Delta Air Lines will be the first U.S. airline to offer direct flights to the new Tulum International Airport (TQO) starting in March 2024.

The Tulum airport, named after former Yucatán governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto, is scheduled to open Dec. 1, 2023 and will connect directly with sections five and six of the Maya Train in 2024. 

In a statement released on Friday, Delta announced that it will offer daily nonstop service to Tulum from Atlanta International Airport (ATL) starting March 28, 2024. 

Mexican airlines Aeroméxico and Viva Aerobus have also announced flights to Tulum beginning in December 2023, including non-stop routes from Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Tijuana and Toluca. 

The new airport is expected to facilitate tourism to the Riviera Maya by eliminating the need to make the 90-minute road transfer from Cancún.

“We know Tulum-bound customers will enjoy the elevated experience Delta consistently offers – and now without a two-hour drive from Cancún – as we grow our footprint in Mexico and throughout the Yucatán region,” said Senior Vice President of Network Planning Joe Esposito.

On Friday, Morena party presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum visited the new airport before giving a speech in Valladolid, Yucatán.

To an audience of 14,000, Sheinbaum emphasized the importance of constructing new public works connected by train that “bring in private investment and link the Yucatán peninsula to other parts of the country.”

At 70% completion, Sheinbaum remarked that the construction led by the Defense Ministry (Sedena) was “impressive.”

Delta’s expansion to Tulum is aided by an alliance with Mexican partner airline Aeroméxico, which operates a codeshare agreement on flight itineraries to and from the United States.

Delta and Aeroméxico recently announced their plans to increase the U.S.-Mexico seat offering by more than 30% in 2024, offering more than 90 daily flights between Mexico and the U.S. on nearly 60 routes.

The new Tulum airport is located within 100 miles of the resort destination Playa del Carmen, the colonial city Valladolid, and the archaeological world wonder Chichén Itzá.

Direct flights from Atlanta to Tulum are already available for purchase on Delta’s website and start at US $627. 

With reports from El País, El Universal and The Points Guy