The Mexico City International Airport (AICM) had a difficult morning on Wednesday with fog and an immigration system failure disrupting operations.
The airport said on its official Twitter account at 8:25 a.m. Central Time that a “fog bank” would affect “some flights” and advised travelers to consult with their airlines about the status of their flight. Just over an hour later it reported that landing and take-off operations returned to normal just after 8:30 a.m.
Aeroméxico said on Twitter that some of its flights were affected by the fog and directed passengers to check the status of their flights on the airline’s website. Volaris made a similar announcement on Twitter above a photograph of the fog-shrouded airport.
Volaris also said that some of its flights were affected by “adverse weather at the Toluca Airport,” located about 20 kilometers northeast of the downtown of the México state capital.
The AICM also announced on Twitter that its immigration system experienced a “technical failure” early Wednesday. International passengers have faced delays to enter the country as the immigration procedures facilitated by the system were being completed manually, the airport said just after 8.30 a.m.
The AICM said that its management was working with the National Immigration Institute and the telecommunications company Telmex to restore the system as soon as possible.
Earlier this year, passengers at AICM reported long wait times to collect their luggage, get through immigration and board taxis at both terminals. Slow computers and lengthy questioning of some incoming passengers were identified as reasons for delays at immigration.
Over 60% of respondents to a 2022 Mexico News Daily survey experienced delays at the baggage carousel while traveling through AICM, with three in five of those people waiting for an hour or more for their luggage to appear.
The federal government declared in March that both AICM terminals have reached saturation point. The Felipe Ángeles International Airport, which opened north of the capital on March 21, was built to ease pressure on the Mexico City airport, but flight numbers remain low eight months later.
Mexico News Daily
