For the second time in just three days, the Mexico City International Airport (AICM) found itself at the mercy of torrential rains, causing one of Latin America’s busiest travel hubs to grind to a halt. Early on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, authorities were forced to suspend all operations at the airport at precisely 2:13 a.m., as relentless downpours flooded runways and rendered visibility dangerously poor. As reported by Mexico News Daily and corroborated by La Jornada, the chaos was palpable across the sprawling terminal: passengers stranded, flights grounded, and the city’s infrastructure struggling to cope with nature’s onslaught.
The immediate cause? Sheets of rain that left large swaths of the tarmac underwater, making it impossible for planes to take off or land safely. According to the Naval Ministry, which oversees operations at AICM, the initial hope was that flights might resume by 6 a.m. But as the hours ticked by, only one runway managed to reopen by 10:40 a.m.—and even then, the delays showed no sign of letting up. In a statement posted on social media, the Ministry revealed the extent of the disruption: “16 flights have been diverted, three were canceled and 120 were delayed, with a total of 19,500 passengers affected.”
The numbers tell a story of widespread turmoil. Data from the flight-tracking portal FlightAware, cited by La Jornada, indicated 29 cancellations and 17 delayed flights, the overwhelming majority of which were operated by Aeroméxico Airlines—41 flights, to be exact—along with three from its subsidiary, Aeroméxico Connect. The impact on travelers was immediate and severe, as thousands found themselves stuck in terminals, their plans upended by the weather.
By 9:30 a.m., Aeroméxico had taken to social media with a pointed message for federal and city officials: the airline urged authorities “to take actions that ensure the proper functioning of the [airport’s] infrastructure and implement the necessary preventive measures.” At the same time, Aeroméxico sought to reassure its customers, pledging to “re-accommodate the vast majority … on other flights,” while warning that “ongoing inclement conditions will continue to impact operations and could lead to additional delays and cancellations.”
But Tuesday’s chaos was just the latest episode in a series of weather-driven disruptions. Only two days earlier, on Sunday, August 10, 2025, the city had been battered by 84 millimeters (3.3 inches) of rain—the most recorded in a single day since 1952. To put that in perspective, that’s more than half the typical rainfall for the entire month of August in just a matter of hours. The deluge forced a four-hour shutdown at AICM, resulting in the cancellation of 91 flights and delays to another 149. According to El Financiero, nearly 15,000 passengers were caught in the resulting chaos. Aeroméxico was again hit hardest: 76 cancellations and 79 delays, while Aeroméxico Connect added nine cancellations and 20 delays to the tally.
The aftermath was nothing short of grueling. On Monday, August 11, thousands of travelers found themselves stranded at the airport, many waiting in seemingly endless lines for more than 20 hours as airlines scrambled to rebook flights and manage the backlog. The scenes were described by local media as both frustrating and surreal, with exhausted families stretched out on benches and airport staff working overtime in a bid to restore some semblance of order.
All signs point to continued turbulence for Mexico City’s air travelers. The National Water Commission (Conagua) has issued warnings of heavy rainfall throughout the rest of the week, with the National Meteorological Service (SMN) forecasting that the capital could see a cumulative 50 millimeters (2 inches) of rain on Monday and Tuesday alone. If that weren’t enough, even heavier downpours are expected on Wednesday and Thursday, raising the specter of further disruptions.
In response to the worsening conditions, Mexico City authorities issued an Orange Alert on Tuesday, August 12, warning residents of potential floods and hazardous puddling on roadways. The warning, reported by Proceso and Milenio, highlights the seriousness of the situation—not just for air travelers, but for the city at large. Commuters faced treacherous journeys, with many streets submerged and traffic snarled for miles. The city’s drainage systems, already under strain, struggled to keep pace with the relentless rainfall.
For Aeroméxico and its passengers, the ordeal has been a test of patience and resilience. The airline’s call for improved infrastructure and preventive measures echoes a broader frustration shared by many in the industry. As one Aeroméxico spokesperson put it in their statement: “We urge the relevant authorities to take actions that ensure the proper functioning of the airport’s infrastructure and implement the necessary preventive measures.” The message is clear: without significant investment and planning, Mexico City’s main gateway risks being overwhelmed by the increasingly volatile weather patterns that have become all too common in recent years.
Meanwhile, the human cost of the disruption is impossible to ignore. Travelers—some with urgent business, others reuniting with family or embarking on long-awaited vacations—have found themselves caught in a logistical nightmare. For many, the experience has been a sobering reminder of the fragility of modern transportation networks in the face of extreme weather. As one stranded passenger told La Jornada, “We’ve been here for more than 20 hours. No one seems to know when we’ll be able to leave.”
The implications go beyond mere inconvenience. With the National Water Commission forecasting more rain and the city’s alert level set to Orange, airlines and airport authorities are bracing for further challenges in the days ahead. The events of this week have exposed vulnerabilities in the city’s infrastructure and raised urgent questions about how best to prepare for a future in which such extreme weather events may become the norm rather than the exception.
As the skies over Mexico City remain heavy with rainclouds, one thing is certain: the city’s airport, its airlines, and its travelers are in for a long, wet week. The hope now is that lessons learned from this episode will spur concrete action—because, as recent days have shown, the cost of inaction is measured not just in delayed flights, but in the thousands of lives disrupted by every storm.