Passengers to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City have been met with cranes, drills and partially completed floors at key terminals just weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup is to take place.
The airport still appears to be adorned with decoration for the World Cup 2026 as a massive football design model and a large promotional poster is displayed to show that Mexico will co-host alongside USA and Canada.
Over 3,000 construction workers are said to be on site working extra hours in order to get the project complete before the competition starts, with 90% of the airport renovation stage being said to be complete. However, problems with decade old infrastructure have presented an issue, causing delays.
Airport director Adm. Juan Jose Padilla said “The size of the renovations was underestimated due to the old infrastructure in terminals, and the lack of construction for decades.
The modernization scheme is worth $500 million and includes refurbishments to terminals, expanded seating and luggage systems and greatly increased security with artificial intelligence cameras and systems for drones”.
The airport will see an increase in their capacity of planes landing and taking off, as their existing flight slot capacity is increased so that fewer delays should occur during the World Cup, but concern is still arising due to the sheer volume of work and passengers passing through the city during the competition.
