New Mexico City international airport

New Mexico City International Airport
Nuevo Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México
IATA: none – ICAO: none
Summary
Serves Mexico City
Location Zona Federal del Lago de Texcoco, municipalities of Ecatepec, Atenco and Texcoco, State of Mexico, Greater Mexico City
Opened 2018 (Planned)
Coordinates 19°33′24″N 98°57′55″W / 19.556619°N 98.965274°WCoordinates: 19°33′24″N 98°57′55″W / 19.556619°N 98.965274°W
Map
New Mexico City International Airport

A new Mexico City international airport was announced by Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto in his State of the Union address on September 2, 2014, who said that it would be a national symbol. The new airport will replace Mexico City International Airport, which is at capacity. It is to have one large terminal of 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m2) on a total lot of 11,400 acres (4,600 ha). It will have three runways to start[1] and will be expandable to up to six runways: two that are each 4,500 m (14,800 ft) long and four that are each 4,000 m (13,000 ft) long. With three runways in simultaneous use the airport will be able to serve up to 50,000,000 passengers per year.[2][3][4]

The Master Plan has been developed by the global engineering and consultancy company Arup Group Limited.[5][6] The architects are Fernando Romero, architect of the Soumaya Museum, and Foster and Partners. The project will be a collaboration between FR-EE / Fernando Romero EnterprisE, Foster and Partners, and NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants).[3][4]

Cost and construction

Construction will be in two phases, 2015–2020 (but with some operations beginning in 2018) and a second phase to be defined.[7] The first phase will put three runways into service, with another three to be added in the second phase.[8] As of September 2014 the bidding process had not yet been launched. Phase I was originally estimated to cost 120 billion Mexican pesos, about 9.1 billion US dollars, but on September 4, 2014, the estimate was revised to 169 billion pesos (13 billion USD). The funding will be 58% public and 42% private. It will be built on land owned by the federal government in the lakebed of Lake Texcoco, an area known as the Zona Federal del Lago de Texcoco, in the State of Mexico, east of the current airport.[3][4]

Location

The airport will be built in the Zona Federal del Lago de Texcoco, an area that is still not built-up on the Lake Texcoco lakebed. It is currently under the administration of the Comisión Nacional del Agua (Conagua), or National Water Commission. The land lies within the municipalities of Atenco, Ecatepec and Texcoco, in the State of Mexico.[9]

Facilities

The airport will start the building process in 2015/2016 with its starting phase. It is expected to put its first phase in operation in 2020. If completed as planned, the airport will have a passenger capacity of up to 120 million people per year. This would make it the largest airport in Latin America as well in the Americas in both physical size and passanger volume.

At its first phase, the airport will include:

When completed the airport, its total facilities will include:

Terminal design

Fernando Romero with a model of the new airport.

Symbolism

The entrance to the terminal will feature a garden of cacti and symbols of the eagle and snake, part of the national symbol pictured on the country's Coat of Arms and flag.[10]

X Shape

The X is symbolic of the country's name, "México". An X shape is also considered efficient to extend the number of gates. The X shape is employed in the airports of Abu Dhabi, Nairobi, and Seoul.[9]

Roof

The roof is airy, lightweight, and made of membrane.[11]

According to Foster and Partners:[12]

With spans in excess of 100 metres, three times the span of a conventional airport, it has a monumental scale inspired by Mexican architecture and symbolism. The maximum span internally is 170 metres. The lightweight glass and steel structure and soaring vaulted roof are designed for Mexico City’s challenging soil conditions. Its unique pre-fabricated system can be constructed rapidly, without the need for scaffolding – the airport will be a showcase for Mexican innovation, built by Mexican contractors and engineers.

Sustainability

The terminal is to be sustainable, aiming for a LEED Platinum certification.[13] The project claims it is "designed to be the world’s most sustainable airport".[12]

Antecedents and protests

Because of the increasing traffic at Mexico City airport, president Vicente Fox in 2002 announced the construction of a new, larger airport on 5,000 ha (12,000 acres) of land in the municipalities of Texcoco and San Salvador Atenco, roughly where the new airport is planned today. When local violent protests took place, the new airport was cancelled.[14] Prior to the 2014 announcement of the construction of the new airport, the government had purchased ejido land (agricultural land held in common by local communities), and the government now claims that it has no need to acquire additional locally-held land to build the airport. Some local groups in Atenco and nearby communities differ, claiming that the federal government acquired the land through deception and strong-arming, and small-scale protests took place after the announcement.[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ "New details released of Norman Foster and Fernando Romero's designs for Mexico City's new airport", ArchDaily
  2. ↑ "Nuevo Aeropuerto, símbolo de modernidad: Peña Nieto" ("New airport, symbol of modernity: Peña Nieto", in Spanish), El Universal, 2014-09-03
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Ready for landing: Mexico City airport expansion could make it one of largest in world", Christian Science Monitor, 2014-09-03
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Mexico Plans New $9.2 Billion Airport: New Mexico City Airport Is Expected to Be the Largest in Latin America and Serve as Regional Hub", Wall Street Journal, 2014-09-03
  5. ↑ http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/4122-plans-for-a-new-mexico-city-airport-being-reviewed.html
  6. ↑ http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/19/us-mexico-airport-idUSKBN0EU1TC20140619
  7. ↑ "El nuevo aeropuerto se construirá en dos etapas", El Universal, 2014-09-02
  8. ↑ Flottau, Jen and Madhu Unnikrishnan, Crossroad policies, Aviation Week and Space Technology, September 15, 2014, pp. 40-41
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "9 puntos clave sobre el nuevo aeropuerto de la Ciudad de México", José Roberto Cisneros Duarte y Mauricio Torres, CNNExpansión, 2014-09-04
  10. ↑ "X marks the spot! Dazzling plans by British architect Lord Norman Foster for Mexico City's new £5.5BILLION airport unveiled" Mail Online, 2014-09-04
  11. ↑ "Norman Foster, Romero to build Mexico airport", Reading Eagle, 2014-09-03
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Press release on Foster and Partners website, September 2014
  13. ↑ "Mexico City's New Mega-Airport Will Collect Its Own Energy and Water", Gizmodo, 2014-09-03
  14. ↑ "Mexico Drops Planned Airport After Protests From Peasants", GINGER THOMPSON, New York Times, August 3, 2002
  15. ↑ "Con toma simbólica de maquinaria, Atenco inicia protestas contra el aeropuerto", La Jornada, 2014-09-03
  16. ↑ "Reactivan lucha en Atenco contra aeropuerto", El Universal, 2014-09-02

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