Cancún International Airport goes from strength to strength

Following inauguration of a state-of-the-art new terminal in 2007, the airport’s operator, ASUR, is continuing its capacity expansion programme with the construction of a second runway for simultaneous operations. Early last year, I was pleased to receive an invitation from International Airport Review to submit an article on the new terminal that ASUR was building at the company’s airport in Cancún. Now, almost one year on, I am delighted to report that Terminal 3 began operations without a hitch in May 2007, and we are continuing our expansion scheme at this important destination with the construction of a second runway.

ASUR and Cancún: a dynamic duo

ASUR was the first privatised airport operator in Mexico. The company holds a concession from the Mexican government to manage a group of 9 airports in the southeast region of Mexico, which is home to some of the country’s most important tourist destinations, as well as several business centres that play an important role in the oil industry. Since September 2000, ASUR’s shares have been traded on the stock exchanges of both Mexico City and New York. One of the measures of the company’s success is that share prices have climbed steadily in the intervening years, from a starting price of around 15 US dollars on the NYSE to over 61 dollars in the first week of 2008.

Cancún is ASUR’s largest airport, currently accounting for around 70% of the Group’s total passenger traffic. The town and its surrounding region, located on the Caribbean and boasting some of the most beautiful beaches on the continent, also represent the number-one tourist destination in Mexico, which itself has one of the world’s principal tourist industries. Traffic at the airport has grown by 47% in the last 7 years, from 7.7 million passengers in 2000 to 11.3 million in 2007, and is projected to continue to increase. Therefore, in order to continue to provide a top-class service for passengers travelling to the destination, ASUR has embarked on an ambitious programme of capacity expansion investments in Cancún.

The most modern airport terminal in Mexico

The first of these major investment projects, and in fact the biggest investment to date in the history of the airport, was the construction of Terminal 3. In May 2007, operations at the new terminal began after an inauguration ceremony led by Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderón, whose presidential aeroplane was the very first to dock at one of the terminal’s 11 boarding bridges.

The terminal was completed according to budget, at a total cost of around 100 million dollars, and in full compliance with ASUR’s strict quality standards concerning design, materials and fittings and fixtures. Construction actually finished slightly ahead of time; between the ground-breaking ceremony held in December 2005 and the grand opening in May last year, a total period of slightly over 18 months went by.

At the beginning of construction work on Cancún Airport’s Terminal 3, more than 15,000 trees of endangered species were replanted, to minimise the ecological impact of the project. The terminal also uses a series of innovative techniques for saving energy, which were built in right from the initial conceptual stage. The building is lit to a great extent by natural light, but employs design specifications that prevent the inside from heating up. This helps to keep down electricity consumption for both lighting and air conditioning.

Another energy-saving measure is the use of water in the air conditioning cooling units. This is extracted at low temperatures from the seawater aquifer lying underneath the airport. After use, this water is pumped back into the subsoil to avoid depletion of the aquifer. Finally, the terminal has a computer-controlled system that automatically adjusts temperature and light intensity according to conditions, in order to cut electricity consumption.

As security and the safety of our passengers are among ASUR’s foremost concerns, the terminal is connected to the airport’s baggage handling facility by a tamper-proof system of conveyors and tunnels. All hold baggage at the airport goes through a multi-stage, fully automated screening process using CT-scanning and ETD (explosive trace detection) technology, that is the most advanced available on the market, before being either cleared to be loaded onto the appropriate flight, or diverted for manual inspection.

With the aim of maximising commercial revenues and providing entertainment and relaxation opportunities for passengers while they wait for their flights, Terminal 3 was planned with a strong focus on commercial activities. The airside departure area, which measures 15,750 square metres, comprises the usual boarding lounges, with comfortable seating and unrestricted views of the runway and operations aprons. However, should they choose to do so, passengers can also enjoy a wide variety of services.

The food and beverage options on offer include a food court, two full-service restaurants and several other outlets providing everything from healthy snacks to coffee. Besides the usual duty-free and convenience goods, the terminal’s retail outlets range from typical Mexican crafts and toys, to high-end accessories such as bags, scarves and sunglasses. There is also a spa for a stress-relieving massage or manicure and a business lounge for some quiet time away from the crowds.

The construction of Terminal 3 at Cancún International Airport almost doubles the number of passengers that the airport can serve. In this way, ASUR has ensured that it will have sufficient capacity to handle projected passenger flows for many years to come.

A second runway for simultaneous takeoffs and landings

Another essential element in ASUR’s plans to expand capacity at Cancún Airport is a new runway, which is currently being built at a cost of approximately 80 million dollars.

