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Flying Into and Out of Mexico Citys Airport May Be More Dangerous Than You Think
Thousands of Western Washington residents in the United States fly to Mexico every year for vacation.
That is why I was stunned to see an article in USA Today (7-5-07) on the Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City. Five facts make Benito Juarez interesting and dangerous:
1) It serves a metropolitan area of 20 million people, more than three times the size of Washington State's 6.5 million population.
2) It is the ONLY airport in Mexico City.
3) It has two runways that are so close together that modern jets cannot use them simultaneously.
4) During peak periods as many as 62 planes take off and land per hour, which is more than the airport's official capacity of 54.
5) Plans to build another airport to serve the capital were canceled in 2002. Apparently machete-wielding residents revolted against the low price the government offered the residents in exchange for the land on the planned site.
About 763,000 Americans fly into the Mexico City airport every year, according to USA Today.
Compare the takeoff and landing conditions in Mexico City's only airport to Sea-Tac International Airport that serves the Seattle Metropolitan Area of 3.3 million residents and ranks as the 15th largest metro area in the United States. Seattle does not even rank among the top 90 metro areas in the world.
Sea-Tac International Airport has two runways.
Mexico City has experienced extraordinary growth in the last 75+ years, growing from a city of 1 million in 1929 to a metro area of 20 million today.
Mexico City ranks as the second largest metro area in the world today. Only Tokyo is a larger metro area with 35 million. New York-Newark ranks third with 18.7 million.
I have never flown to Mexico but I will avoid Mexico City's only airport when I do.
It reminds me of what President Ronald Reagan said when the press chided him for not spending more time working in the Oval Office. "People tell me that hard work never killed anyone," replied Reagan, "but I figure, why tempt fate?"
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley
Ed Bagley's Blog Publishes Original Articles with Analysis and Commentary on 5 Subjects: Sports, Movie Reviews, Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, and Internet Marketing. My intention is to inform, educate, delight and motivate you the reader.
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