Mexico is scrambling to complete a $500 million (£395 million) renovation of Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport before the city co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Travellers arriving at Terminal 1 are currently met with buzzing drills, scattered pipes and unfinished flooring – a stark contrast to festive World Cup decorations adorning the terminals.
Over 3,000 workers are labouring 20 hours a day on one of the largest upgrades at the country’s busiest airport, according to officials. The first phase of the project, which began in May 2025, is more than 90 per cent complete, but general director Juan José Padilla admitted that complications have been “more than we expected”, citing half-century-old infrastructure and missing original blueprints for some areas.
“We are facing years of neglect,” Mr Padilla said, noting that decades of underinvestment had left the airport struggling with flooding, leaky roofs and severe overcrowding as it handles around 120,000 passengers daily. The modernisation includes new facades, renovated restrooms, refreshed baggage carousels and replacement of nearly 100,000 square metres of flooring and lighting.
The project is entirely self-funded by the airport, which has been run by the Mexican Navy since 2023. Project coordinator Capt. Arturo Flores said the redesign has reclaimed 30,000 square metres of waiting space. Security is also being upgraded, with the number of cameras rising from 2,200 to over 4,000, using artificial intelligence to detect suspicious vehicles, luggage or individuals. An anti-drone system is expected to be installed shortly.
In a separate development, Mexico’s foreign ministry announced a new agreement with the US Department of Transportation to expand the number of take-off and landing slots at the airport. Mr Padilla said the number of slots will soon increase to 46 per hour, up from 44 last year and a previous low of 43. The second phase of renovation work is scheduled to begin after the World Cup in August and continue until December.
