The Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), the army-built airport north of Mexico City that opened in 2022, has been recognized as one of the world’s most beautiful airports.
Located in Zumpango, México state, and designed by Mexican architect Francisco González-Pulido, AIFA is one of six laureates in the airports category of the Prix Versailles, known as “The World Architecture and Design Award.”
In a press release announcing “the World’s Most Beautiful Airports List for 2024,” Prix Versailles said that AIFA and five other airports including Kansas City International Airport and Changi Airport Terminal 2 in Singapore “have left extraordinary imprints on their environments.”
All of the six laureates are newly opened or renovated airports, and all will compete for “three 2024 World Titles – Prix Versailles, Interior and Exterior – whose laureates will be announced at UNESCO Headquarters on 2 December 2024,” according to the press release.
Prix Versailles said that “with its control tower reminiscent of an Aztec macuahuitl,” – a pre-Columbian wooden club, AIFA “sets the tone in a brotherly tribute to the country’s different states.”
“For example, the sun stone installed in the middle of the terminal features carefully designed iconography, inspired by culture and tradition. The interior staging showcases Mexico’s rich historical heritage and invites passengers to explore the different museums and thematic toilet facilities as part of a voyage that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is original.”
Prix Versailles also noted that the AIFA terminal “contains 18 separate modules and 1,316 columns, each one mounted on special pendulum isolators for earthquake protection.”
The building, it added, is the biggest in the Americas to be fitted with this technology.
“The site also skilfully maximises the attention given to its natural setting by optimizing its boarding gates’ exposure to natural light and arranging a 4,300 m² central garden plus many more green areas, all great places for activities or relaxation,” Prix Versailles said.
“Its unique landscape makes this project the perfect fit for its environment.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged AIFA’s recognition by Prix Versailles in a social media post on Thursday.
“Look: the Felipe Ángeles International Airport was selected by the prestigious Prix Versailles award as one of the most beautiful architecture and design achievements in the world, on par with airports in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Bangkok, Boston and Kansas City,” she wrote.
Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador took the decision to build AIFA on the Santa Lucía Air Force base after canceling the previous government’s international airport project in Texcoco, México state.
While it’s an international airport by name, only a few international passenger flights arrive at and depart from AIFA.
Mexican hotel among ‘the world’s most beautiful’
Prix Versailles also designated 16 newly opened or reopened hotels as “the world’s most beautiful hotels.”
Among them is Maroma, A Belomond Hotel, located north of the Caribbean coast resort city of Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo.
“Between a tropical jungle and a white sand beach, in the beating heart of the Riviera Maya, Tara Bernerd & Partners were tasked with restoring the resort to its natural and cultural environment,” Prix Versailles said.
“This challenge was met and exceeded by Maroma’s 72 guest rooms, suites and villas, all of which embrace ancient Mayan traditions. … The renovation drew on Mexican heritage … whilst showcasing Maroma’s original architecture, with white stucco buildings aligned according to the sacred geometry of Mayan masonry,” it said.
“In addition to the experiences offered by the hotel, the entire site now contributes to the spirituality tied to the genius of the place, the spirituality of a mind in perfect symbiosis with its environment.”
Maroma is not the only Mexican hotel to have recently earned international recognition.
Last month, Michelin, the French tire company known for its star scheme in recognition of outstanding restaurant cooking, awarded “Michelin Keys” to 87 hotels in Mexico that offer “extraordinary, exceptional” or “very special” stays.
Earlier this week, Global travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler announced its Readers’ Choice Awards 2024, including its list of the top 10 hotels in Mexico.
Mexico News Daily
