At One Place

What airport is MEX?

MEX is
Mexico City International Airport
Mexico City, Mexico

Why the code is MEX

MEXico.

The airport authority or a contemporaneous record states this directly.

The airport

IATA code
MEX
ICAO code
MMMX
Airport
Mexico City International Airport
City
Mexico City, Mexico
Code origin
Documented

At 2,230 m, on the bed of a drained lake, in a valley ringed by mountains, Mexico City is a demanding airport on every axis — the altitude alone lengthens takeoff runs by a third. It is also sinking, along with the rest of the city, which has required repeated runway resurfacing.

The other code, MMMX

Every airport has two codes. The three-letter IATA code, MEX, is the one on your boarding pass and your luggage tag, and it is assigned for commercial use. The four-letter ICAO code, MMMX, is the one pilots and controllers use, and it is assigned geographically: the first letter or two identify the region, so every airport in the same part of the world shares a prefix. That is why MMMX looks nothing like MEX.

Common questions

What airport is MEX?
Mexico City International Airport, in Mexico City, Mexico.
Why is Mexico City's airport called MEX?
MEXico.
What is the difference between MEX and MMMX?
MEX is the IATA code, used commercially — tickets, timetables, luggage tags. MMMX is the ICAO code, used operationally by pilots and air traffic control, and assigned geographically by region.

Related pages

Sources

  1. OurAirports — OurAirports (Public domain)

How these figures are compiled and checked