Mexico City
International Airport
The busiest airport in Latin America and, for a private jet, usually the wrong one: general aviation was moved out to Toluca in 1994, the field is slot capped and declared saturated, and a private movement gets a slot only for official government business, seven business days ahead. This guide covers what Mexico City International is, why the desk lands you at Toluca, and the hot and high figures that shape the departure either way.
Reviewed by Kevin Singh, Founder · Fact-checked against Icarus Jet fleet and airport operations data · Last updated 15 September 2026
The Airport
Mexico City at a glance
Mexico City International Airport carries the ICAO code MMMX and the identifier MEX. Two parallel runways of 12,800 and 12,960 feet at 7,320 feet elevation, about three miles east of the historic centre, operated by Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de Mexico with close to 45 million passengers a year.
It is open 24 hours with customs and immigration on the field and Jet A-1, but it is slot coordinated at 61 movements an hour, declared saturated since 2014, and closed to general aviation since 1994 except for diplomatic and government flights. Business aviation for the capital operates from Toluca, 19 miles west of Santa Fe.
Facts checked against the Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de Mexico publications and the AFAC permit and slot requirements, plus Icarus Jet operations data.
The Role
The capital’s airline hub, not its business aviation field
Mexico City International is where the airlines go: two long parallel runways, two terminals, Aeromexico’s hub and about 45 million passengers a year on a field that was declared saturated in 2014 and capped at 61 movements an hour. General aviation was moved out to Toluca in 1994, and a private jet gets a Mexico City slot today only when the flight is official government or diplomatic business, with the request approved by both AFAC and the airport authority about seven business days ahead.
So the desk lands you at Toluca, MMTO, 19 miles west of Santa Fe and about an hour from the centre by road: a 14,140 foot runway at 8,460 feet elevation, a 24 hour airport of entry with customs, fuel and the FBOs that serve the capital’s business fleet. Felipe Angeles, AIFA, north of the city, took the cargo in 2023 and is the other alternate.
Operating
The permit, the slot and the altitude
Every private flight into Mexico needs the AFAC entry authorisation, a single-entry authorisation valid for 180 days from the first arrival for private operators, and a validated blanket permit with the operator’s AOC for charter, plus the eAPIS filing at the US end. The desk files the authorisation with the trip and holds the documents the ramp checks ask for. A Mexico City slot, where the flight qualifies, is a separate request to AFAC and the airport with seven business days of lead time; at Toluca there is no slot and the FBO books the parking.
Both fields are hot and high. Mexico City sits at 7,320 feet and Toluca at 8,460, so a summer afternoon departure is a performance calculation on payload and fuel, and the desk plans the heavy departures for the morning and prices a fuel stop where the aircraft needs one. Handling is mandatory at Mexico City and arranged through the FBO at Toluca; Jet A-1 is available at both.
History
From 1931 to the saturation order
The airport opened on 15 May 1931 on the drained lakebed east of the city and grew into the largest in Latin America, taking the name of the nineteenth century president Benito Juarez. General aviation left for Toluca in 1994 as the airline traffic filled the ramp, the airspace was declared saturated in 2014, and the cargo moved to Felipe Angeles in 2023 to buy back capacity.
For business aviation the history is the answer: the capital’s airline hub is full, and Toluca has been its business aviation airport for thirty years.
Nearby
Mexico City and the fields around it
A Mexico City request is a Toluca operation. The Mexican fields the desk flies to most, and the Dallas end of the sector.
Queretaro, two hours north by road, is the alternative for the Bajio and the industrial corridor. Cancun, Los Cabos and Tijuana are the sectors the desk flies most within Mexico. From Dallas and Houston the capital is about two and a half hours on a light or midsize jet, with the AFAC authorisation filed ahead.
Airport guides & index
Questions
Mexico City, answered
Can a private jet land at Mexico City International?
Only for official government or diplomatic business, with a slot approved by AFAC and the airport authority about seven business days ahead. General aviation was moved out to Toluca in 1994 and the field has been declared saturated since 2014. For everyone else the desk lands the aircraft at Toluca, an hour from the centre.
Which airport do private jets use for Mexico City?
Toluca, MMTO, 19 miles west of Santa Fe: a 14,140 foot runway at 8,460 feet elevation, a 24 hour airport of entry with customs, fuel and FBOs, and no slot. Felipe Angeles, AIFA, north of the city, is the other alternate.
Do I need a permit to fly a private jet to Mexico?
Yes. Private operators need the AFAC single-entry authorisation, valid for 180 days from the first arrival; charter operators need a validated blanket permit that includes AFAC validation of the AOC. The desk files it with the trip and holds the documents the ramp checks ask for.
How long are the runways at Mexico City?
Runway 05L/23R is 3,900 metres, about 12,800 feet, and 05R/23L is 3,950 metres, about 12,960 feet, at 7,320 feet elevation. Long, but the altitude is the constraint, not the length.
What does hot and high mean for the departure?
Thin air at 7,320 feet at Mexico City and 8,460 feet at Toluca reduces engine and wing performance, so a warm afternoon departure limits payload or fuel on a light or midsize jet. The desk plans the heavy departures for the morning and prices a fuel stop where the aircraft needs one.
How far is the airport from the centre?
About three miles east of the historic centre, 20 to 60 minutes by road depending on the hour. Toluca is about an hour from the centre and 40 minutes from Santa Fe.
Is Mexico City open 24 hours?
Yes, with customs and immigration on the field, but the slot cap of 61 movements an hour and the saturation order mean the hours do not help a private flight that has no slot. Toluca is also a 24 hour airport of entry.
Is ground handling mandatory?
Yes at Mexico City, where the scheduled and diplomatic traffic is handled by the airport agents. At Toluca handling is through the FBO the desk appoints, with the parking and the fuel booked together.
When is Mexico City busiest for private flights?
November to April for the dry season and the holidays, and the weeks around Formula 1 in the autumn, when Toluca parking wants booking early. The 2026 World Cup matches in the capital will tighten every field around the city; the desk asks for firm dates months ahead.
Is fuel available at Mexico City and Toluca?
Yes, Jet A-1 at both, arranged through the handler or the FBO ahead of arrival. On a hot day the fuel load is the trade against payload, which is why the desk plans it with the departure time.
What time zone is Mexico City in?
Central Standard Time, UTC-6, all year: Mexico abolished daylight saving in 2022, so the capital is an hour behind Dallas in the summer and level with it in winter. The desk files in UTC and confirms the local times at both ends.
Can the 2026 World Cup change the airport rules?
Yes. The tournament brings slot restrictions, parking limits and temporary procedures at the Mexican host cities, Mexico City included, and the desk plans those weeks against the published notices as they come out.
Flying into Mexico City International Airport on your own aircraft? Our trip support desk files the permission, handling and fuel before you ask. Chartering instead? See the Dallas to Mexico routes we fly.
Get Your Number
Request a Mexico charter
Tell us the dates, the passengers and the address in the capital. We file the AFAC authorisation, book Toluca or request the Mexico City slot where the flight qualifies, plan the departure for the altitude, and arrange the handling and fuel before the aircraft is positioned.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 888 277 7203 or email charter@icarusjet.com. The desk is staffed 24/7, or send the trip online.