AICM reports 15% progress in remodeling work

Mexico City International Airport (AICM) is 15% complete in its remodeling process and will be 70-80% complete by the time the 2026 World Cup arrives next summer, said its general director Juan José Padilla Olmos.

Since mid-May, the central area has been undergoing refurbishment and improvement work in both terminals. In Terminal 1, work is being carried out on the outpatient area (gates 1 to 3), Bravo hall, modules V and XI, and F2 hall; while in Terminal 2, work is being carried out on N hall, the arrival and departure outpatient areas, the airport train, filters M and K, and connecting corridors.

In addition, a giant fiberglass soccer ball has been placed in the rotunda of Terminal 2 to mark the World Cup, which will be held in the country this summer.

Work will stop by mid-May at the latest to accommodate the arrival of fans (some 5 million are expected in Mexico City alone) and will resume in August to complete the remaining 30-20%, which includes administrative offices and warehouses, among other things. All work is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

The total cost of the renovation is around US$460 million, and so far US$162 million have already been invested, according to figures provided by Padilla Olmos.

All the remodeling work has been done without having to suspend flights, said Jesús González Vallarino, deputy director of construction at Lado Tierra, who added that the money for the work comes from the resources generated by the terminal itself.