MEXICO CITY -- Mexico president Vicente Fox unveiled a proposal to
expand the airport here, increasing capacity to 30 million
passengers a year from the current 20 million.
The proposal, which is expected to open soon for bids by
developers, would increase capacity by 50% by adding a second story
to the existing terminal.
The plan also would have passengers use other airports to shift
flights away from Mexico's capital. Passengers would be routed
through nearby airports in Toluca, Queretaro and Puebla as well as
more distant airports in Guadalajara, Monterrey and Cancun.
The idea is to have passengers travel from one airport to
another around Mexico City, much as travelers to London might
arrive at Heathrow and leave from Gatwick.
Violent protests by farmers and leftist supporters forced the
government last year to abandon plans for a much larger airport 14
miles east of Mexico City. That facility would have been able to
handle as many as 90 million passengers a year.