Xóchitl Gálvez proposes to resume the NAICM project

MEXICO CITY - The New International Airport of Mexico (NACIM), a transcendental project for national infrastructure that had been discontinued under the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has once again captured the public's attention.

The presidential candidate for the Frente Amplio por México (PAN-PRI-PRD), Xóchitl Gálvez, has caused a shake-up in the political chessboard with her recent statement about reconsidering the viability of the NACIM.

Her intention to revisit important projects previously discarded by the current administration introduces a new dynamic in the national political conversation.

It is worth mentioning that the NAICM was cancelled due to a supposed "popular consultation", which "won", at the time. In exchange for the cancellation of such an important complex for Mexico that would develop dozens of good aspects, President AMLO built a couple more runways and a terminal at the "new" Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA),

However, this terminal continues to be unviable and has not alleviated the problem of slot saturation (takeoff and landing schedules) of the Mexico City Airport.

The cancellation of the NAICM was a controversial issue since the beginning of López Obrador's administration, involving significant costs and debates about the viability and necessity of a new airport in Texcoco versus the construction of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA).

Gálvez criticized the decision to cancel the project, arguing the financial waste it meant and proposed to evaluate the possibility of continuing with the NAICM or expanding the AIFA, depending on which is the best decision based on technical studies and the participation of the private sector.

The NAIM, conceived as an emblem of modernity and development, was suspended in favor of other infrastructure projects and all the material that was acquired during the administration of former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, was looted from the NAICM, for the construction of AIFA, which led to dozens of lawsuits against the federal government of the administration of current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The reactivation of the debate on its viability not only revolutionizes the political agenda but also raises critical questions about the direction of Mexico's infrastructural and economic development. In this context, some airport experts have commented that the reactivation of the NAICM construction is unfeasible.