Mexico City International Airport


Mexico City International Airport, officially Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez is the primary international airport serving Greater Mexico City. It is the busiest airport in Mexico, and as of 2025 ranks as the third-busiest in Latin America, the 15th-busiest in North America, and the 50th-busiest in the world by passenger traffic. The airport is served by more than 25 airlines with routes to over 100 destinations across Mexico, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
As the primary hub for Mexico's flag carrier, Aeroméxico, the airport serves as a SkyTeam hub. It is also a hub for Volaris and Viva and a focus city for Magnicharters. The airport has two passenger terminals and two runways. It hosts agencies including the Mexican Airspace Navigation Services, the Mexican Federal Civil Aviation Agency, as well as an Air Force base. The airport is owned by the Mexican Navy and operated by Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México. It is named after 19th-century president Benito Juárez.
As part of Mexico City’s airport system—along with Toluca International Airport and Felipe Ángeles International Airport—the airport operates at full capacity. It is one of the busiest two-runway airports in the world, with 850 aircraft movements per day. With an average daily passenger count of 122,000, the airport handled 44,605,576 passengers in 2025, marking a 1.7% decrease from the previous year.

History

Origins

The site known as Llanos de Balbuena has been used for aviation since 1910. That year, Alberto Braniff made the first powered flight over Mexican soil, flying a French Voisin aircraft with a 50-horsepower engine. On November 30, 1911, President Francisco I. Madero became the world’s first head of state to fly in an airplane, piloted by Geo M. Dyott of Moisant International.
In 1915, the site opened as Balbuena Military Airport, equipped with five runways. A small civilian airport opened in 1928, with regular commercial service starting in 1929 and was officially inaugurated on May 15, 1931. On July 8, 1943, it was granted international status and launched its first international route to Los Angeles, operated by Mexicana de Aviación.
From 1949 to 1951, the airport expanded with a new runway, an apron, a control tower, and administration offices. President Miguel Alemán inaugurated a renovated passenger terminal on November 19, 1952. By 1956, the airport operated with four runways: 05L-23R, 05R-23L, featuring electric lights for night-time service; 13-31, built to replace Runway 14-32, which was too close to adjacent residential areas; and Runway 5 Auxiliary.
On December 2, 1963, the airport's name was changed from "Aeropuerto Central" to "Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México". In the 1970s, the two shortest runways were closed to facilitate the construction of a social housing complex in that area, named Unidad Fiviport. This left the airport with its current two-runway layout. The Mexico City Area Control Center began operating on November 24, 1978, and remains in service.

Expansion and decentralization

The airport’s location in a densely populated area restricts infrastructure expansion. The proximity of the two parallel runways prevents fully independent simultaneous operations, limiting the airport’s capacity.
The terminal was expanded in 1980, doubling its capacity. In 1990, the terminal was reconfigured to separate domestic and international operations. On April 11, 1994, a new international section opened through a joint venture between Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares and Hakim Grupo Industrial.
In the 1990s, Mexicana began decentralizing operations to reduce congestion, shifting many flights to Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mérida. In 1994, all general aviation operations were moved to Toluca International Airport, which became the new hub for private and non-commercial flights. Since then, general aviation has been prohibited, with only military, government, commercial, and authorized flights permitted. In 2001, a satellite concourse with eight gates was added east of the main terminal.

Congestion challenges

The congestion challenges at Mexico City Airport became a prominent issue in Mexican politics in the early 2000s. Large infrastructure projects, particularly in transportation, have historically played a crucial role in presidential legacies due to centralized decision-making, their symbolic significance for progress, and leaders' aspirations to leave a lasting impact.
In 2002, President Vicente Fox's administration proposed a new airport on a site in Atenco and Texcoco. However, the Atenco project faced significant local opposition, particularly from the Community Front in Defense of Land, representing locals facing displacement. Violent clashes forced the cancellation of the project later that year.
Following the cancellation of the Atenco project, the federal government announced an extension to the existing terminal in 2003, increasing its annual capacity from 20 to 32 million passengers. The project added of new construction and renovated, including new check-in areas, commercial zones, a departures concourse, and a long-distance bus terminal with direct access to nearby neighborhoods.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, political initiatives aimed at establishing nearby airports such as Puebla, Toluca, Cuernavaca, and Querétaro as supplementary options for serving the Mexico City Area were introduced. This initiative, known as the Metropolitan Airport System, aimed to reduce pressure on Mexico City International Airport.
Until 2007, a single terminal served all flights at Mexico City's airport. The airport was among a few globally to employ mobile lounges as a boarding system, a technology also used by airports such as Washington-Dulles, Montreal, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and Jeddah. This system involved elevated bus-like vehicles to transport passengers from gates to remote aircraft parking positions. Terminal 2 was inaugurated on November 15, 2007, and fully opened in March 2008. It increased the number of gates by 40% and overall capacity by 15%. Most SkyTeam members—except Air France and KLM—moved operations to the new terminal.

