Rainfall and strong winds are forecast for most of Mexico on Monday as cold front 25 blows in from the northeast. (Omar Martínez/Cuartoscuro)
Another cold front is expected for parts of Mexico this week. According to the National Meteorological Service (SMN), cold front No. 25 is expected to move over Mexico’s north and northeast regions on Monday, resulting in rainfall accompanied by strong winds and dust devils.
Forecasters warned of 100 km/h wind gusts in some regions of Chihuahua, Durango and Zacatecas.
Persistirán hoy los #Vientos intensos y las #Nevadas en entidades del noroeste y norte de #México.
Snow and sleet are also expected in Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango and Sinaloa, along with possible freezing rain in the mountains of Coahuila.
A polar air mass associated with the front is expected to bring frigid temperatures and frost to the northern regions of the country on late Tuesday and early Wednesday, with temperatures ranging between -10 and -15 degrees Celsius in the Chihuahua, Durango and Sonora mountains.
Minimum temperatures of -5 to 0 degrees Celsius and frost are forecast for mountainous areas of Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, State of Mexico, Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.
In high-altitude areas of Guanajuato, Jalisco, Mexico City, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, Querétaro and Tamaulipas, temperatures are expected to drop to 0 to 5 degrees Celsius.
Mexico’s capital will experience maximum temperatures ranging from 12 to 23 Celsius, and minimum temperatures of 12 to 14 Celsius, accompanied by a partly cloudy sky throughout Monday.
The subtropical jet stream will result in strong to very strong winds in the west and center of the country including the Valley of Mexico. This may cause dust devils, rain and showers across the central region and extending south.
Meanwhile, maximum temperatures of 35 to 40 degrees Celsius are forecast for Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, eastern Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Yucatán, and 30 to 35 degrees Celsius on the coast of Jalisco.
In the Yucatán peninsula, rain and showers are possible from Monday into Tuesday.
Jan. 4: As the celebration of Three Kings' Day approached, bakers at the La Joya Bakery in Mexico City prepared 500 sweet traditional "rosca" breads a day. (GRACIELA LÓPEZ /CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Take a visual tour of Mexico — from ringing in the new year to visits from the Three Kings — with this selection of pictures from the week.
Veracruz, Veracruz
Dec. 31: Tourists enjoy the last sunset of 2023 on Playa Villa de Mar in Veracruz. (VICTORIA RAZO/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Acapulco, Guerrero
Jan. 1: In the early hours of the first day of 2024, thousands of residents and tourists watched the fireworks display over Acapulco Bay as the city continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Otis. (CARLOS ALBERTO CARBAJAL/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Dolores Hidalgo, Chiapas
Jan. 1: In honor of the 30-year anniversary of the Zapatista National Army of Liberation (EZLN) uprising, zapatistas and their supporters gathered in Chiapas. (ISABEL MATEOS/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Mérida, Yucatán
Jan. 1: Mexican rejoneador (bullfighter on horseback) Fauro Aloi at the first bullfight of the year in the Mérida Bull Ring. (MARTÍN ZETINA/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Cancún, Quintana Roo
Jan. 4: Tourists on kayaks see a colorful dawn with Cancún on the horizon in Nichupté Lagoon. (ELIZABETH RUIZ/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Reynosa, Tamaulipas
Jan. 4: One hundred special forces soldiers of the Mexican Army were sent to Reynosa, Tamaulipas on Thursday to reinforce security in the border region. (SEDENA/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
Mexico City
Jan. 5: Doctors and nurses dressed as Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior delivered gifts to children at the Coyoacán pediatric hospital for Three Kings’ Day. (MARIO JASSO/CUARTOSCURO.COM)
2024 is going to be a big year for Mexico, says Travis Bembenek. (Cuartoscuro)
I think 2024 is going to be a significant year for Mexico, so I’m going out on a limb to make some predictions for this year.
Below you’ll find my 17 predictions of the top news stories in Mexico this year. Please note that I am not expressing an opinion on whether these are good or bad things to come, but just my best guess at what will dominate the headlines.
The nearshoring boom will continue to accelerate and Mexico will receive a record amount of foreign direct investment.
