In August, Cancún International Airport (CUN) recorded a 15% year-over-year drop in international passenger traffic, handling 1.19 million international passengers.

The drop doesn’t come as a surprise.

In July, an analysis by the Center for Advanced Research in Sustainable Tourism (STARC) of the Anáhuac University of Cancún, anticipated that U.S. airlines would offer nearly a million fewer seats to Mexican beach destinations in July and August, a trend industry experts attributed to rising jet fuel prices, sargassum-covered beaches and safety concerns, among other issues. Cancún, Cozumel and Tulum alone were expected to lose over half a million seats.

A more recent report by STARC revealed that CUN’s decline began early this year after losing 845,714 international passengers between January and August, falling from 13.7 million to 12.9 million passengers — down 6.1% compared to the same period last year.

Although the decline was greater in the international market, the domestic market also fell 4.8% in the same period, from 6.6 million passengers to 6.3 million.

In total, Cancún International Airport served 19.2 million domestic and international passengers so far this year — 5.7% less than the 20.4 million passengers CUN mobilized during the same period last year.

STARC’s figures show that Cancún has now seen six consecutive months of decline, with the steepest drops being registered in May (down 11.1% compared to 2025), June (down 13%), July (down 12.7%) and August (down 15%).

Including national and international travelers, CUN handled 2.1 million passengers in August, compared to 2.3 million the previous year — a 9.3% total drop.

CUN’s Director Carlos Trueba Coll told El Economista that the drop in international traffic is partly due to the bankruptcy of U.S. airline Spirit. 

However, he noted that the lost seat capacity has been gradually recovered through airlines such as JetBlue, and expressed confidence that the resumption of seasonal flights in December would help reverse the negative figures recorded between May and August.

Other airports across Mexico saw more moderate declines: Southeast Airport Group (ASUR), which operates Cancún’s airport, said in a statement that on average, its airports in Mexico reported a 13.6% year-on-year decrease in international traffic. One exception to the trend: Mérida, ASUR’s second-busiest airport in Mexico, reported a 4.5% increase in international traffic, serving just over 280,000 international travelers so far this year.

Mexico News Daily