Replacement controversy

In 2014, aviation authorities declared Mexico City’s airspace saturated, capping operations at 61 per hour between 07:00 and 23:59. That year, President Peña Nieto’s administration launched the Texcoco Airport|Texcoco Airport] project. Positioned as Mexico's largest public infrastructure project in a century, it aimed to replace the aging Mexico City International Airport by 2023, featuring a state-of-the-art terminal of and six runways. However, López Obrador, then a presidential candidate, campaigned against the project, sparking political controversy.
Upon assuming the presidency, López Obrador's administration held a controversial public referendum on whether to cancel Texcoco. Despite criticism over its legality and transparency, the project was cancelled, and construction began on Felipe Ángeles International Airport at Santa Lucía, which opened in 2022. Intended as a secondary airport for Mexico City, it has struggled to attract airlines and passengers.
On July 23, 2020, Terminal 2’s Pier L extension opened, adding seven gates to reduce remote stand operations and bus transfers to aircraft. However, in 2022, a new saturation declaration reaffirmed the 61-operations-per-hour cap, effective 05:00–23:59 at Terminal 1 and 06:00–23:00 at Terminal 2, maintaining the 61 operations/hour limit. In 2023, the Mexican government attempted to decongest the airport by relocating all cargo flights to Felipe Ángeles Airport, citing safety and congestion concerns. In 2025, an MXN 8 billion renovation began, scheduled for completion by mid-2026, aiming to improve operations and prepare for Mexico’s role in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Facilities

The airport is located in the neighborhood of Peñón de los Baños within Venustiano Carranza, one of Mexico City’s sixteen boroughs, east of Downtown. It is surrounded by built-up areas: Gustavo A. Madero to the north, and Venustiano Carranza to the west, south, and east.
The airport spans and has two parallel runways separated by less than, which restricts simultaneous operations. At elevation, the airport is classified as hot and high, where reduced air density reduces aircraft performance. Runway 05L/23R is long, and runway 05R/23L is long. The runways, aligned southwest–northeast, contribute to aircraft noise pollution in central neighborhoods, especially during landings with northeast winds.
Terminal 1, cargo facilities, maintenance hangars, and administration buildings are located on the north side of the airfield. On its northern edge, Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares, a government-owned corporation, is headquartered. On the south side of the airfield are Terminal 2, maintenance hangars, police facilities, Mexican Airspace Navigation Services buildings, and a military complex. The airport includes 95 aircraft stands for commercial operations, 63 of which are connected to the terminals via jet bridges, and 32 are remote.
Air Force Base No. 19 '' is located on airport grounds, adjacent to Terminal 2. It serves as the home for the High Command Special Air Transport Unit, which operates a fleet that includes the Boeing 737, IAI 201, JetStar, King Air, SA 330J, and UH-60 Black Hawk. It also hosts the Coordination Office of the Presidential Air Transport Unit. B.A.M. 19 includes an apron and several hangars, one of which is known as the Presidential Hangar, used for state visits and presidential transport. It also includes administrative buildings and facilities to accommodate Air Force personnel.
Mexico City Area Control Center is one of four Area Control Centers in Mexico, along with Mazatlán ACC, Monterrey ACC, and Mérida ACC. It operates under the Mexican Airspace Navigation Services. Mexico ACC provides air traffic control services to aircraft within the Mexico Flight Information Region, covering central Mexico. It borders Monterrey ACC to the north, Mérida ACC to the east, Mazatlán ACC to the west, and Mazatlán Oceanic to the south.

