With 12 days to go until the arrival of millions of tourists at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) for the inauguration of the 2026 World Cup, and with little time left, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, inaugurated this Saturday the first phase of remodeling, which seeks to modernize the facilities and improve the passenger experience.

“It is an investment of 6.5 billion pesos (about 374.5 million dollars) and this investment is very important because it is self-generated by the airport, no public budget was given (…) The main part is already done,” said the Mexican president about this first phase of three, although this one was planned for before the inaugural match in the Mexican capital.

In the vicinity of the AICM, Sheinbaum acknowledged the inauguration as another commitment fulfilled in her 20 months of government, of which she will give an account on Sunday, among those achievements she assured that she will highlight the renovations carried out at the AICM.

The total investment of the three phases is 10 billion pesos (576.2 million dollars), so the first phase, in which more than 2,000 people worked from April 2025 until now, is the most significant of the remodeling.

In that sense, the general director, Admiral Juan José Padilla, explained that more than 394,000 square meters of surface directly destined for passengers in terminals 1 and 2 were intervened.

He also said that the reorientation of 34,000 additional square meters was achieved to expand last-minute waiting rooms, corridors, security filters, roads and parking lots.

Padilla assured that the expansion of inspection lines by 25% in the security filters will allow passengers, during peak hours, “not to take more than 3 or 4 minutes in the revision procedures.”

And he highlighted the increase in automatic filters in migratory areas that will now be able to carry out surveillance control in “no more than 9 minutes,” compared to the 40 they used to wait in peak hours.

He said that the substantive improvements focused on the punctuality of flights, increasing the speed of baggage delivery, greater cleanliness, as well as having an internet service without interruptions.

Regarding the controversy of taxis and application transportation, such as Uber, he acknowledged that work had been done on it, and now passengers will be able to choose their preferred vehicle for leaving the AICM, after the installation of bays outside the federal zone.

“We don’t want an airport for a World Cup, we want an airport for Mexicans,” he said.

The Mexico City International Airport (AICM) transported 44.5 million national and international passengers during 2025, although it expects to reach 50 million with the celebration of the World Cup.

During the renovations, AICM users have reported floods caused by leaks in the roofs, congestion due to machinery and debris on the roadways, failures in basic services, limited infrastructure and vehicular tension between taxis and app cars.

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