
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
35L/17R 4,500 14,764 Asphalt
35R/17L 5,000 16,404 Asphalt
36L/18R 5,000 16,404 Asphalt
36R/18L 4,500 14,764 Asphalt
01L/19R 4,500 14,764 Asphalt
01R/19L 4,000 13,123 Asphalt

Texcoco Airport was first announced in the State of the Union address of President Enrique Peña Nieto on September 2, 2014. It was billed as the largest public infrastructure work in Mexico in a century. The new airport was set to replace current Benito Juárez International Airport, the busiest airport in Latin America transporting 41.7 million passengers in 2016.[1] The development of NAICM at Texcoco was planned in four stages. Phase I, was scheduled to open by October 20, 2020, would have consisted of one main terminal of 8,000,000 square feet (743,000 m2) and three independent runways, which would yield a capacity for 68 million passengers annually. In its final Phase (2065), NAICM would have consisted of six runways, an additional main terminal and two satellite terminals, with capacity for 125 million passengers, making it the second largest airport in the world today.[2]

The Master Plan was developed by the global engineering and consultancy company Arup Group Limited.[3][4] The architectural project was designed in collaboration between Pritzker award architect Norman Foster – whose works include Beijing Capital International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport – and renowned Mexican Architect Fernando Romero – whose works include Soumaya Museum.

NAICM Texcoco construction was in process since 2016, and was managed by Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México (GACM), a state-owned company fully owned by the Mexican Ministry of Transportation. GACM holds a fifty-year concession to build, develop, operate, and manage NAICM, and is also the parent company of the current airport AICM. In October 2018, in a non-binding referendum organized by President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, 69 percent of the 1.067 million voters (under 1% of the electorate)[5] rejected the airport, choosing instead to build a new airport on the grounds of Santa Lucía Air Force Base.[6] Construction continued for several weeks,[7] but on December 27, 2018, the government announced the official cessation of operations at the planned airport. It is unknown whether the airport will be finished and serve as a second airport to Mexico City, or if it will be sold off and used for other purposes.[8]

Location

The new airport was being built on a 4,432 hectare plot to the northeast of Mexico City, in the Zona Federal del Lago de Texcoco (part of the dry lake bed of Lake Texcoco).[2] Given the proximity to the current airport (AICM), about 3 miles away, the opening of NAICM Texcoco would have required the complete shutdown of AICM and the immediate transfer of operations to the new airport - similar to Hong Kong and Munich.

Costs and financing

The total funding required for the construction and initial operation of the New Airport is estimated at up to US$13.3 billion, of which approximately 60% will be contributed by the Mexican government through the use of public funds, and approximately 40% is expected to be funded from a combination of bank loans and the offering of debt securities.[9]

The private financing for the development of NAICM at Texcoco was structured as a securitization drawing from passenger charges at the existing airport in Mexico City (AICM) and future passenger charges of the new airport, upon commencement of operations, without recourse to the Mexican government or the airport sponsors. GACM has implemented the Mexico City Airport Trust, a special purpose trust under the laws of Mexico to execute this financing structure.[9] This collateral structure ensures that even if the project were to be canceled, the bonds would still be honored.

In September 2017, the NAICM Airport Trust successfully placed US$4 billion in private debt securities.[10] That includes US$3 billion in 30-year notes that are due in 2047 and yield 5.5 percent annual interest, plus US$1 billion in notes due 2028 that yield 3.875 percent annual interest.[11] This adds up to last year's $2 billion bond issuance, which included a US$1 billion worth of 10-year bonds pay annual interest of 4.25% and US$1 billion worth of 30-year bonds pay annual interest of 5.5%.[12] The green bond issuance (the second by Mexico) became the largest in Latin America and the first green bond from an emerging market to receive a Green Bond Assessment grade from Moody's Investors Service.[12]

Facilities

The airport started the building process in 2015 with its starting phase. It is expected to put its first phase in operation in October 2020, however if everything goes according to plan, it is possible that demo operations could start as soon as possibly February or March . If completed as planned, the airport will have a passenger capacity of up to 68 million passengers and, if the master plan is completed in the following decades, up to 125 million people per year.

At its first phase, the airport was to include:

  • One X-shaped terminal of 743,000 m2 capable of handling 68 million passengers with 96 gate bridges and 68 remote bridges
  • LEED certification
  • Three runways capable of triple-simultaneous landing and taking off
  • One control tower

When completed, the airport's total facilities were to include:

  • Two terminal buildings
  • Two satellite buildings
  • Six runways capable of simultaneous operation

Terminal design
Fernando Romero with a model of the new airport.

X Shape

The X was symbolic of the country's name, "México". An X-shape is also considered efficient to extend the number of gates. The X shape is used in the airports of Abu Dhabi, Mumbai, Nairobi, Incheon, Pittsburgh, and SeaTac.[13]

Roof

The roof was considered "airy, lightweight, and made of membrane".[14]

According to Foster and Partners:[15]

With spans in excess of 100 meters, three times the span of a conventional airport, it has a monumental scale inspired by Mexican architecture and symbolism. The maximum span internally is 170 metres. The lightweight glass and steel structure and soaring vaulted roof are designed for Mexico City’s challenging soil conditions. Its unique pre-fabricated system can be constructed rapidly, without the need for scaffolding – the airport will be a showcase for Mexican innovation, built by Mexican contractors and engineers.

