How to Get to Mexico City: AICM (MEX), Felipe Ángeles (AIFA) and Bus Terminals

Commercial flights into the Valley of Mexico use two airports: Benito Juárez International Airport (IATA: MEX, known locally as AICM) inside the eastern urban fabric, and the newer Felipe Ángeles International Airport (IATA: NLU, known as AIFA) forty-five kilometres north of the historic centre. Always verify the three-letter airport code on your ticket before booking ground transport or accommodation in the where to stay in Mexico City guide.

Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX / AICM): Terminals 1 and 2

Located in the borough of Venustiano Carranza just five kilometres east of the Zócalo and Centro Histórico, AICM is Mexico's busiest gateway and the primary hub for Aeroméxico. Its two passenger terminals sit on opposite sides of the twin runways and are not walkable to each other:

• Terminal 1: Handles most European, North American, and Latin American foreign carriers along with Volaris and Viva Aerobus services.
• Terminal 2: Serves all Aeroméxico and Aeroméxico Connect flights alongside selected SkyTeam partner airlines such as Delta Air Lines, Air France, and KLM.
• Inter-terminal transfer: Passengers holding a valid boarding pass for a connecting flight can ride the automated Aerotrén monorail along a three-kilometre elevated track between Terminal 1 (near Gate 6) and Terminal 2 (near Gate M) in roughly five minutes; travellers without a same-day boarding pass use the terminal shuttle bus outside the arrivals halls.

Ground Transport from MEX into the City

To reach central neighbourhoods such as Roma Norte and Condesa, Reforma, or Polanco from MEX, choose one of four regulated options:

1. Authorised Airport Taxis (Sitio): Official yellow-and-white airport taxi booths operate inside the arrivals concourses of both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 (such as Porto Taxi, Sitio 300, and Nueva Imagen). Pay your fixed zone fare at the kiosk inside the terminal and hand the printed voucher to the dispatcher at the kerb; avoid unlicensed touts in the arrivals hall.
2. Ride-Hailing Apps: Uber and DiDi pick up at designated kerbside doors at both terminals; allow thirty to sixty minutes to reach Roma, Condesa, or Polanco depending on traffic.
3. Metrobús Line 4: Boarding at Terminal 1 (Gate 7) and Terminal 2 (Gate 2), low-floor Metrobús coaches with luggage racks run along dedicated lanes into the northern and southern fringes of the Centro Histórico, terminating at Buenavista, San Lázaro, Pantitlán, and Hidalgo. Payment requires a Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada smartcard sold at the terminal vending machine.
4. Metro Line 5: Terminal Aérea station sits a short walk outside Terminal 1 (Domestic Gate A), while Pantitlán serves the eastern end of Terminal 2; note that large suitcases are prohibited on the Metro during weekday rush hours and require at least one line transfer to reach central neighbourhoods on the Mexico City transit system.

Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU / AIFA)

Inaugurated on 21 March 2022 at the Santa Lucía air base in Zumpango, State of Mexico, AIFA lies roughly forty-five kilometres north of the Zócalo. Scheduled motorway coaches (including ADO, ETN, Pullmantur, and Primera Plus) depart from the airport's ground transport terminal to Central del Norte, TAPO, Terminal Observatorio, and central drop-off points near the Angel of Independence and Monumento a la Revolución, while Mexibús Line 1 connects AIFA with Ciudad Azteca (Metro Line B) and Ojo de Agua.

Mexico City's Four Long-Distance Coach Terminals

Intercity travel across central and southern Mexico relies on comfortable executive coaches operating out of four cardinal terminals, each linked directly to the Metro:

• Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte (Metro Autobuses del Norte, Line 5): Departures to Teotihuacan, Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
• TAPO, Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente (Metro San Lázaro, Lines 1 and B): Departures east and south-east to Puebla, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Mérida, and Cancún.
• Terminal Central de Autobuses del Sur (Metro Tasqueña, Line 2): Departures south to Cuernavaca, Tepoztlán, Taxco, and Acapulco.
• Terminal Central de Autobuses del Poniente (Metro Observatorio, Line 1): Departures west to Toluca, Valle de Bravo, and Morelia.