Mexican military to take over airports as president takes aim at corruption, mismanagement
Mexico’s armed forces are taking control of the capital’s main airport, and the government plans to give the military control of nearly a dozen more across the country as the president takes aim at corruption and mismanagement
MEXICO CITY — Mexico's armed forces are taking control of the capital's main airport, and the government plans to give the military control of nearly a dozen more across the country as the president takes aim at corruption and mismanagement.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been setting the armed forces to a wide range of nontraditional tasks since he was elected in 2018, creating concerns about the separation of the military from civilian life.
A new airport was built by the army outside Mexico City a year ago at a cost of $4.1 billion. It is run by the military but little used. López Obrador says the old airport, the country's busiest, will be run by the navy.
The navy took charge of security at Mexico City International Airport, or Benito Juárez, more than a year ago. It will soon have control of everything else, from customs and immigration to handling luggage and cleaning bathrooms, with the imminent publication of a presidential order to make that official.
The list of problems at Mexico City Airport has long included major drug shipments and illegal migration. Infrastructure was in disrepair, and a number of close calls were reported on the runways in recent years as the airport increasingly had trouble handling flights.
The airport also had a reputation for stolen luggage, mismanaged airline schedules, business without contracts and corruption.
Meanwhile, López Obrador has gone to the armed forces for help throughout his term, giving them some immigration duties and control of
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