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Cancún International Airport passenger traffic slumps in February

MND Staff
By MND Staff
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A passenger sitting in a chair at a gate in an empty section of an airport. In the background are large windows showing a plane parked on the runway, with its nose facing the window.
Cancun International Airport's passenger traffic numbers in February were nearly 270,000 less than the previous month. (Shutterstock)

Air traffic at Cancún International Airport (CUN) decreased 9.1% in February compared to the same month in 2024, according to airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR).

Still, Cancún’s airport continues to be Mexico’s second busiest airport, after Mexico City International Airport (AICM), according to the latest report by Mexico’s Federal Aviation Agency (AFAC). 

A man holding a little girl over crashing waves in Cancun. She's wearing a pink and white two piece bathing suit and the man is wearing a black bucket hat and black swim trunks with blue stripes at the waist.
While its numbers have been down from last year over the last several months, Cancún International Airport remains Mexico’s second busiest airport after the Mexico City International Airport (AICM). (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

In February Cancún’s airport saw a total of 2.74 million passengers, a decrease of over 245,000 passengers compared to February 2024. The biggest drop corresponded to February’s international travelers, which decreased from 2.03 million in February 2024 to 1.81 million in February 2025, down 11%. 

Domestic traffic through Cancún in February was also down, but far less dramatically, with 680,189  travelers, a 3.6% decline from February 2024.  

ASUR, which operates 16 airports in Latin America, continues to face challenges in the Mexican market due to the declining capacity of local airlines and increasing competition, especially with the surge in flights to Tulum International Airport, which is run by Mexico’s military under the name Grupo Olmeca-Maya-Mexica. 

Inaugurated in December 2023, Tulum saw over 1 million passengers a year after it began operations, surpassing expectations for passenger traffic. 

The passenger traffic decline at Cancún’s airport is part of a wider trend observed at ASUR’s Mexican airports. ASUR reported an overall 7.5% dip in passenger traffic compared to February 2024.

Except for Mérida, Minatitlán, Oaxaca and Veracruz, all airports operated by ASUR saw decreased total airport traffic in February compared to last year. Airports with declining numbers included Cozumel (-18.9%), Huatulco (-6.1%), Tapachula (-13.5%) and Villahermosa (-104%).

In contrast, ASUR’s airports in Colombia and Puerto Rico, reported an increase of 3.3% and 8.6% respectively. 

Cancún International Airport appears to be struggling with the opening of the Tulum International Airport in Dec. 2023. Despite some upticks during its high season in December and January, has struggled to maintain an upward trajectory in passenger traffic.

Regarding international flights, Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan (SJU) showed significant growth, with a 19.2% increase, while ASUR’s airports in Colombia saw an overall 11.3% rise. Meanwhile, ASUR’s total passenger traffic across Mexican airports declined in both international and domestic flights, by 10.6% and 2.9% respectively.

But not all airports in Mexico are seeing passenger traffic decreases.  

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), which operates 12 airports in Mexico and two in Jamaica, reported a 2.6% rise in its Mexico market. Passenger traffic at GAP’s airports in Guadalajara and Tijuana increased by 5.8% and 2.7% respectively. 

However, traffic at GAP’s Los Cabos International Airport and Puerto Vallarta International Airport decreased by 3.8% and 1.8% respectively. 

With reports from Reportur and Aviación 21

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