2022

On March 8th, 2022, the Latin American National Groups of IABSE held their very first technical visit to the new airport in Mexico City, called “Felipe Angeles International Airport” (AIFA). The meeting was organized by IABSE Vice President Carlos Mendez and by the Mexican NG of IABSE, chaired by Prof. Dario Rivera Vargas.

The IABSE delegation was welcomed by the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), responsable for the construction of the new airport, and included members from Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico. The visit focused on the new developments in terms of structural engineering, including the use of 1,318 seismic isolators, making this airport an example of innovation in terms of estructural safety.

Special thanks go to SEDENA, and to Capt. I.C. Jose L. Vargas, responsible for the structural design of the whole airport, for the extraordinary explanation of all the technical challenges and solutions developed for this outstanding structure.

The technical visit was followed by a regional meeting with the Chairs and Vice Chairs of the National Groups from Latin America, including Nelson Vega (Bolivia), Matias Valenzuela (Chile), Juan Oviedo (Colombia), Nelson Betancourt (Colombia) and Victor Hernandez (Guatemala).