To build the AIFA, Sedena bought about 1,100 hectares

Fernando Camacho Servin

La Jornada newspaper
Sunday, December 26, 2021, p. 6

For the construction of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) has bought about 1,100 hectares of four municipalities adjacent to the air terminal, for more than 3 billion pesos, which are added to another 120 hectares that it has acquired through expropriations for reasons of public utility.

This was indicated by official Army documents obtained via requests for information, according to which the amount of compensation for 109 expropriated hectares has not yet been defined, nor are there any legal conflicts to prevent the lands from being acquired by the federal government.

According to the data sent by Sedena in response to requests for information from The DayUntil last December 18, the armed institution had acquired a total of 1,158.06 hectares to build the AIFA, all of them located in the Mexican municipalities of Zumpango, Nextlalpan, Tecámac and Melchor Ocampo, at a total cost of 3,233 million 431 A thousand pesos.

Regarding the number of hectares that have been obtained through expropriations, Sedena recalled that on February 23 of this year it was announced in the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF) that 11.54 hectares of ejidal lands were obtained through said route, for which an indemnity of 33 million 251 thousand pesos was paid.

Likewise, it indicated that on June 28 it was also published in the DOF that another 109.66 hectares of privately owned land had been expropriated for the construction of the AIFA, without it being known so far what the amount of compensation will be for that particular land, since to date it is in the process of definition.

Similarly, the Sedena stated that currently there is no claim for protection or other legal recourse filed by the owners of the expropriated lands to prevent them from being acquired for the construction of the air terminal.

The government will allocate a budget of 11 thousand 31 million pesos to the modernization and rehabilitation works of the airport infrastructure and connectivity of the AIFA in 2022, according to the Expenditure Budget for next year.