Construction of the second runway was originally programmed to begin sometime between 2009 and 2014, but in light of the growth in traffic at the airport, which has exceeded all forecasts, the decision was made to bring it forward, with work getting under way in September 2006. Environmental studies have been carried out, the planning stage is complete, the necessary permits have been obtained, and at present the works under way include clearing the land of vegetation and the necessary earthworks to level and prepare the terrain in order for the paving of the runway to begin. The runway is now expected to be operational by the final quarter of 2009.

This project will represent something of a milestone in the Mexican aviation industry.
Measuring 2,800 metres in length by 45 metres in width, the second runway will be separated from the existing one at the airport by a distance, from centreline to centreline, of 1,500 metres. Under international regulations, this will make it possible for the two runways to operate independently and therefore for takeoff and landing operations to be carried out simultaneously.

Cancún will thus become the very first airport in Latin America that has the capability to carry out simultaneous operations. Takeoff-and-landing capacity will be increased from the current figure of 46 operations per hour, to more than 80 operations per hour, which is in excess of the projected capacity requirement for the next 50 years at least. That is not all: among the related projects is the construction of a new air traffic control tower which, at over 95 metres, will be the tallest in Latin America and one of the 20 tallest in the world.

The project has not been without its complications: as the land available for the expansion of the airport is located on the opposite side of the airport’s access road to the existing runway and terminal buildings, it was necessary for ASUR’s engineers to resolve the problem of how to allow aeroplanes from the second runway, to cross the flow of cars entering and leaving the airport without representing a risk to them.

The solution they chose represents yet another first among Latin America’s airports: the taxiway linking the second runway with the terminal buildings will cross a bridge above the access road, thus keeping the two traffic flows entirely separate from one another. This will afford some spectacular views of taxiing aircraft to the motorists driving into or out of the airport. The bridge will be built to withstand the very largest aircraft; even a fully loaded A380 could cross it without any problem at all.

The second runway will be used primarily for landings and will be equipped with a turnaround area, a parallel taxiway allowing aircraft to queue for takeoff, and a high-speed exit located 1,955 metres from the threshold, to increase efficiency of use.

Other projects connected to the construction of the new runway include; the relocation of the airport’s air traffic control radar and ILS, the widening of the airport access road to six lanes and the construction of a new operations base for the airport’s fire-fighting and rescue crew, allowing them to access any part of either runway within 3 minutes.

Cancún: ASURs vision for aviation in Mexico

Cancún Airport has truly undergone a complete transformation since ASUR began operating it in 1998. The old terminal buildings have been completely renovated and expanded, and new facilities and services have been installed; a high-tech baggage screening plant has been built to inspect 100% of the bags that go into the cargo holds of the planes; signage and flight-information display systems have been upgraded; traffic flows for cars arriving at and departing the airport have been redesigned and optimised. A completely new building has also been constructed for the airport administration, freeing up much-needed back-office space for airlines and authorities. However, given the growth rate of passenger figures at the airport, it has been clear for some time that these measures alone, while important, would not be enough to maintain the company’s service standards.

Cancún’s new Terminal 3 has already gone a long way toward expanding the capacity of the airport, making it possible for us to receive greater numbers of passengers in more comfort and style than ever before. That is why we are now turning our attention to the other side of the equation: increasing the airport’s capacity to receive flights. Once the new runway begins operations, capacity constraints will not be a consideration for a very long time and we will be free to focus on what really matters: providing an outstanding service to both airlines and passengers, to make sure that they keep coming back to the great destination that is Cancún.

About the author

Fernando Chico Pardo is a member of the Investments Committee of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and board member of several of Mexico and Latin America’s leading companies, including Grupo CARSO, Sears Roebuck de México, Sanborn’s, Grupo Financiero Inbursa, Grupo Posadas, and the Quantum Group of funds.

He is the founder and President of Promecap S.C., a financial advisory firm specialising in private equity investments and investment banking, dedicated fundamentally to investing in Mexico. He was appointed Chairman of ASUR’s Board of Directors in April 2005 and has acted as CEO of the company since January 2007.

Since 2005 Mr Chico has chaired the trust fund of Mexico’s Universidad Iberoamericana, FICSAC. This University is ranked as one of Mexico’s top three higher education institutions.
Fernando Chico actively participates as a benefactor and leader, in establishing strategies in several non-profit organisations that embrace diverse aspects of Mexico, including the arts, ethics in journalism and particularly the environment and education.