The inauguration of Mexico City’s second international airport has resulted in safety problems, including warnings that planes were in risk of collapsing, according to a pilot group.

According to an International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) safety alert dated May 4, air traffic controllers appear to have gotten minimal training and guidance on how to manage the new arrangement.

Since Felipe Angeles International Airport opened north of the capital on March 21, the group has “been made aware of various accidents involving aeroplanes” at Mexico City International Airport.

There were planes arriving “with low fuel states owing to unexpected holding, diversions for excessive delays, and substantial GPWS (ground proximity warning system) signals,” according to the report.

“One crew almost had a controlled fly into terrain,” the report continued.

Such an occurrence is defined by the International Air Transport Association as “an in-flight collision with terrain, water, or other obstruction without evidence of loss of control.”

IFALPA advised crews to carry extra fuel in case they need to wait for permission to land or divert to another airport, as well as to maintain heightened terrain situational awareness.

Experts have previously emphasised the difficulties of running two airports in a city surrounded by mountains and at an elevation of more than 2,200 metres (about 7,300 feet) above sea level.

Airlines are now operating just a few daily flights from Felipe Angeles International Airport, a showpiece project of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador built on a military air station north of the capital.

The present Mexico City International Airport, commonly known as Benito Juarez, is one of Latin America’s busiest.

Prior to the Covid-19 epidemic, it carried a record 50.3 million passengers in 2019.

This week, Lopez Obrador revealed a proposal to cut arrivals and departures at Benito Juarez and shift more operations to Felipe Angeles.

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