Tech on Tec

The image of a city is produced from a combination of factors: edifices, people, and cultural practices, along with numerous small details that constitute the intricacies of that particular place. However, these small details are typically lost on a visitor’s first impression, which usually is drawn from pictures, tourist sites, or transportation terminals. As for the latter, airports represent a major hub for visiting traffic and as a result, frequently provide a traveler with their first taste of the city in which they are entering. For this reason, it has become commonplace for cities to manipulate local airports to represent some form of the city itself, giving visitors an initial taste of the identity they hope to consume. While some examples of this practice are over the top, such as Denver International’s “Rocky Mountain” range rising from the main terminal building, many succeed in subtly conforming to the home city feel, as seen by the southwestern décor featured throughout concourse interiors at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor airport, or the multitude of coffee shops and wireless cafes that fill SeaTac Airport, Seattle’s main hub for air travel.

Monterrey’s General Mariano Escobedo International Airport follows this pattern similarly; however in this case, the airport has been tailored to represent a more broad view of the city- displaying the modernity yet industrial plainness that sets Monterrey apart from most other locales of Mexico. The heavy use of glass doors and metallic features throughout the three terminals lead into a large check-in/ baggage claim area that, while looking very up-to-date and sophisticated, lacks any true distinguishing characteristic and mirrors many recent additions to airports in the United States. However, this very omission fits well into the image of Monterrey, a Westernized city of industry that lacks an independent character that jumps out to those who visit. As such, many consider Monterrey’s to be the most efficient and modern airport in Mexico, much like the city that boasts Mexico’s highest GDP per capita and stands as an industrial center, not a cultural icon.

Originally built during the 1970’s in response to the troubles and incidents that plagued Monterrey’s existing Del Norte Airport, General Mariano Escobedo International has a history of upgrades and additions, all efforts to uphold the reputation of Mexico’s finest airport. While not large by modern day standards, both the original terminals have been kept well above industry standards, especially after a 2003 upgrade that cemented the current status of the airport’s advanced reputation. In 2006, an additional terminal was added to provide room for the growing domestic carrier market in Mexico (as seen in Group Two’s recent post). Unlike Mexico City, which has encountered numerous problems with airport expansion and new airport planning, Monterrey has consistently funneled ample funding into their airport. According to El Porvenir, a local newspaper, the city will begin the upgrade and expansion of Terminal B, one of the original structures that has been the least touched in recent years. The addition of gates as well as more modernization of the terminal as a whole will cost at least $40 million dollars. Once completed, every terminal in the Monterrey Airport will have undergone some form of either construction or renovation over the course of five years, assuring the airport’s dominance over the country’s other options.

The only foreseeable flaw in the airport as it stands today are the two runways- of which only one is capable of handling larger passenger jets. In addition, neither of the two is long enough to comfortably accommodate the new wide body jets that are beginning to enter the market, constituting the wave of the future. An additional runway or an extension to an existing one would open up an ability to host larger international flights and bring the airport even deeper into the modern air industry. Surely, as Monterrey has used extensive projects and funds to keep the airport modern in the recent past, the city will continue to upgrade the facility, thus strengthening the already deep-seated connection shared by the city and its gateway to the world.