Holy Week has not arrived at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA).
Flying over the terminal you can see more Army fighters than commercial planes, the few travelers who walk its corridors have no problem keeping a healthy distance, and airline employees chat placidly once the billing of their only two daily flights is closed.
A harmony that contrasts with the hustle and bustle of the old Benito Juárez, always full, always late.
Its proximity to Mexico City and its numerous connections make it, however, a more attractive option than its newly opened competitor.
In the huge echo-filled lobby, Arianne Mendoza and Daniel Nute have stopped in front of the screen that lists the exits.
It is a short list.
The AIFA has the capacity to transport 19.5 million passengers a year, but this Wednesday, in the middle of Holy Week, there are only five scheduled flights.
The couple's, bound for Tijuana, leaves in three hours.
They have arrived in advance to avoid transportation problems and shop around this airport, which opened just three weeks ago to great fanfare.
Mendoza, a 33-year-old doctor of science, likes to see airports.
“She says a lot about a country, and this one speaks of a transformation.
The roofs look a lot like the one in Seoul,” she says.
"The old one has very low ceilings, I hate them, and they delay your flights."
Always attentive to offers, Mendoza found a flight from AIFA for half the cost of those offered from Benito Juárez, low prices with which airlines try to get passengers to venture to these confines, about 45 kilometers from the center of the capital.
A woman takes a photo of the AIFA facilities, this Wednesday. Quetzalli Nicte Ha
Despite Mendoza and Nute's curiosity about AIFA, there's still not much to keep them entertained while they wait.
Most stores are still looking for someone to rent them.
The only cafe, on the ground floor, only offers tea.
They will start serving coffee, supposedly, next Monday.
To kill time, Mauricio Hernández and Natalia Nachón have just entered the exhibition on Felipe Ángeles, the revolutionary general after whom the airport is named.
A period cannon welcomes visitors.
“The truth is that we didn't know him,” says Hernández, a 27-year-old lawyer who carries a backpack and his girlfriend's bag.
The couple is in the AIFA by chance.
In the flight search engine, they chose the cheapest one to Cancun without looking at the details.
When the confirmation arrived, they realized where it came from.
“AIFA… How?” thought Nachón, a 25-year-old doctor.
"We were not used to having two airports," she explains.
Since it takes half an hour longer than Benito Juárez and they couldn't find the trucks that the authorities had announced, they had to leave their house earlier and pay 450 pesos for an uber, a considerable amount.
"We knew it was going to be a problem to get there," they say.
Of the 51 check-in counters available, only a dozen are open.
The airlines do not want to get their fingers caught and are waiting to see how the few flights in operation perform.
The loss of category 1 a year ago does not allow them to open new routes to the US at this time.
Behind one of the counters, Adriana Torres talks to her co-worker.
It's noon and no more passengers are waiting.
Of the seven hours of his working day, only in two there are suitcases to check.
"We have quite a few idle hours," she admits.
"Hopefully they add more flights."
Cancun is what people ask for the most, but they still don't offer that destination.
The planes, in any case, are practically full, with an occupation of around 90% this week, compared to 75% last week.
About 50 minutes away by car, the problem is not the lack of flights, but their number.
The Benito Juárez, which has been declared saturated by the airport authorities and no longer admits new routes, shows its bravest face at Easter.
"Flight F passengers... please come to...", the loudspeakers do not stop spitting slogans and calling at a healthy distance that is difficult to respect.
On the screens, eight of the next 15 flights are delayed.
Two passengers consult the arrival and departure information on one of the AICM screens, this Wednesday. Quetzalli Nicte Ha
One of the delayed flights, bound for Oaxaca, is precisely that of Itam Romo and Brian Rubio, two twenty-year-olds who spend time in front of the security checkpoint, where the line moves slowly.
"An hour of delay is little for what it could be," says Romo, who recalls delays of up to three hours.
Despite the inconveniences, the two friends say they are already used to it and affirm that they would not change the Benito Juárez for the AIFA.
“It is very far away and it is unfeasible,” they maintain.
"If they put a fast and cheap transportation, maybe."
Not everyone thinks the same.
"Híjole, who knows how long it will take us," he says, looking at the queue at the security checkpoint, Guillermo Anzaldo.
With several children's jackets under his arm, this 38-year-old family man has just started his vacation and already seems overwhelmed.
He did think about traveling from AIFA, but when he bought the tickets he still doubted that it would open on time.
“They complain that there are hardly any flights, but they are going to refurbish it and the trips are cheaper.
Almost twice as much,” he says.
"Next time we go to AIFA."
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