On February 2, 2023, Mexican President López Obrador published an executive order in the Federal Official Gazette establishing the closure of Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport ("AICM") for the operations of air cargo transportation services.
The Mexican Civil Aviation Law defines the cargo service as the agreement between the concessionaire or permit holder and the shipper, where the concessionaire transports goods, from an origin point to a destination, and delivers them to its consignee for payment of a contribution.
The executive order establishes that the AICM will be closed for domestic and international air cargo transportation services. Airlines that provide combined passenger and cargo services are exempt from this order, as long as the cargo is transported in the passenger aircraft.
Cargo airlines will have 108 business days from the entry into force of this order (February 3, 2023) to relocate their operations outside of the AICM. Most of these operations will be transferred to the new Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles, which is located at the municipality of Zumpango de Ocampo, State of Mexico, approximately at 40 kilometers from the AICM.
From our preliminary analysis, we consider that the executive order may incur potential violations of legal provisions that protect cargo services companies in Mexico.
