Mexico City Airport

There are airports you simply tick off on a spotting tour, and then there is Mexico City. The Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez is not on the outskirts but in the middle of one of the world’s largest metropolises – and at about 2,230 meters elevation on top of that. Aircraft glide in over city blocks, elevated highways and pedestrian bridges, with the mountains around the high valley in the background when visibility is clear. If you like big-city approaches, here you’ll find one of the most impressive subjects on the American continent.

An airport the city has caught up with

Aircraft have been flying from the site east of the center since 1910, when the plain of Balbuena was still open field. In 1915 a military airfield arose there, in the late 1920s a small civil airport, and on May 15, 1931 the airport was officially inaugurated. In 1943 it received international airport status – the first foreign service was flown by what was then Mexicana to Los Angeles.

Since then the city has grown around the airport until it completely enclosed it. That has consequences to this day: the grounds can hardly be expanded, two older, shorter runways were already closed in the 1970s, and in 1994 general aviation had to move to Toluca to make room for scheduled traffic. You therefore see private jets at the AICM comparatively rarely.

The airport has carried its current official name since a presidential decree of November 2006: it honors Benito Juárez, the 19th-century president. In everyday speech, though, most people simply say “el AICM” – or, internationally, MEX.

Hot and high: what the elevation means

Elevation is what technically sets the AICM apart from almost all other major airports. At about 2,230 meters, the air is, according to the standard atmosphere, roughly a fifth less dense than at sea level – on warm afternoons, noticeably less still. Airports with this combination of elevation and warmth are called “hot and high” in aviation.

For the aircraft, this has tangible consequences:

• Longer takeoff rolls: Wings generate less lift in thin air, and engines deliver less thrust. A jet therefore needs more runway before it lifts off. The two runways of almost four kilometers are not a luxury but a necessity.
• Limited payload: On heavily loaded long-haul flights, elevation can restrict the maximum takeoff weight – especially on hot days. Airlines plan fuel, cargo and route accordingly.
• Faster approaches over the ground: At the same indicated airspeed, aircraft move faster over the ground in thin air. For you, that means: the aircraft move through the frame somewhat more quickly than in Frankfurt or Madrid.

This is especially exciting on takeoffs. When a fully loaded widebody accelerates on the runway toward the northeast, you notice how long it takes before the nose wheel lifts. Why aircraft fly so efficiently at altitude in the first place is explained in the article Why aircraft fly at around 10,000 meters – on the ground in Mexico City you experience the flip side of the same physics.

Two runways, close together

The layout is quickly explained: two parallel runways in a southwest–northeast direction, 05L/23R and 05R/23L, each just under four kilometers long. The exact length figures differ by a few dozen meters depending on the source. The spacing is unusual: at only about 300 meters, the runways lie so close together that they cannot be operated independently of each other. That is exactly one of the reasons why the AICM has been officially considered saturated since 2014 and the number of movements per hour is capped.

Runway assignment is not a fixed rule – it depends on wind, traffic situation and air traffic control, and according to experienced spotters can change at short notice. So before and during your visit, check in a flight tracker what is currently running. How to do that is explained in the article on flight tracking with ADS-B.

Runway direction in use: mostly 05

According to the Spotterguide.net spotter guide, in Mexico City direction 05, that is toward the northeast, is flown about 70 to 80 percent of the time. Landings then come in from the southwest over the city. Direction 23 is used mainly on spring afternoons (roughly February to the end of April), in December and during strong summer thunderstorms.

For your planning, that is practical: most of the time you can count on landings from the southwest. If you’re looking for the comparatively rare 23 approaches, your best chances are in spring. The guide names March and April as especially worthwhile months anyway. You’ll find the basics on wind and runway direction in the article Understanding the runway direction in use at an airport.

Aeroméxico and the low-cost giants

Terminal 2 is the realm of Aeroméxico. The Mexican flag carrier operates its most important hub here, together with its regional subsidiary Aeroméxico Connect and partners from the SkyTeam alliance such as Delta Air Lines. On long-haul, Aeroméxico relies on the Dreamliner, that is the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9, and on short- and medium-haul mainly on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Connect flies regional jets of the Embraer E190 family.

In Terminal 1, two other names dominate: Volaris and Viva Aerobus. Both low-cost airlines fly Airbus narrowbody jets, increasingly the A320neo and the longer A321neo. Because both operate in large numbers, it pays to know the differences – the article A320neo or ceo? helps with sorting them out.

A piece of history belongs here, too: the old Mexicana, once one of Latin America’s most traditional airlines, ceased flight operations in 2010. Interjet, which collapsed in 2020, was also a fixture of the picture at the AICM for years. Both are part of the airport’s history today.

Who else lands in Mexico City

The international mix is the second big appeal. From the US come the big network airlines such as American Airlines, United and Delta. From Latin America, Avianca and Copa Airlines fly in, among others, plus LATAM.