Terminals

Terminal 1

Terminal 1, operational since 1958, has undergone several expansions, with major upgrades in 1970, 1989, 1998, 2000, and 2004, resulting in a total surface area of. The terminal is an long, two-story building, with international services located in the eastern section and domestic services in the west. The ground floor houses all arrival facilities, including 22 baggage claim carousels; domestic check-in areas for Volaris, Viva, and Magnicharters, and a commercial corridor hosting snack kiosks, banks, souvenir shops and car rental services. The top floor contains international check-in areas, food courts, restaurants, security checkpoints, and a long departures concourse connected via a walkway to a satellite building.
Terminal 1 offers 33 contact gates with jet bridges and 20 remote stands. Gates 1-18 primarily serve domestic flights, while gates 19-36 cater to international routes. Passengers using remote gates are transported by bus. The terminal also houses administrative offices, two long-distance bus terminals, and parking for 5,500 vehicles.
Terminal 1 features various VIP lounges, including the Admirals Club by American Airlines, Elite Lounge by MasterCard, Salón Centurión by American Express, Salón Beyond by Citibanamex, Sala Avianca, The Grand Lounge Elite, Iberia VIP Lounge, Televisa VIP Lounge, Terraza Elite, The Lounge by Global Network, United Club by United Airlines, and VIPort Lounge.
Hotel services within Terminal 1 include the Camino Real with 600 rooms, the Hilton with 110 rooms, and the Courtyard Mexico City Airport with 288 rooms. Nearby hotels accessible from the terminal include izZzleep Hotel, Fiesta Inn Aeropuerto México, Holiday Inn México Dalí Aeropuerto, City Express Aeropuerto Ciudad de México, Hotel Grand Prix, Hotel Riazor, and We Hotel Aeropuerto.
Terminal 1 is served by domestic carriers such as Volaris, Viva, and Magnicharters; North American airlines including Air Canada, United Airlines, and American Airlines; European carriers such as Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Air France, KLM, Iberia, and British Airways; Asian airlines including All Nippon Airways, China Southern Airlines, Emirates, and Hainan Airlines; and Latin American carriers including Avianca, Avianca Costa Rica, Avianca El Salvador, LATAM Brasil, LATAM Chile, LATAM Perú, Volaris Costa Rica, and Volaris El Salvador.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 began operations on November 15, 2007, with inaugural flights by Delta Air Lines, followed by Aeroméxico, Copa Airlines and LATAM. It was officially inaugurated by President Felipe Calderón on March 26, 2008. Despite the initial plan for all SkyTeam member airlines to use the terminal, Air France and KLM opted to remain at Terminal 1. Terminal 2 currently serves as the main hub for Aeromexico. Due to capacity constraints at Terminal 2, some of Aeromexico's domestic services temporarily operated from Terminal 1 between 2021 and 2023.
The terminal spans. Arrivals are handled on the lower level, featuring 15 baggage claim carousels, customs and immigration facilities, and an arrivals hall with a long-distance bus terminal. The upper level contains three check-in areas, two security checkpoints, and a main concourse connected to three piers. A mezzanine level houses VIP lounges and administrative offices.
The three piers contain food courts, duty-free shops, and 30 gates, all equipped with jet bridges. The northern pier contains gates 52-62, and the southern pier has gates 63-75. In 2020, the terminal was expanded with the inauguration of Pier L, located at the southern end, adjacent to the airport's boundary with Boulevard Fuerza Aérea Mexicana. Gates 75-81, used by Aeromexico Connect services with narrow-body aircraft, are situated in this pier. Due to the building’s narrow layout, it lacks commercial amenities. Ten remote stands are also accessible via bus.
Terminal 2 includes several VIP lounges, such as the HSBC Premier Lounge, by HSBC, Salón Beyond by Citibanamex, Salón Centurión by American Express, Salón Premier Nacional and Salón Premier Internacional by Aeroméxico, Terraza Premier by Heineken and Aeroméxico, and VIPort Lounge. Hotel services include the 287-room NH Hotel, and izZzleep Hotel Terminal 2. Parking facilities accommodate 3,000 vehicles.
Terminal 2 is served by Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Copa Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.

Inter-terminal transportation

The two terminals are apart. Passengers have two landside transport options: a bus shuttle service, branded as "inter-terminal transportation", connects Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The Aerotrén people mover, available only to passengers with a boarding pass and airline crew, operates at a speed of and has a daily capacity of 7,800 passengers.

