However, last month's results reflected greater efficiency in the airlines' operations.
Good start to summer for aviation. Mexico City International Airport (AICM), despite its technical restrictions due to saturation declarations, registered in July its highest number of passengers transported on commercial flights (4,118,461) and operations (26,445) of this year, although there were decreases of 4.9% and 9.5%, compared to the same month last year.
“During July, the day with the highest number of passengers served was Thursday the 18th with 140,161 travelers,” reported the terminal managed by the Navy and which has Aeromexico, VivaAerobus and Volaris as its main airlines.
Last month's results reflected greater efficiency in the operations of airlines, since if the data for July in terms of passengers is compared with the same month in 2019 (without the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic) they are 11.1% lower, but in terms of the number of operations the drop is greater: 30.6 percent.
An example of this is that, for example, VivaAerobus reported that in that month (at a national level) it reported a historical record in occupancy factor, 92%, and AICM has a relevant participation in that achievement.
In the operations report of the country's main air terminal, it was recalled that the main cause of the decrease in the aforementioned indicators was the reduction from 52 to 43 operations per hour, starting January 8, 2024, exclusively for domestic flights. In addition, the overhaul of Pratt & Whitney engines in the VivaAerobus and Volaris fleets has had an influence.
Despite this situation, in the seventh month of the year the share of domestic passengers served remained practically the same (62%), which reflects the importance that the airport still has in the country's connectivity.
Regarding the terminal's relevant international activity, it is worth highlighting that on July 13, Hainan Airlines resumed its operations from Beijing.
The route, which links the capitals of Mexico and China via Tijuana, is the firm's first direct flight to Latin America since the health crisis and a subsequent five-year pause. The operation will be twice a week.
For now, to improve travel experiences, AICM Director, Rear Admiral José Ramón Rivera Parga, continues to monitor the performance of companies that offer ground support services to airlines, after it was detected that one of the causes of delays in baggage delivery is because, sometimes, they do not have enough staff.