One if not two Chinese auto companies will announce massive plant investments in Mexico.
Increased discussion and tension will arise among USMCA partners (U.S., Canada, Mexico) over the rapidly increasing Chinese investment and imports into Mexico.
The NBA will confirm that an expansion team will come to Mexico City.
Claudia Sheinbaum will win the presidential election in a landslide.
The Mexican peso will not move significantly in reaction to the election results (as it often does).
The Maya Train project will be more positively viewed by the end of the year and increasingly be recognized as a strategically important investment for the region.
The Tulum airport will receive a surprisingly high number of new flights and become a major flight destination.
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec train will get increased interest and attention due to continued problems with the Panama canal.
Mexico will become an increasingly important topic in the upcoming U.S. elections. Issues like immigration, fentanyl, and drug cartels will cause some candidates to threaten significant actions against the country.
Despite the campaign rhetoric, Mexico will increase its lead and share as the largest trading partner of the United States.
Tesla will accelerate its plant investment in Monterrey.
The number of U.S. and Canadian citizens moving to Mexico will continue to accelerate.
A record number of international tourists will come to Mexico.
The Bank of Mexico will finally begin to lower interest rates in the first quarter of the year, which should weaken the peso gradually.
The Mexican peso will end the year above 18 to the US dollar.
Mexico will end 2024 as the 10th largest economy in the world (moving up 2 places from 2023 and 4 places from 2022).
What do you think? How many of my predictions do you agree or disagree with? In the spirit of dialogue and debate, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Travis Bembenek is the CEO of Mexico News Daily and has been living, working or playing in Mexico for over 27 years.
Sideboard design for Hermès in Cancún. (Courtesy: Mestiz)
The Mestiz adventure began almost 10 years ago, when newly-graduated architect David Varela met the Tamayo brothers, master textile artisans in his home state of Coahuila. It was during this meeting that Varela developed a deep appreciation for Mexican folklore.
Today, Mestiz has established itself as a globally renowned company, working on projects for brands like Hermès and collaborating with organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation. Mestiz specializes in creating “wild objects,” as described by its creator, David Varela. These pieces transport viewers to a parallel universe that combines the humor, fantasy and mysticism of Mexican folk art.
Daniel Valero at his studio in San Miguel de Allende. (Courtesy: Mestiz)
Recently, Mestiz opened a new studio in the historic center of San Miguel de Allende and created an experiential design activation for Casa Dragones’ headquarters there with a parallel Day of the Dead altar in front of the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. Mexico News Daily sat down with David Varela to discuss the design philosophy of Mestiz and the studio’s most recent projects. You don’t want to miss getting to know this notable, young Mexican creative.
Why do you describe your unique objects as wild?
It was difficult for me to classify whether Mestiz was art, design, or craftsmanship, and I was always asked about it. One day I decided to create my own category that I call “wild,” because the term wild comes from what is not domesticated. It was my way of saying I make pieces, I go with the craftsmen and I adapt to what they do: from what I learn we create new things. What I propose is to create a long-term relationship in which we create wild pieces that are different from what they do, but inspired by what they already know how to do.
Can you describe your alter ego and how it influences your design process?
It comes from the same idea of the name: Mestiz. When I started the project, I didn’t want it to have a name because I thought I was generating an alter ego to make a mixture of craft techniques from two different generations: craftsmen and designers. It was born out of a synergy of craftsmanship, design and art, with the idea of creating something different. The alter ego is Mestiz, this mixture of ideologies, techniques and ways of thinking, but all in the same direction. Mestiz is not Daniel, nor only the craftsmen, it is something else, born from the meeting of two worlds.
What aspect of the Mexican artisan tradition inspires you the most?
I believe that handicrafts and gastronomy are the best ways to get to know a place: both are like an open book of the history of each place. Mexico has so much cultural richness, and its geography is so complicated, that each region has developed its type of gastronomy, music and crafts. I don’t want to focus only on the handicraft technique, but also on the folklore, the mystical and religious themes of a place, because the handicraft or popular art has a lot of that, each manifestation speaks of a cosmogonic theme. I am also inspired by their sense of humor, fantasy, or surrealism. In handicrafts there is a lot of play, conversation, joy and sadness: all emotions are valid. All this is what I love and what I always try to absorb to create my pieces.