Terminal 3 (proposed)

The intended construction of Terminal 3 was cancelled during the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Furthermore, the opening of the Felipe Ángeles Airport in Mexico State in 2022 may pose challenges for the Mexico City Airport in achieving pre-pandemic levels.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The airport serves 44 domestic and 62 international destinations across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Aeromexico serves the largest number of cities from any Latin American hub. It also operates the highest number of departures and destinations from the airport followed by Volaris. The leading foreign airlines at the airport include United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Avianca Holdings. In addition to scheduled service, the airport is also used by other carriers for charter flights, including Sunwing Airlines.
General sources:
Notes:
: Aeromexico’s flight to Seoul–Incheon operates via Monterrey, but the flight from Seoul–Incheon to Mexico City is non-stop.

Cargo

As of January 2022, 20 cargo airlines operated direct flights from Mexico City Airport to destinations across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia. However, in July 2023, a government decree relocated all cargo operations to Felipe Ángeles International Airport.

Statistics

In 2025, Mexico City International Airport handled 44,605,800 passengers, making it the busiest airport in Mexico and the third-busiest in Latin America. It held the top spot in the region from 2016 to 2023 but its market share dropped since the opening of Mexico City-AIFA International Airport. It remains the busiest airport in North America outside the United States. On a typical day, over 120,000 passengers travel through the airport.
The broader Mexico City Airport System, which includes Mexico City-AIFA International Airport and Toluca International Airport, handled 53,591,517 passengers in 2025, making it the second-busiest metropolitan airport system in Latin America and 34th globally.
For international traffic, the airport served 17,482,146 passengers, ranking second in Mexico and third in Latin America. The Shenzhen–Mexico City route by China Southern ranked as the 9th longest flight globally in 2024, covering 14,124 km.
With 313,467 aircraft movements in 2025, it retained its position as the busiest airport in Mexico and among the most active in Latin America. Despite having only two runways, it remains one of the busiest dual-runway airports globally.
In cargo operations, the airport processed 252,555.6 tons in 2025, ranking second in the country after Mexico City-AIFA International Airport. The airport directly supports 35,000 jobs and indirectly influences another 15,000 in the surrounding area.
YearDomestic% changeInternational% changeTotal% change
202527,123,430 4.017,482,146 2.144,605,576 1.7
202428,243,160 12.017,116,325 4.845,359,485 6.3
202332,082,959 1.216,332,734 12.148,415,693 4.7
202231,694,588 22.414,563,933 43.246,258,521 28.3
202125,883,725 59.910,172,889 75.536,056,614 64.0
202016,186,836 50.45,794,875 67.221,981,711 56.3
201932,660,267 7.117,647,782 2.650,308,049 5.5
201830,495,723 5.217,204,824 9.247,700,547 6.6
201728,979,063 4.815,753,355 12.144,732,418 7.2
201627,654,171 7.714,056,083 10.241,710,254 8.5
201525,674,622 12.812,758,456 10.938,433,078 12.2
201422,753,467 8.911,502,272 8.234,255,739 8.6
201320,900,194 6.210,634,444 8.431,534,638 6.9
201219,678,117 12.79,813,436 10.229,491,553 11.84
201117,461,438 12.038,907,423 4.2626,368,861 9.28
201015,587,068 3.448,543,467 5.4724,130,535 0.46
200916,142,330 3.88,100,726 14.124,243,056 7.5
200816,777,773 1.19,432,444 1.526,210,217 1.3
200716,592,422 4.79,289,240 4.625,881,662 4.7
200615,848,060 2.18,879,236 3.324,727,296 2.5
200515,523,755-8,591,797-24,115,552-

YearDomestic% changeInternational% changeTotal% change
2025197,986 9.6115,481 6.8313,467 2.8
2024214,333 14.8108,094 3.3322,427 11.2
2023251,434 7.7111,837 2.7363,271 6.2
2022272,505 14.7114,945 27.3387,450 18.2
2021237,570 33.290,319 47.7327,889 36.9
2020178,247 45.061,120 55.1239,367 48.0
2019323,858 1.9136,129 3.4459,987 0.3
2018317,722 0.7140,866 4.9458,588 2.0
2017315,409 3.6134,255 11.1449,664 0.3
2016327,273 4.2120,874 7.3448,150 5.0
2015314,098 3.5112,663 9.5426,761 5.0
2014307,017 4.3102,937 4.7409,954 4.4
2013294,279 3.398,287 5.9392,566 3.9
2012284,971 7.192,772 10.4377,743 7.9
2011265,986 2.5184,046 4.50350,032 2.98
2010259,470 3.380,428 0.5339,898 2.4
2009268,252 3.380,054 10.3348,306 5.0
2008277,294 3.389,267 2.3366,561 3.1
2007286,821 6.391,340 6.4378,161 6.3
2006269,719 6.885,874 7.1355,593 6.9
2005252,472-80,151-332,623-

