Bogota, El Salvador and Panama can benefit from stalled Mexico airport project

Airport operations could grow in Bogotá, El Salvador, and Panama, assuming Andres Manuel López, who becomes president of Mexico on December 1, suspends Texcoco, Mexico City’s proposed new airport.

With annual traffic of up to 125 million, Texcoco would compete for flights connecting Latin America with North America, Europe, and Asia.

But concerns about a cost of at least $14 billion and the environmental impact of a six-runway facility could stop the project.

Colombia’s Avianca is the main user of Bogota’s El Dorado airport, and of Monseñor Romero airport in El Salvador.

Panama's Tocumen Internacional, the Latin American airport with the greatest number of connections, is the hub of Copa Airlines.

There would be complications involved in terminating the Texcoco project, including the cost of terminating contracts for preliminary works, design, and feasibility studies.

On the other hand, nearly three quarters of a total of 1.1 million respondents to a public consultation held last week, would rather expand civil aviation operations at Santa Lucía, a military air base in Northwest Mexico City, than continuing with Texcoco.

The consultation was commissioned by the coalition, which last July won the Presidency of Mexico, and both houses of Congress.