A new “world class” terminal building is scheduled to open at the airport in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, in 2022.

Federal authorities will invest at least 327.5 million pesos (US $17.5 million) in the 7,702-square-meter facility.

At a meeting with a federal transport official on Thursday, Oaxaca Governor Alejandro Murat Hinojosa said the new airport terminal will attract greater investment and more tourists to Puerto Escondido, which he described as one of the three most important tourist destinations in the state.

The construction and operation of the terminal will also create well-paid jobs for residents of the Pacific coast resort town, he said.

For his part, the general director of Airports and Auxiliary Services – a government corporation responsible for the management, operation and development of airports – said that a builder for the project will be sought via a tender process in the second half of this year.

Óscar Arguello Ruiz said that close collaboration between the federal and Oaxaca governments has been instrumental in getting the terminal project off the ground.

Designed by the architect Alberto Kalach, the terminal will make use of solar energy and boast other environmentally-friendly and sustainable features. A new parking lot is also planned and several other parts of the airport will be upgraded.

The number of passengers using the facility grew exponentially during the past decade.

Almost 408,000 passengers passed through the airport in 2019, a 516% increase compared to 2010 when just over 66,000 people used the facility. Passenger numbers increased 35% last year compared to 2018.

Revenue generated by visitors to Puerto Escondido also increased in 2019, according to the Oaxaca Secretariat of Tourism, rising 13.5% to 1.61 billion pesos (US $85.6 million). The growth came despite average hotel occupancy levels of just 32.1%.

Source: Quadratín (sp)