Mexico City-area airports to halt takeoffs and landings for 4 hours tomorrow

Takeoffs and landings at the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) will be suspended for four hours on Wednesday, Sept. 16, to ensure that military aircraft can operate safely in the capital’s airspace while the annual Independence Day parade takes place below.

The Mexican Navy, which operates the AICM, announced the suspension in a statement.

El AICM suspenderá operaciones aéreas por desfile del 16 de septiembre. ➡️ https://t.co/T6iEPTFtOa @aeropuertos_GAM pic.twitter.com/wJK8Khf3YB

— Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez CDMX (@AICM_mx) September 14, 2026

“To ensure the safety of the military air maneuvers that will be carried out to commemorate the 216th anniversary of the start of Mexico’s independence, and as directed by the aviation authority, the Mexico City Benito Juárez International Airport (AICM) will suspend aircraft takeoffs and landings on September 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” the navy said.

“According to NOTAMs [Notices to Airmen] A8260/26 and B1724/26, … issued by the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) and disseminated through the Mexican Airspace Navigation Services (SENEAM), the airport will be closed to all types of flights during the specified hours.”

The Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in México state will also suspend takeoffs and landings between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday. Military aircraft that will conduct flyovers as part of the Independence Day festivities will take off from the Santa Lucía Air Force Base, which adjoins AIFA.

The navy advised air passengers who have a flight scheduled for Wednesday to ask their airlines about the status of their flights as “this event will result in some adjustments to scheduled times.”

The Independence Day parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday with a flyover of nearly 100 Air Force and National Guard airplanes and helicopters above the Zócalo, Mexico City’s central square — including F-5 fighters performing a fleur-de-lis maneuver.

The ground procession will start near the Zócalo, pass the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), continue along Juárez Avenue and Paseo de la Reforma, and end at the Campo Marte military complex near Chapultepec Park.