President Enrique Peña Nieto used his second annual presidential address to announce the construction of a new airport in Mexico City. Ten years ago, plans for this project in Mexico State town of Atenco came to a halt after violent opposition arose among residents of the area where the airport was to be constructed. Since then, Mexico City residents have resigned themselves to not having a new airport and to enduring ongoing remodeling work. The news of this project was the most noteworthy point of the presidential address. The announcement was accompanied by information as to other issues that will make this enormous project viable. The new airport will cost over 9 billion dollars and will be constructed on federal land adjoining the current airport. Renowned British architect, Norman Foste, will head the project, along with Mexican architect Fernando Romero. Foster’s previous projects, such as the Hong Kong and Beijing airports, are recognized throughout the world. Mr. Romero, who is the son-in-law of Mexican businessman Carlos Slim Helú, designed the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City, which houses the art collection of the Slim Family. The new airport is an ambitious project, featuring six runways with the capacity to handle flights transporting 120 million passengers per year. This is four times the current capacity of Mexico City’s existing airport, which is currently handles approximately 32 million passengers per year. The new airport will showcase Mexico’s coat of arms (an eagle devouring a snake while standing on a cactus), and an “X,” alluding to the name of the country. The entrance will feature a cactus garden with wide, open spaces reminiscent of those at the Museum of Anthropology and University City (the UNAM main campus), both of which are emblematic of Mexico City. The new airport will generate 160,000 jobs and is expected to detonate significant economic growth for the country.
