Mexico’s largest international airline, Aeroméxico, has announced plans to suspend its flights to Tulum starting Thursday due to lower-than-expected demand. 

Tulum opened its Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in December 2023 under military control, with high hopes for its tourism industry as it aimed to reduce reliance on arrivals to Cancún airport, some 115 kilometers away.

The airport rapidly reached the 1 million passenger mark, domestic and international, under the management of Grupo Mundo Maya.

However, the elimination of airline subsidies, typical in the industry when a new airport or route begins operations, led to the cancellation of several flights in the last year.

“We are going to implement a temporary suspension,” Aeroméxico told the newspaper El Financiero. “September 30 will be the last day. The suspension is due to market conditions and to maximize our route network.” 

Tulum’s tourism industry has suffered more broadly in recent months due to the huge influx of seaweed on its beaches and rising costs of accessing key destinations, such as the famous archaeological zone, which now costs 209 pesos (US $12), more than double the previous 104 pesos ($6). 

Since the military took over management of the tourist area in Tulum, visitor numbers have fallen even more rapidly, El Financiero reported. 

Tulum’s real estate market has also slowed, further discouraging investment in the region. 

In August, Quintana Roo Tourism Minister Bernardo Cueto Riestra reported that Tulum’s hotel occupancy rate had fallen to an average of just 15%, the lowest in its history.

The Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport is now expected to offer seasonal flights to five destinations in Canada and the United States during the 2026-2027 winter season, but almost no flights from the U.S. in the coming months, despite the U.S. being the main market for Mexico’s Caribbean coast.

United plans to operate a biweekly direct flight between Newark, near New York, and Tulum from December 17, 2026, to January 24, 2027. 

Meanwhile, together, Air Canada, Air Transat, WestJet and United Airlines will operate seven connecting services, totaling only up to 10 weekly flights. This will result in minimal use of the facility, with most airlines operating just one flight per week

With reports from El Financiero and Reportur