Mexico City, Mexico — A severe thunderstorm that hit Mexico City Friday afternoon affected dozens of flights and more than 7,000 passengers. Authorities said some runways at Mexico City International were expected to resume operations around 8:00 p.m.
Airport officials reported 48 affected flights due to severe lightning strikes at the Mexico City airport which caused aircraft to be canceled, diverted and even returned. The heavy storm caused 43 flights alone to be diverted to other airports.
“Runway 05 Right/23 Left became operational at 8:38 PM, meaning both runways are now handling traffic,” the Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez Ciudad de México reported Friday evening.
“Thanks to the prompt response of personnel and the deployment of specialized equipment following the afternoon thunderstorm, safe conditions for airport operations were maintained.
“A total of 48 operations have been affected so far: 43 arriving flights were diverted to alternate airports and five departing flights were cancelled, impacting 7,707 passengers. Please check with your airline for your flight status,” they added.
A second runway was reopened around 10:00 p.m. that allowed operations to resume normally. “Runway 05L/23R opened at 20:01, with operations on the said runway resuming at 20:04,” they noted.
The afternoon thunderstorm was severe enough to cause airport disruptions that included flights to and from Cancun. At least one flight was canceled and another returned to Mexico City.
Among the affected operations was Aeromexico flight 555 that was supposed to leave Cancun for Mexico City. That flight was canceled.
Likewise, Viva Aerobus flight 1373, which covered the Cancun-Mexico City route, had to return to the Cancun airport due to the storm.
Disruptions were compounded by two international flights that were diverted to Cancun. American Airlines flight 257 from Miami to Mexico City and British Airways flight 243 from London to Mexico City were also affected by the Friday thunderstorm.
On Friday afternoon, a severe thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rain hit the area of the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), temporarily suspending flights.