San Miguel de Allende Studio. (Courtesy: Mestiz)
Can you tell us about “Los Dos Soles Ofrenda” in New York City and its significance?
It was a portal: two suns that connected and created a bridge between San Miguel de Allende and Rockefeller Center. The project was made for the Rockefeller Foundation and Casa Dragones, the tequila brand based in San Miguel de Allende and New York). Then, snakes inspired by the fauna and vegetation around San Miguel de Allende came out of this portal and took over the space, creating a micro-universe: the serpents at the end moved to the plaza and served as benches: I wanted people to interact with the offering, because an altar is something very private and intimate. In the back there was a blue wall where people could leave a photo of a loved one, the response of the people was impressive. There was a day when it looked like Mexico had won the World Cup: there were 3,000 people in the plaza, people with flags and hats. I had never worked in a public space before and I loved the energy.
Can you share some details about your new studio in San Miguel de Allende?
My new studio is located in a historical building in San Miguel called Pasaje Allende: this space was abandoned for a while and we renovated it. Now is a place to show people the pieces, but in the end, it’s not a shop or a gallery, it’s my studio and it works by appointment, it is not open to the public.
What are your thoughts on the current Mexican design scene? Do you find it to be innovative?
I feel that in general the Mexican creative scene is in a good moment. The eyes of the world are on Mexican design. If a few years ago they were focused on what the Scandinavians were doing, now they are interested in what is happening in Latin America, but I think especially in Mexico.
Ana Paula de la Torre is a Mexican journalist and collaborator of various media such as Milenio, Animal Político, Vice, Newsweek en Español, Televisa and Mexico News Daily.
The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli, which means "oven-cooked agave", from metl and ixcalli. (Freepik)
Since it comes in a gigantic number of varieties, you might feel unsure about how to order a mezcal. Let’s first simplify the various ways mezcal can be classified.
There are more than 200 species of agave in Mexico. (Thomas Wavid Johns/Unsplash)
So without burying you under an enormous pile of agave flavor profiles, why don’t we just identify some that will provide a good range of differing characteristics?
Tobalá
Sometimes called the King of Agaves, the Tobalá renders a mezcal that is found especially elegant by many, with a light, mildly sweet, floral flavor.
Tepextate
During a mezcal tasting, a Tepextate is known to widen eyes and turn heads. To me, it features a green, herbal flavor, with some describing it as a melange of freshly cut sweet and spicy peppers.
Madrecuixe
For me, a good Madrecuixe is mineral with a nice sweetness, but most of all, earthy! There can be so much complexity that, not unlike other mezcal varieties, just keeps unfolding as both the drink – or the night goes on.
There are so many more that it’s a crime not to describe other varieties, but we’ve got to start somewhere, right?
Ordering mezcal by profile
Another indulgence of mine is cigars. In that world, profile refers to strength of flavor and aroma; so I’ll borrow the term. After years of observation, I’ll assert that most mezcal drinkers are either those who like a softer profile or a full-flavored one.
I could expound as to why we Mezcal Maniacs sometimes think people aren’t, as the Oaxacans recommend, taking mezcal with besitos, or “little kisses.” But I’ll sum it up like this: a spirit stronger in flavor and alcohol is normally best appreciated with smaller sips than usual. Otherwise, it may overwhelm the palate so you’re not able to appreciate it fully.
Some of us figure this out immediately, others take longer and still others aren’t necessarily open to changing their sipping flow rate. It’s all good.
If, like me, you’re enchanted by adventurously full flavors, you might consider one that is at least 47% – or even more than 50% ABV. Those besitos may just expand your mind! Admittedly, some of these biggies can feature a stronger bite, but you’d be surprised: at times a 52% is just as smooth as you please.
If the above didn’t sound appealing, consider one further south of 47%. But if it’s under 42% and you don’t like it, it may not be the agave’s fault. There’s just not enough oomph in the distillation to register a significant flavor experience.
