Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The Playa del Carmen airstrip will stay under the possession and administration of the Quintana Roo government after a federal court closed the case when Banca Mifel withdrew its amparo lawsuit seeking ownership of the land.
The federal ruling upheld the previous decision that rejected the bank’s reivindication action. The court dismissed the case after the plaintiff withdrew its constitutional challenge.
The dispute originated from case file 370/2022 in the Second Civil Court of First Instance of the former Solidaridad Judicial District. According to official documents, Banca Mifel, as trustee of trust 405/2003, filed a reivindication action claiming ownership of lots 001 and 002 on Paseo Cobá in the Aviación neighborhood, where the airstrip operates.
The lawsuit was filed against VIP Servicios Aéreos Ejecutivos (VIP Saesa), while the Quintana Roo Strategic Projects Agency (AGEPRO) participated as a co-defendant due to its role in possessing the property.
An internal VIP Saesa document states the company is not the owner of the airstrip but only its administrator. However, it warned that if AGEPRO had lost the case, the state would have lost possession and administration of the property.
On September 9, 2024, the Second Civil Court ruled the reivindication action unfounded and absolved the defendants. Banca Mifel appealed, leading to a direct amparo proceeding.
The case reached the Second Collegiate Tribunal of the Twenty-Seventh Circuit in Cancún under case file 275/2025. Before the judges could rule on the merits, the plaintiff withdrew the constitutional challenge, prompting the tribunal to dismiss the case and declare the related amparo moot.
This leaves the civil ruling in favor of state control intact, though the judicial file still shows procedural movements related to other aspects of the litigation.
Airstrip run by company with controversial past
The resolution also puts VIP Saesa back in the spotlight. The state-owned company manages several airstrips in Quintana Roo, including Playa del Carmen’s.
The legal battle created uncertainty over infrastructure considered strategic for the Riviera Maya. VIP Saesa gained national attention during the administration of former Governor Roberto Borge Angulo, when the state prosecutor’s office alleged it was used to simulate contracts with private companies for executive flights, causing significant financial damage to the public treasury.
Despite those allegations, the company continues to operate as administrator of state airport infrastructure, including the Playa del Carmen airstrip, which remains property of the Quintana Roo government.
Strategic infrastructure
The Playa del Carmen airstrip is one of the main general aviation facilities in the Riviera Maya, used for private flights, tourism services, air ambulances, and civil protection operations.
The lawsuit had cast doubt on ownership of the property. A victory for the bank would have forced the state to lose possession and administration of the strategically important facility for regional air connectivity.