Sustainability

The terminal was planned to be sustainable, aiming for a LEED Platinum certification.[16] The project claimed it was "designed to be the world’s most sustainable airport".[15]

Antecedents and protests

Because of the increasing traffic at Mexico City airport, President Vicente Fox announced the construction of a new, larger airport on 5,000 ha (12,000 acres) of land in the municipalities of Texcoco and San Salvador Atenco in 2002, roughly where the new airport is planned today. When local violent protests took place, the new airport was cancelled.[17] Prior to the 2014 announcement of the construction of the new airport, the government had purchased ejido land (agricultural land held in common by local communities), and the government now claims that it has no need to acquire additional locally held land to build the airport. Some local groups in Atenco and nearby communities differ, claiming that the federal government acquired the land through deception and strong-arming, and small-scale protests took place after the announcement.[18][19]

Post-closure

According to the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), cancellation of the project left a debt of US$6 billion in bonds and US$30 billion in securities, which will be paid off through the landing fees at the Benito Juárez International Airport over a period of 19 years. The landing fees are US$23.80 for domestic flights and US$45.20 for international flights, the second-highest in the world (after Heathrow Airport in London). This is in addition to the $56.8 billion previously paid to the Mexico City Airport Group (GACM) as compensation for the cessation agreement of the fees. Airlines paid US$9.89 billion in landing fees in 2018. None of the money raised through the landing fees can be allocated for construction of the Mexico City Santa Lucía Airport or the Benito Juarez International Airport.[20]

On July 10, 2020, it was alleged that Grupo Gilbert had fraudulently won possession of 49,000 tons of steel that had originally been designated for the NAIM.[21] On August 12, 2020, Hugo Bello, leader of the Confederacón Libertad de Trabajadores de México, (Freedom Confederation of Mexican Workers) was arrested for kidnapping and for the union's suspected involvement in embezzlement of money destined for construction of the now-defunct airport.[22]

Ecological Park

Speaking for the Administration of President López Obrador on August 25, 2020, Iñaki Echeverría said that the objective is to recuperate 12,200 hectares (30,000 acres) for the Lake Texcoco Ecological Parc by 2021.[23] The idea is to recuperate natural areas and establish an animal refuge; 4,800 hectares (12,000 acres) will open to the public. Completion of the project depends on progress made against the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico.[23]

Echeverría said that the park will have areas for cycling, skating, group activities, visits to the nursery, open-air movie theater, and concerts.[23]

References
  1. "Estadísticas del AICM (in Spanish)". Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México.
  2. "Programa Estrategico / Institucional" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de Mexico (GACM).
  3. "Plans for a new Mexico City Airport being reviewed - Airport World Magazine". Airport-world.com. 2014-06-25. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  4. Alper, Alexandra (2014-06-19). "New airport plan for Mexico City eyes six runways: sources". Reuters. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  5. Redacción (2018-10-29). "Mayoría de votantes en consulta sobre nuevo aeropuerto en México rechaza su construcción". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  6. "Foster's $13 billion Mexico City airport nixed after public vote". Dezeen. October 30, 2018.
  7. "Obra del NAIM sigue mientras gobierno negocia con acreedores". Animal Político. December 3, 2018.
  8. https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/cartera/construccion-de-nuevo-aeropuerto-en-texcoco-esta-oficialmente-suspendida-jimenez-espriu/ Construcción de nuevo aeropuerto en Texcoco está oficialmente suspendida: Jiménez Espriú
  9. Mexico City Airport Trust. "Bond Offering Memorandum" (PDF). GACM.
  10. "Bono verde aportará 4 mil millones de dólares para el Nuevo Aeropuerto Internacional". www.elfinanciero.com.mx. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  11. "Mexico Unveils $4B More In Green Bonds To Fund New Airport - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  12. "Mexico Sells $2 Billion in Green Bonds to Help Finance Airport". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  13. "9 puntos clave sobre el nuevo aeropuerto de la Ciudad de México - Exportaciones - Nacional - CNNMexico.com". Mexico.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-09. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  14. "Norman Foster, Romero to build Mexico airport | Reading Eagle - AP". Reading Eagle. 2014-09-03. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  15. "F+P & FR-EE Fernando Romero to collaborate". Fosterandpartners.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  16. "Mexico City's New Mega-Airport Will Collect Its Own Energy and Water". Gizmodo.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  17. Ginger Thompson (August 3, 2002). "Mexico Drops Planned Airport After Protests From Peasants". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  18. "Con "toma" de maquinaria, Atenco inicia protestas contra aeropuerto — La Jornada" (in Spanish). Jornada.unam.mx. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  19. "DF - Reactivan lucha en Atenco contra aeropuerto". El Universal. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  20. "A canceled airport will become a financial burden for passengers". El Universal (in Spanish). 24 June 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  21. "Denuncian corrupción en licitación por venta de acero del NAIM". www.msn.com. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  22. "Hugo Bello, detenido ayer, es investigado por desvío millonario en NAIM". El Universal (in Spanish). 13 August 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  23. Sandoval, Edgar. "¿En qué consiste el proyecto del Parque Ecológico Texcoco?". www.msn.com. UNO TV. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
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