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AIFA vs AICM: what to consider before booking an executive transfer

Jorge Daniel Gutiérrez NavaCorporate logistics · August 23, 2026 · 6 min read

The choice between flying through AICM or AIFA is almost always made by looking at the airfare. On a corporate trip that comparison is incomplete: the ground transfer can weigh more than the difference in ticket price, especially when the passenger leaves Polanco at seven in the morning.

Anyone who coordinates executive travel knows the pattern: the fare looked attractive, the app driver cancelled ten minutes in, the vehicle arrived without enough trunk space for three checked bags, and the invoice never appeared. This guide sorts the variables that actually matter when planning the transfer.

Where each airport is and what that means

Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez (AICM, code MEX) is inside Mexico City, in the Venustiano Carranza borough, operating two terminals that are separated from each other. Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles (AIFA, code NLU) is located at the Santa Lucía Air Base, in the State of Mexico, well north of the urban area.

That distance translates into two concrete consequences for an executive transfer:

• A different departure time. A trip to AIFA from the south or west of the city requires leaving considerably earlier than the same trip to AICM.
• A different rate. Because pricing is by zone and distance, a transfer to AIFA costs more from the southern and western areas, and can cost less from the north.

What changes by area of origin

TEP works with zone-based rates for both airports. The logic is simple and worth having clear when planning:

The north area is the exception almost nobody considers: for a passenger leaving Satélite, Lindavista or Tlalnepantla, AIFA is usually closer than AICM. If your team operates from the north of the metro area, that difference compounds across every trip of the year.

The exact rates for each combination live in the quote tool on the site, which keeps them current. We deliberately do not repeat them here: a price published in two places ends up out of date in one of them.

Ride-hailing app versus executive chauffeur

The honest comparison is not about price. It is about operational risk:

Choosing the vehicle by passengers and luggage

The most common mistake when booking an airport transfer is requesting the vehicle by passenger count and forgetting the checked luggage. Four executives with large suitcases will not travel comfortably in a sedan.

Quick reference

• Executive sedan — up to 3 passengers. Individual or two-person transfers with moderate luggage.
• Chevrolet Suburban / Chevrolet Tahoe / GMC Yukon — full-size SUVs, the corporate transfer standard.
• Cadillac Escalade — same capacity, greater presence. For receiving high-level visitors.
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter — 13 to 20 passengers in executive configuration. Delegations, congresses and full teams.
• Toyota Hiace / Nissan Urvan — 12 to 14 passengers. Group transfers for staff and crews.

If the group travels with checked luggage, it is worth reviewing the full guide on choosing the vehicle by passengers and luggage: published capacity is about seats, not suitcases.

One practical rule: if you are torn between two categories, choose the larger one. For safety reasons the declared maximum capacity must be respected, and the chauffeur may decline the service if it is exceeded.

Five things worth settling before you book

1. Flight number. It allows tracking and adjusting the pick-up time if there is a delay. Without it, coordination runs on the original schedule.
2. Exact terminal at AICM. Terminals 1 and 2 are separated; arriving at the wrong one costs real time.
3. Checked luggage, not just passengers. It determines the vehicle.
4. Who is meeting whom. If the passenger does not know the city or arrives at night, agreeing on the exact meeting point saves fifteen minutes of confusion.
5. Invoicing details. Provided when the service is confirmed.

If the transfer is part of a corporate event with several attendees, coordination changes: see how to organize transportation for executives and guests at an event, which covers arrival windows and the hourly arrangement.

Jorge Daniel Gutiérrez Nava

Runs executive transfer operations in Mexico City and its metropolitan area for TEP. Writes about corporate logistics, delegation planning and airport mobility.