Mexico City Texcoco Airport

Texcoco Airport was to be constructed on a site in the Zona Federal del Lago de Texcoco, in part of the dry bed of Lake Texcoco. The site was only away from the existing Benito Juárez Airport, making the simultaneous operation of the airports impossible. It was therefore planned that all operations and traffic from Benito Juárez would be transferred to NAIM upon the airport reaching operational status. == Costs and financing ==

The total cost for construction and initial operation of NAIM was estimated at up to US$13.3 billion, of which approximately 60% was to be contributed by the Mexican government through public funds, and approximately 40% was expected to be funded through a combination of bank loans and the offering of debt securities. The Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México (GACM), which is fully owned by the Mexican Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), was to build and operate the new airport. The GACM created a special purpose trust, the Mexico City Airport Trust, in order to execute the airport's private financing. The trust structured the private contributions as securities drawing from passenger charges at the existing AICM and the future passenger charges of the new airport, without recourse to the Mexican government or the airport sponsors. This collateral structure was designed to ensure that even if the project were to be canceled, the issued bonds would still be honored. ==Facilities==

The facilities at NAIM were planned to be completed in several stages. By 20 October 2020, the airport was expected to have one main terminal of and three independent runways, which would yield a capacity for 68 million passengers annually. By 2065, the airport was expected to host six runways, an additional main terminal, and two satellite terminals, giving it a capacity for 125 million passengers. This would have made NAIM the second largest airport in the world. The construction plan for the airport was developed by the global engineering and consultancy company Arup Group Limited. The architectural project was to be designed in collaboration by Norman Foster, who worked on Beijing Capital International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport, and Mexican architect Fernando Romero, who worked on the Soumaya Museum. Terminal design The entrance to the terminal was to feature a garden of cacti and symbols of the eagle and snake, part of the national symbol pictured on the country's Coat of Arms and flag. The main terminal was to be constructed in an X shape, which is considered an efficient way to extend the number of gates, and is used in many other airports. The X shape is also thought to be symbolic of the country's name, "México". According to the architects, the terminal was to be built in the style of Mexican architecture and was to be much larger than typical terminals, with a maximum internal span in excess of . The roof was to be made of a lightweight membrane-like material. The whole terminal was to be constructed using pre-fabricated segments. == Antecedents and protests ==

In 2002, President Vicente Fox announced the construction of a new, larger airport on of land in the municipalities of Texcoco and San Salvador Atenco in the same area as the new airport is planned today. When protests held by the Community Front in Defense of Land - an organization of locals who were to be displaced - were violently repressed, the new airport was cancelled. Prior to the 2014 announcement of the construction of the new airport, the government had purchased ejido land (agricultural land held in common by local communities), in order to make space for the new airport. Some local groups in Atenco and nearby communities claimed that the federal government had acquired the land through deception and strong-arming, and small-scale protests took place after the announcement. The airport plan drew negative reactions across social media with the new movement, #YoPriefieroElLago, in which the distribution of infographics and "fast facts" spread across various platforms. The movement culminated in the creation of a mini-documentary of the same name documenting the airport plan, the land and space it would require, interviews with Atenco community members, and the proliferation of the social media movement. Post-closure According to the SCT, cancellation of the project left a debt of US$6 billion in bonds and $30 billion in securities, which will be paid off through the landing fees at Benito Juárez International Airport over a period of 19 years. This debt is in addition to the $56.8 billion paid to the GACM as compensation for the cessation agreement of the fees. None of the money raised through the landing fees at Benito Juárez can be allocated for the construction of the new Mexico City Santa Lucía Airport or for maintenance of the current airport. In early 2021, the Superior Auditor of the Federation estimated that cancelling the airport would cost 113 billion pesos. Alleged fraud On 10 July 2020, it was alleged that Grupo Gilbert had fraudulently won possession of 49,000 tons of steel that had originally been designated for the NAIM. On 12 August 2020, Hugo Bello, leader of the Confederacón Libertad de Trabajadores de México (Freedom Confederation of Mexican Workers), was arrested for kidnapping and for suspected involvement in embezzlement of money destined for construction of the now-defunct airport. ==Ecological Park project==