AICM or AIFA? Compare the Arrival Route Before Booking

For a stay in Centro Histórico, Roma, Condesa or Coyoacán, AICM is usually the easier arrival airport. It is in Mexico City and has a Metrobús service toward the center. AIFA can still make sense—particularly with its direct train to Buenavista—but the trip from the airport is a separate, substantial stage.

A better schedule or a meaningful airfare saving can justify AIFA. Compare the flight plus the complete trip to your accommodation, not the airfare alone.

The practical difference

Arrival question	AICM (MEX)	AIFA (NLU)
Best fit	Most stays in the four neighborhoods covered here	A flight whose price or schedule compensates for the extra ground connection
Useful public transport	Metrobús Line 4 from both terminals toward central Mexico City	Felipe Ángeles train to Buenavista, then another connection
Direct to your neighborhood?	Useful for parts of Centro; generally not direct to Roma, Condesa or Coyoacán	Not direct to any of the four areas
Late arrival	An authorized airport taxi is the straightforward alternative	Check the last train departure; otherwise plan a road transfer
Main planning risk	Assuming “Centro” means a stop beside your accommodation	Forgetting the wait and onward trip from Buenavista

From AICM to the city

Centro Histórico

AICM’s clearest public-transport route is the airport service of Metrobús Line 4. Boarding is at Terminal 1, door 7, and Terminal 2, door 2. The airport lists service from 4:30 a.m. to midnight Monday–Saturday and 5 a.m. to midnight on Sundays and holidays. Payment is by smart card, sold through machines in the terminal boarding areas (AICM Metrobús information).

This gives AICM its strongest public-transport advantage: the route starts at the terminals and runs toward central Mexico City. Check the precise stop against your accommodation before boarding. Centro Histórico covers a broad area, and the final walk may be inconvenient with luggage.

Roma and Condesa

Neither neighborhood is the natural endpoint of the airport Metrobús. A connection is possible, but for two people, bulky luggage or an evening arrival, a taxi may be simpler. AICM publishes a current list of authorized operators; choose from that list rather than an unsolicited offer (AICM authorized taxis).

Coyoacán

The airport Metrobús heads toward central Mexico City rather than Coyoacán. A road transfer is therefore the least complicated arrival. Public transport can cost less, but it adds transfers while carrying luggage.

From AIFA to the city

AIFA’s most legible public-transport route is the Felipe Ángeles train to Buenavista. The airport places the boarding area beside its Intermodal Ground Transportation Terminal and currently publishes:

• an initial journey time of approximately 60 minutes to Buenavista;
• a fare of MXN 110 between AIFA and Buenavista;
• access with the Movilidad Integrada card;
• operating hours of 5 a.m.–midnight Monday–Friday, 6 a.m.–midnight Saturday, and 7 a.m.–midnight on Sundays and holidays.

AIFA says the journey is intended to fall progressively to 43 minutes, but plan around the currently stated 60 minutes rather than that target (AIFA Felipe Ángeles train).

There is an important card complication for arriving visitors. AIFA’s page says a Movilidad Integrada card is required, but it only identifies reloading at Buenavista, local shops or through compatible apps; it does not explain where a passenger arriving at AIFA can buy a new card. If you do not already have one, verify access with the airport before relying on the train.

Buenavista is a transport hub, not the end of the transfer for most visitors:

• Centro Histórico: continue by local transit or taxi. This is the simplest of the four destination areas from Buenavista.
• Roma or Condesa: make another southbound connection or take a taxi from Buenavista.
• Coyoacán: expect a further cross-city trip. Among these four destinations, AIFA is least convenient for Coyoacán unless the flight offers a strong price or schedule advantage.

AIFA also lists taxi companies at level 00 of the terminal (AIFA taxi information). A taxi removes the Buenavista transfer, but travel time depends on traffic. Confirm the fare before booking.

A simple booking rule

Choose AICM when fares and flight times are reasonably close. Its advantage is not that every journey is direct; it is that you start within Mexico City, with a useful public route toward the center and a simpler road transfer to Roma, Condesa or Coyoacán.

Choose AIFA when the flight offers a worthwhile benefit and you are comfortable treating the train to Buenavista as another leg. Add the MXN 110 fare per person, the stated 60-minute train ride, the wait for departure and the final city connection before deciding whether the airfare is genuinely cheaper.

For an AIFA arrival close to the end of service, check the last actual departure rather than assuming a train leaves at midnight. For either airport, recheck the official transport page shortly before travel because fares, hours and boarding arrangements can change.

Transport details checked 30 October 2026.