Monday, December 23, 2024

3 more Mexican airports to be operated by the military

The federal government has placed three additional airports under military control, further entrenching the prominent role the armed forces play in civilian life in Mexico.

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) on Tuesday published documents in the government’s official gazette that grant control of the airports in Uruapan, Michoacán; Palenque, Chiapas; and Puebla to the Olmeca-Maya-Mexica Airport, Railroad and Auxiliary Services Group, a state-owned company run by the National Defense Ministry (Sedena).

Soldier at AICM
The military has become increasingly involved in the operation of almost all major Mexican transport hubs. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

Those airports were previously operated by other state-owned companies.

The SICT also published a “concession title” that places the airport in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, under the control of the Mexican Touristic Airport Group, another state-owned company that operates the airport in Tepic, Nayarit.

The Olmeca-Maya-Mexica group – which already operates a number of other Mexican airports and will control the Tulum airport once it opens – will take charge of the airports in Uruapan, Palenque and Puebla for an indefinite period of time.

Among the airports that Sedena already operates via the state-owned company or independently are the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, which the army built during the current government, and the airports in Nuevo Laredo, Campeche and Chetumal. The newspaper El Financiero reported that the army will now control 12 airports across Mexico.

AIFA UPS Cargo
The National Defense Ministry already controls operations at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in Mexico City. (AIFA/Instagram)

President López Obrador announced in June that the navy would be given complete control of the Mexico City International Airport, where it has been in charge of security since early 2022.

In addition to operating airports, Sedena will soon launch a new state-owned airline to operate under the long-dormant Mexicana de Aviación brand.

The military has been given a wide range of non-traditional tasks during the current government, including public security, infrastructure construction and the management of customs and ports.

Sedena also controls the state-owned company that will operate the Maya Train railroad, which is set to begin operations next month. The navy will take charge of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor, which will include a modernized train line between Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, and Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, that is set to begin operations in December.

CIIT train
The rail service in the new Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor will be run by the navy. (Presidencia/Cuartoscuro)

López Obrador said earlier this year that the military is a “fundamental pillar of the Mexican state,” but denied claims that he has militarized Mexico during his presidency.

“Despite what our adversaries maintain, … it’s important to point out that the greater participation of the armed forces in security tasks doesn’t imply authoritarianism or militarization … of the country,” he said during an Army Day address in February.

“… It has been proven that society feels safer and more protected with the army’s fulfillment of this mission. In other words, people feel that a soldier is one of them in uniform … and – like the majority of Mexicans – maintains a great reserve of cultural, moral and spiritual values,” López Obrador added.

With reports from El Financiero and Reforma 

11 COMMENTS

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
A child sits on an adults shoulders at the Mexico City Christmas Verbena, with giant Christmas trees in the background and fake snow falling

Annual Christmas Verbena sets Mexico City Zócalo aglow with light

0
The downtown festivities will continue until Dec. 30 and are best enjoyed after dark.
Donald Trump, former President of the United States, and Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, toured the banks of the Rio Grande, which is currently surrounded by a dense mesh of barbed wire to prevent the entry of migrants. There, the president praised the immigration policy of this entity.

Texas launches billboard campaign referencing sexual assault to deter US-bound migrants

13
This initiative complements Operation Lone Star, which has reportedly led to deaths and injuries among migrants.
Sea turtle hatchlings on a beach

Cancún releases nearly 1 million sea turtle hatchlings to the ocean

0
Benito Juárez municipality described Cancún's 2024 hatching season as a success, with a 97% survival rate.