The operator of the Bajío International Airport in Guanajuato will invest over 600 million pesos (US $27.4 million) to expand and improve the airport’s facilities.
Guanajuato Governor Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo announced that the Pacific Airport Group (GAP) will increase the number of arrival gates from eight to 14 and carry out upgrades in the lobbies and VIP area and on the roof.
The investment will also go toward providing services to cargo planes and renovations to the customs and shopping areas.
Governor Sinhue said that despite a lack of growth in both the domestic and global economies, Guanajuato has an opportunity to consolidate its competitive position in the market and become a hub of economic development and logistics.
“Despite the storm clouds in the global and domestic economies, Guanajuato sees a great opportunity. What is happening in China’s economy is an opportunity for Guanajuato, and with the signing of the USMCA [trade agreement] we’re seeing more confidence among investors,” he said.
To take advantage of this opportunity, the state government has committed to investing over 400 million pesos (US $18.2 million) in promoting the growth of micro, small and medium-sized businesses, known as mipymes in Spanish, in Guanajuato.
“We have to bet on the Mexican people … so that they can become professionals and can be suppliers in the industry. This year we increased the investment in mipymes from 200 to 400 million pesos,” said Sinhue.
Another tool Sinhue plans to use to drive economic growth in the state is the Central-Bajío-West Alliance, an economic partnership between the states of Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí.
He called it the biggest economic alliance in Latin America, with a regional vision for infrastructure, health, education and development.
Luis Aguirre Lang, head of the national export council, known as Index, said that “one of every five pesos our country exports is produced by these five states, … [which] contribute 18% of the GDP and represent 15% of the labor force in the country.”
Source: El Economista (sp)
