Terminal One at Mexico City International Airport was left covered in sewage and parts of the ceiling collapsed after a pipe burst on the upper floor during ongoing World Cup renovation works
An airport in Mexico was swamped with sewage just weeks before the World Cup kicks off. Terminal One at Mexico City International Airport sustained damage during maintenance and refurbishment works.
A burst pipe on the upper level led to sewage spillage, resulting in parts of the ceiling caving in. The revolting liquid also cascaded to ground level after pouring down a ramp intended for disabled passengers.
Shocked passengers looked on as the sewage kept spreading throughout the airport’s main concourse. Airport personnel acted swiftly to tackle the appalling situation by temporarily cutting off water supplies to all lavatories in the vicinity.
Authorities are believed to be working to restore normal operations while the ongoing refurbishments continue. The incident occurred at approximately 3pm local time last Wednesday.
It remains uncertain whether the resulting damage has been completely fixed. Refurbishment works at Mexico City International Airport commenced last May, with nearly £381million (9billion MXN) allocated for improvements.
The works are being carried out to help the country gear up for the World Cup this summer.
Yet by February this year, only 40% of the project had been finished. Authorities are now racing against the clock to ensure everything is prepared in time for the tournament’s start.
Estadio Azteca will stage the competition’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa on June 11.
Meanwhile, data exposes which UK airports perform worst for flight delays. Manchester Airport claimed the position as the nation’s most problematic for flight delays, prompting a warning that travellers cannot reserve flights from there “with any real confidence”.
The northern hub is England’s third busiest but departures ran an average of 19-and-a-half minutes late in 2025, based on Press Association analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data.
While this timeframe represented an improvement on earlier years, the delays remained lengthier than at any other airport.
Flight delays are frequently triggered by factors beyond airports’ influence, including air traffic control (ATC) disruption and adverse weather conditions.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel magazine, stated the airport selection “shouldn’t make or break your trip” but “too many holidays got off to a terrible start last year”.
He continued: “Manchester Airport has ranked last in our airport survey for four consecutive years and these new CAA figures validate why this is a particularly poor place to be stranded during delays.
“For passengers already wary of travel uncertainty, seeing such consistent underperformance makes it difficult to book with any real confidence.”