FedEx Express has invested US$24.6 million to enlarge its air hub at Toluca International Airport as part of its ongoing expansion in Mexico.
The company unveiled the expansion at an official ceremony with the governor of the State of Mexico, Alfredo del Mazo, last Thursday. Toluca, about 65km south-west of Mexico City, is the capital of the densely populated central Mexican state which is home to a wide range of exporting industries.
FedEx, which ships about 27% of its international exports from Mexico through Toluca, has expanded its current leased facility at the airport to more than 31,000 sqm, thus doubling its operational capacity. The company has a daily B767 flight linking Toluca with its global hub at Memphis, together with feeder flights from other parts of central and southern Mexico.
FedEx’s Toluca expansion is part of an overall US$100 million investment in the State of Mexico, which has also included a new 70,000 sqm national road hub and a 21,000 sqm logistics centre, both at Cuautitlán Izcalli, close to Mexico City.
“Today's announcement reinforces our commitment to boost the local economy through multiple projects. We have worked to boost economic and social growth in Mexico for 30 years, as evidenced by our “25 years and 25 solutions” campaign, the construction of a community center in the State of Mexico, as well as programs to encourage local entrepreneurs “ said Jorge Torres, president of FedEx Express Mexico.
FedEx Express is continuing to expand in Mexico as a whole. Over the last two years, the company launched a new B767 flight between Memphis and Tijuana, and opened local stations in Cancún, Mexicali, Zacatecas, Puebla, San Luis Potosí and Morelia.
Under its increasing focus on e-commerce, FedEx Express signed a deal with Mexican pharmacy chain Farmacia Benavides last November to create a network of more than 1,000 collection points, taking FedEx’s overall retail network in Mexico to a total of 2,400 locations.
Overall, FedEx Express now has a workforce of more than 7,000 people in Mexico, operates six international air gateways (Toluca, Tijuana, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Cancún, Querétaro and Mérida) and a ground fleet of more than 1,800 vehicles.
However, FedEx saw a 21% drop in its international volumes to and from Mexico last year and reduced its number of flights by 10%, according to Mexican transportation portal T21, which cited official government statistics.
