The new Felipe Carrillo International Airport in Tulum is set to begin operations before the end of 2023, and is expected to bring a surge in tourism to the popular Riviera Maya destination.
Mara Lezama Espinosa, governor of Quintana Roo, said the new airport represents a “magnificent opportunity to discover the wonders of the Maya World.”
The new airport will have capacity for 5.5 million passengers per year
Project supervisor Brigadier Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo Suárez estimated that the new airport “will have the capacity to serve 5.5 million passengers and up to 32,000 annual operations.”
According to the Defense Ministry (Sedena), up to 75% of arrivals will be of international origin, and it is expected to become the second busiest airport in the Yucatán Península.
It is located near the center of Tulum
The new airport is located about 25 kilometers southwest of the center of Tulum, making for a short drive to the beach destination. It is 130 kilometers from Cancún, which has the second-busiest airport in the country.
There will be a direct connection to the Maya Train
Tulum airport will be connected to the Maya Train, another of President López Obrador’s flagship projects, via an onsite station. Both projects are run by Sedena as part of its Olmeca-Maya-Mexica company – which also operates Mexico City’s Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA).
Airport construction has advanced quickly, and it is scheduled to open in December
Covering 1,500 hectares, Tulum airport is reportedly 65% complete and is slated to begin operations by December, Governor Lezama said during López Obrador’s most recent visit to the construction site.
She added that construction of the new airport has created over 14,690 jobs.
Aeroméxico, Viva Aerobus and Mexicana will all have flights out of the airport
Low-cost airline Viva Aerobus has announced that it will launch new routes to Tulum from Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Tijuana in December.
Aeroméxico said it will fly to Tulum from the day of its inauguration on Dec. 1. It also added that it would become the first company to fly to the United States from Tulum.
New state-run airline Mexicana will also operate from Tulum airport as a hub and is scheduled to start operations by the end of the year.