Joven vs. reposado or añejo
A joven (young) mezcal is one that is mostly quite clear, a reposado has rested in a wood barrel for from 2 to 12 months and an añejo for more than a year. I think you’ll find most serious mezcal drinkers are focused on joven. But if, like many, you’ve become accustomed to the mellowed experience provided by many whiskeys and bourbons, give the reposados and añejos a try too.
My opinion is that, with some exceptions, what the wood adds in flavor detracts from all the other things that many of us love about mezcal.
Ordering mezcal: the bottom line
I didn’t mention cocktails here, as it seems to me a mezcal education is better focused on the spirit itself. If you don’t know what it tastes like outside of a cocktail, you’re unlikely to appreciate its contribution when inside one. It’s common to hear you shouldn’t waste a mezcal made from an expensive, wild-harvested agave in a cocktail. But, although I don’t drink them often myself, a mezcal that stands out to you when neat will normally improve a cocktail dramatically.
This article may not end the way you figured. You see, I’m going to suggest that the best way to order a mezcal is to find a mezcal establishment with both a great variety of distillations and an experienced staff that will ultimately know how to guide you.
Sure, you’ve got a primer here. I’ve given you a fairly wide array of agave varieties to consider, you know there can be both soft and full-flavored profiles and you can take a shot at wood-rested options too. But a dynamite bartender can help you plot a course to eventual mezcal ordering confidence.
And how about actually buying a bottle of mezcal? I’ll address that next!
Jonathan Lockwood is an American Voice Talent living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He is also a Mezcal Lover, Explorer, and Collector and writes the Mezcal Maniac Substack. Read and subscribe here: https://mezcalmaniac.substack.com.
Toy guns sold in Mexico are not allowed to be made in the colors black, silver or gold. (@DavidMonroyMx/X)
Authorities have confiscated toy guns on sale at a market in Celaya, Guanajuato, because of their close similarity to the real thing.
Municipal authorities seized the replica weapons from a tianguis, or market, set up in the city for Three Kings’ Day (Día de los Reyes Magos), on which Mexican children traditionally receive gifts.
🔴 ¡ARMAS DE JUGUETE, ENTRE LOS MÁS VENDIDOS!
😥 En las calles de Eje 1, Manuel Doblado y del Carmen, las armas de juguete son de los más vendidos, los precios van desde los 250 a los 450 pesos.
The Celaya security department said that the products confiscated “don’t comply with the official standard for the manufacture of war toys.”
“In other words, they look real,” the department said.
According to the Mexican standard NOM-161-SCFI-2003, replica weapons must be made out of transparent or fluorescent plastic. To avoid being mistaken for the real thing, a toy gun can’t be silver, grey or black, or a combination of those colors.
Local official Salvador Martínez Abud said that many of the toy weapons on sale at the Three Kings’ Day market complied with regulations, but three models didn’t because they’re “completely identical” to real guns.
Replica AK-47s that shoot hydrogel bullets were among the toy guns seized.
Martínez said that municipal authorities in Celaya – one of Mexico’s most violent cities – “categorically condemn” the manufacture and sale of “these kinds of toys.”
“We’re not in the ’80s when perhaps children in their innocence played cops and robbers. … We have to take a lot of care in managing the issue of arms,” he said, adding that children could get the wrong idea about “what a game is” were they to play with the authentic-looking – and reportedly popular – toy guns.
On the X social media platform, the Celaya security department posted a “letter” to the Reyes Magos (Wise Men or Three Kings) asking them not to bring replica weapons as gifts.
“To the beloved Reyes Magos, let’s promote the use of traditional and playful toys as well as reading in order to encourage the prevention of crime and violence, and appreciation of the values of family and social coexistence,” the letter said.
The flight crashed just 200 meters short of the airport runway. (@JuanJoRamz28/X)
Four people are dead after a light aircraft crashed near the Saltillo Airport in Coahuila on Friday.
A Piper PA-46 plane with four people on board came down just 200 meters short of a runway at the airport — officially the Plan de Guadalupe International Airport — at around midday after taking off from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, some 40 minutes earlier, according to Coahuila authorities and media reports.
Just before the crash, the pilot, identified as Antonio Ávila, reported that the aircraft had run out of fuel, the Milenio newspaper reported.