Europe is well represented, too. According to traffic statistics, Madrid was the busiest international destination from Mexico City in 2025 – Iberia is correspondingly present. In addition come Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Munich, Air France, KLM, British Airways and Turkish Airlines. Emirates flies with a stopover in Barcelona, and from Asia airlines from Japan and China are represented. Which routes are served with which equipment changes with every schedule.

Cargo and the new airport in the north

For a long time the AICM was also the country’s cargo center, with companies such as AeroUnion and MasAir. That has changed. After the major project of a new capital airport in Texcoco was halted in 2018, the government expanded the Santa Lucía military airfield in the north into the Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles (AIFA). It entered service in 2022, and in July 2023 a decree moved the pure freighter flights there.

Cargo has not disappeared entirely, though: plenty still flies along in the bellies of passenger jets, and in 2025 the AICM still counted a good 250,000 metric tons. If you want to photograph freighters specifically, however, you now have to look toward Santa Lucía. For spotters in the city, the shift mainly means: fewer night freighters, but a clearer passenger program.

Spotting in the middle of the city

There is no official observation deck at the AICM like in Europe. The local scene has found its places anyway, and the detailed guide on Spotterguide.net describes a whole series of them. Many details there date from before 2023 – fences, opening hours and prices may have changed. Take the following places as orientation, not as a guarantee.

The pedestrian bridge at McDonald’s (“McPuente”): On Boulevard Puerto Aéreo, near Metro line 5. The guide calls the bridge the best-known and comparatively safest location, from which you see almost all movements. There are restrooms in the fast-food restaurant; over the apron, though, the air often shimmers during the day.

Hangares – morning approaches: The Hangares Metro station on line 5 lies practically under the approach to 05R, the most important landing runway. With 05 in use, the landings pass by here, and according to the guide the light works in summer from sunrise until late morning, in winter for longer. Don’t count on shade or infrastructure.

Alameda Oriente: A park near the airport with a view of takeoffs from 05R, good mainly in the morning. According to the guide, it is not reachable by public transportation, and there is no food or restrooms there.

The north side around La Cuchilla del Tesoro: Here are private locations in a residential neighborhood that are considered very good with 23 in use. The guide also describes spotter cafés around the airport that receive visitors by arrangement. Since this is private property, clarify access and opening hours beforehand directly with the operators or via the local community.

Light, haze and rainy season

Mexico City is not a place for carefree photo conditions. According to the spotter guide, in winter at many locations you stand in backlight in the morning as well as the afternoon; in summer the late afternoons are often best. On top of that comes heat shimmer: even at altitude, the asphalt heats up strongly at midday, and over longer distances contours blur. How to deal with it is explained in the article Avoiding heat shimmer.

The weather follows a clear annual rhythm. From about May to October is rainy season, often with strong afternoon thunderstorms and hail. The dry months, on the other hand, frequently bring haze and smog over the high valley. Many locals therefore recommend March and April: dry, comparatively clear and with the best chances of operations toward 23. You’ll find an overview of useful tools for weather forecasting in the article Weather apps for spotters.

Getting there and connecting

Terminal 1 is connected by a walkway to the Terminal Aérea station on Metro line 5, and Metrobús line 4 serves both terminals. Between the terminals, the Aerotrén shuttles, a cabin shuttle train that covers the roughly three kilometers in a few minutes. Check on site which connection between the terminals is usable for you.

Many Europeans pass through Mexico City anyway on their way to Central or South America. A longer stay can be used well for a spotting side trip if you plan for immigration and the routes. How to make good use of such stopovers is covered in the article Spotting during layovers.

Mexico City compared

With about 44.6 million passengers, the AICM was Mexico’s biggest airport in 2025 and the third-biggest in Latin America. That figure was below the record of just over 50 million in 2019 – also a consequence of the capacity limit and the shift of traffic to other airports.

Compared with US hubs such as Dallas/Fort Worth Airport or Los Angeles Airport, the AICM is cramped, densely built up and has no room for further runways. The spotting experience is more reminiscent of city airports where approaches run over streets. If you fly to Mexico City, you often start in Europe in Madrid – Madrid-Barajas Airport is the most important gateway between Spain and Latin America. And Miami International rounds out the picture as a major hub for US traffic to Latin America.

Conclusion

Mexico City Airport is exhausting, loud and cramped – and that is exactly why it is fascinating. The elevation of 2,230 meters, two closely spaced runways and approaches over a sea of houses make it a place you won’t get anywhere else. Aeroméxico, the low-cost airlines and a colorful international mix provide traffic minutes apart.

Good preparation and caution make the difference: check the runway direction in use, plan for light and rainy season, talk to the local scene and never set out alone. Then a day at the AICM becomes one of the highlights of your spotting career.