Got 1 min? 118.8 million passengers traveled by air in Mexico last year

January 30, 2024

Aeroméxico plane on the tarmac — Tourists from the United States make up about half of the foreign passengers in the air travel market in Mexico. (Unsplash)

Almost 119 million travelers traveled on international and national flights in Mexico in 2023 according to Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco Marqués.

The majority of passengers flew on five national and two international airlines, with the most foreign passengers traveling from the United States and Canada, a Tourism Ministry (Sectur) report shows.

Viva Aerobus was Mexico’s second largest carrier in terms of passenger numbers in 2023. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)

The four busiest Mexican airlines in the domestic market were Volaris (24.3 million passengers), Viva Aerobus (21.1 million), Aeroméxico (12.2 million) and Aeroméxico Connect (5.2 million).

Internationally, Aeroméxico and Volaris carried the largest number of passengers, with a total of 12.2 million — an increase of 17.9% compared to 2022 figures, and a massive 23.5% increase over the same period in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the industry.

American Airlines and United were the leading U.S. carriers in Mexico. Together, they transported a total of 12.9 million passengers, a 1% increase from 2022 and a 41.2% increase from the passenger figures of 2019.

North American passengers dominated the international market in Mexico with an 84.5% market share. Some 27.4 million passengers traveled with U.S. airlines to Mexico in 2023, while 15.3 million traveled on international routes operated by Mexican airlines, and 4.1 million passengers traveled on flights operated by Canadian airlines.

Increased airport capacity, including a new airports in Tulum, helped the country to record air travel figures, says Sectur. (Elizabeth Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

As for European tourists, Torruco added that last year this market increased by 2.3% compared to 2022, with 4.63 million passengers. Meanwhile, the Central and South American markets increased 2.5% with 4.19 million. Both markets represent 7.6% market share.