The other three victims were Adriana Garza Ibarra, Rosario Garza Ibarra and Hilda Garza Ibarra, according to the newspaper El Heraldo de Saltillo.
Milenio reported that Adriana Garza Ibarra was a crew member and that the other two women were from the United States, but El Heraldo said that all three were passengers. Their surnames suggest they were sisters.
El Heraldo reported that the single-engine aircraft first departed Brownsville, Texas, before stopping off in Matamoros. The two cities are located on opposite sides of the Mexico-U.S. border.
El Heraldo also said that strong winds may have been a factor in the crash, which occurred in the Blanca Esthela neighborhood of Ramos Arizpe, a municipality in the metropolitan area of Saltillo where the airport is located.
According to Milenio, the single-engine aircraft — made by the Florida-based manufacturer Piper Aircraft — was owned by a company based in Toluca, México state.
The peso has maintained strength against the US dollar as January begins, but could weaken later this year, experts say. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro)
The Mexican peso appreciated to its strongest position against the US dollar in over four months on Friday after data showed that United States employers hired more workers than expected in December.
The peso was trading at 16.87 to the dollar at 3:00 p.m. Mexico City time, the currency’s strongest position since late August.
The peso closed just below 17 to the greenback last Friday, but was above that level on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis at the Mexican bank Banco Base, said that the appreciation of the peso on Friday was due to the better-than-expected employment data out of the United States.
The U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that non-farm payroll employment increased by 216,000 in December and that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%.
The Bank of México (Banxico) headquarters in Mexico City. (Shutterstock)
Siller said that the U.S. employment data was “positive news for economic growth in Mexico, due to the close economic relationship between the two countries through exports.”
The stronger-than-expected job growth also makes it less likely that the United States Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in the very near term.
“Jobs growth remains as resilient as ever, validating growing skepticism that the economy will be ready for policy rate cuts as early as March,” said Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management.
Nancy Vanden Houten, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, predicted that the Fed will make an initial cut to its 5.25%-5.5% interest rate range in May.
The wide difference between the Bank of Mexico’s record high benchmark interest of 11.25% and the Fed’s range is one factor that helped the peso strengthen in 2023 after it started last year at around 19.5 to the dollar.
Reuters reported Friday that the bank, abbreviated as Banxico, “drove inflows [of foreign capital] by leaving its key rate at a multi-year high of 11.25% for much of the year to lower inflation.”
Mexico’s central bank raised its key rate to 11.25% last March and has left it unchanged since then. The bank said last month that “the reference rate must be maintained at its current level for some time” in order to “achieve an orderly and sustained convergence of headline inflation to the 3% target.”
The peso has appreciated significantly over 2023, but analysts expect the currency to weaken next year. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
Many analysts believe that Banxico will make an initial cut to its key rate in the first half of 2024, but the bank’s board members don’t expect inflation to converge to the 3% target until the second quarter of 2025, according to the freshly-released minutes of their December monetary policy meeting.
Annual headline inflation ticked up to 4.46% in the first half of December, from 4.32% in November.
What’s in store for the peso in 2024?
The peso appreciated by about 15% against the US dollar in 2023, its best performance in over 30 years.
However, many analysts and financial organizations believe the currency will weaken this year.
All 33 banks, brokerages and research organizations consulted by Citibanamex for its most recent “expectations survey” predicted that the peso will depreciate in 2024. Their consensus forecast was that the USD:MXN exchange rate will be 18.65 at the end of 2024.
The median estimate of 25 currency strategists polled by Reuters in early January is that the peso will trade at 18 to the dollar at the end of 2024, a weakening of around 6% from its position on Friday afternoon.
“The expected drop is bigger than a consensus inflation forecast of 4.0%, meaning the currency will undergo some pressure from narrower [interest] rate differentials ahead,” Reuters reported.
Montserrat Aldave, principal economist in Finamex, told the news agency that “central banks will begin to ease in 2024 and we anticipate rate spreads between Mexico and the United States will decrease by 100-150 basis points.”
The current gap between the Bank of Mexico’s key rate and the Fed’s rate is 575-600 basis points.