YearDomestic% changeInternational% changeTotal% change
202559,077.3 5.7193,478.3 5.1252,555.6 5.1
202455,905.2 23.3184,129.4 50.9240,034.6 46.4
202372,921.4 16.3374,965.8 22.5447,887.2 21.5
202287,101.2 8.7483,707.8 2.4570,809.0 0.5
202195,377.9 19.9472,401.2 21.0567,779.1 18.4
202079,536.3 24.1390,178.0 13.5469,714.3 15.5
2019104,832.5 3.0451,309.8 6.0556,142.3 4.4
2018101,774.72 2.49479,900.56 9.58581,675.28 8.27
201799,303.94 8.15437,958.75 11.83537,262.69 11.13
201691,820.00 11.84391,613.40 7.35483,433.40 8.17
201582,100.42 21.92364,814.69 10.14446,915.11 12.13
201467,341.85 5.75331,214.62 5.85398,556.47 5.83
201363,678.54 19.05312,911.31 1.71376,589.85 5.15
201278,666.10 4.01318,351.98 3.38397,018.08 3.51
201181,953.37 3.41329,502.22 6.90411,455.59 4.68
201084,846.88 1.01308,228.992 29.98393,075.87 22.40
200983,999.43 13.47237,134.01 15.01321,133.44 14.61
200897,070.08-279,025.63-376,095.71-

Busiest routes

RankAirportPassengersYoY % changeRankingAirline
1Spainincreasesteady

Ground transportation

Metrobús

provides direct express service between both terminals and San Lázaro Metro Station. San Lázaro Metro Station is served by Metro Lines 1 and B, and located adjacent to the TAPO (Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente), the largest long-distance bus terminal in Mexico City. TAPO offers bus services to central, eastern, and southern Mexico.
Metrobús stops are located at Entrance 7 of Terminal 1 and Entrance 2 of Terminal 2. Passengers can access the service by obtaining a Metrobús Card from vending machines at these bus stops. The fare to San Lázaro is 30 Mexican Pesos, with the card itself costing 21 pesos as of 2024. Service operates daily from 05:00 to 00:00.

Metro Station

Terminal 1 is connected to the Terminal Aérea metro station, which is part of Mexico City Metro Line 5 running from Pantitlán to Politécnico. It is linked to Terminal 1 through an open-air walkway starting at Entrance 1. Terminal Aérea is also served by Trolleybus line 4 northbound, which follows a route similar to Metro Line 2 before diverging toward El Rosario metro station.
Terminal 2 lacks a nearby metro station. However, it is within of Pantitlán metro station, served by Metro Lines 1, 5, 9, A, and multiple local bus routes.

Long-distance Buses

In Terminal 1, the long-distance bus terminal, also known as Terminal de Autobuses or Autobuses Foráneos, serves various bus companies. Access is from the international departures section on the top floor, near the food court, through an elevated walkway spanning the entrance road. Ticketing counters are available, and platforms can be reached via escalators to the ground floor.
Terminal 1 also features a private terminal for the ADO bus company, named ADO Llegadas Nacionales. Situated next to the Hotel Camino Real, it can be accessed through a secondary elevated walkway spanning the entrance road. This walkway begins at the domestic section on the top floor, in front of Hall B, above Entrance 4.
In Terminal 2, the long-distance bus terminal, labeled "Transportación Terrestre," or "Autobuses Foráneos" is located on the ground floor next to arrivals Hall Q.

Bus service to Felipe Angeles Airport

Transportation options to Mexico City’s secondary airport, Felipe Ángeles International Airport, are limited. Shuttle services from Terminal 1 are provided by ADO and Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares.

Authorized taxis

Taxis operate in Terminals 1 and 2 and there are two models of service: ordinary service in a sedan-type vehicle for four passengers, and executive service in eight-passenger vans. There are five taxi groups in operation, and these are the only taxis authorized by the Mexican Department of Transportation.

Accidents and incidents