“At 11.25%, Banxico’s rate continues to offer a big margin over the U.S. Federal Reserve’s range of 5.25%-5.50% for the cost of credit, which investors capitalize on in profitable so-called ‘carry trade’ bets,” Reuters reported.
A reduction in that margin could lead to a decrease in investment inflows to Mexico, and thus reduce demand for the peso and weaken the currency in 2024.
One in ten fruits produced in Mexico is a mango. (Rodolfo Patiño/Cuartoscuro)
Mexico produced more than 2.23 million tonnes of mangoes between January and November 2023, up from 2.16 million tonnes in the same period of 2022, and setting a record for annual production.
TheAgriculture and Rural Development Ministry (Sader) highlighted that the sector had seen sustained growth of around 39% over the last ten years, largely driven by increased areas allocated to mango cultivation.
Mangoes are cultivated in 23 Mexican states, but just five states account for 76% of national production. (Gobierno de México)
Between 2022 and 2023, mango cultivation areas in Mexico increased by 5%, from 208,994 to 219,452 hectares, while average yield grew from 10.83 to 10.85 tonnes per hectare. Around 80% of Mexican mangoes are harvested between April and August, according to Sader’s data.
“As Mexico is a world power producer of the fruit, with a high capacity for mobilization, it also makes the largest shipments abroad during those months,” the ministry said.
Sader also highlighted that better systems implemented by the National Service of Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) are helping more fruit reach the market.
Mangoes are cultivated in 23 Mexican states, but just five states account for 76% of national production. Sinaloa led the way, producing 475,324 tonnes in the first 11 months of 2023, followed by Guerrero with 417,209 tonnes, Nayarit with 323,117 tonnes, Chiapas with 272,151 tonnes, and Oaxaca with 213,960 tonnes.
Native to southeast Asia, mangoes were firstintroduced to Mexico by the Spanish in the 16th century, and proved well-suited to the local soils and climate. Today,Mexico ranks fifth in global mango production, with 14 different breeds cultivated in the country. The most popular is the sweet, yellow Ataúlfo mango, which was originally bred by agronomist Ataúlfo Morales in Soconusco, Chiapas.
Mango is ubiquitous in Mexican cuisine, flavoring everything from ceviche to salsas to cocktails. But it is typically eaten fresh, often seasoned with lime and chili. Sader estimates that Mexicans consume an average of 13 kilos of mango per person per year, and mangoes account for 9% of national fruit production.
AICM began reducing the maximum number of hourly flights allowed in early 2022. (Carlos Aranda/Unsplash)
Hourly flight numbers at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) will be reduced to 43 from 52 starting next Monday.
The plan to reduce flight numbers at Mexico’s busiest airport was first announced last August and initially scheduled to take effect in late October.
However, the federal government subsequently postponed its implementation until Jan. 8 to to avoid a negative impact on travelers using the AICM during the peak winter travel season.
In a statement issued on Friday, the airport confirmed that hourly flight numbers would be reduced as of Monday.
It didn’t specify when flight numbers would increase again, but noted that the same reduction would apply for the “upcoming summer season,” which will commence March 31 and conclude Oct. 26.
In order to cut flight numbers from 52 to 43 — a 17% reduction — a “complicated and complex process in the allocation of landing and takeoff schedules (slots)” was completed, the AICM said.
Mexico’s busiest airport will see another reduction in flights starting on Monday to relieve congestion. (Cuartoscuro)
It added that the process resulted in the “proportional reduction of 9,413 schedules” over an unspecified period. The AICM highlighted that “the reduction of slots will not apply to international flights.”
The federal government declared in early 2022 that both AICM terminals had reached saturation point, and enacted the same year a so-called “temporary” plan to reduce the number of flights arriving and departing, from 61 to 52 per hour.
In August last year, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport said that the reduction to 43 flights per hour would also be “temporary” and “remain in place as long as the saturation conditions at AICM persist.”
As things stand, it appears that the limit of 43 flights per hour will apply throughout most of 2024.
The National Chamber of Air Transport said last year that “the basic problem at AICM is not the capacity of [flights] per hour, but the age of the infrastructure and [its state of] deterioration.”
The government has sought to encourage Mexican airlines to shift some of their operations to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), which opened north of Mexico City in early 2022.
