Passenger traffic across Mexico’s airports reached 10.2 million in May, marking an annual increase of 1.8%, the country’s three leading private airport groups reported last week. 

The three firms, Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (OMA), Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (Asur), and Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), experienced a 3.5% monthly growth in domestic traffic. Meanwhile, international passenger traffic fell 1.3%.   

OMA, which operates in Mexico’s northern region, reported the best performance to date this year, with an overall passenger traffic increase of 6.9%. Domestic traffic, which contributes 86% of its total, rose by 5.1%, while international traffic increased by 19.5%.  

The group’s hub in Monterrey, which manages over half of its passenger traffic, saw an increase of 16.1% in domestic flights and 27% in international flights. 

Overall, GAP saw a growth of 2.6% in passenger traffic in May, with a 4.7% increase in domestic traffic. Domestic arrivals were up 1.1% at the Guadalajara airport, 1.5% in Tijuana and 11.2% in Puerto Vallarta. International arrivals to PV, however, were down 0.6% in May.

ASUR, which manages 16 airports in the Americas, had the weakest period. In Mexico, ASUR saw a 3% decrease in passenger traffic in May, including a 0.4% fall in domestic traffic and a 5.6% drop in international traffic. Overall, traffic to ASUR’s hub in Cancún fell by 4.2%.  

ASUR did not speculate on the cause of the decrease, but industry analysts have cited international macroeconomic conditions and rising travel costs for the reduction in passenger traffic. 

Puerto Vallarta is evolving to welcome the next generation of travelers

GAP’s Puerto Vallarta Airport is undergoing a major expansion expected to increase passenger capacity by 130%. According to airport management, construction is 45% complete.

“We are essentially building a new airport: we are only keeping the existing runway, but the terminal, boarding areas and connection systems will be new and more efficient,” said the airport’s director Cryshtian Amador Lizardi.  

During the first five months of the year, the airport handled 3.4 million passengers. Domestic traffic increased by 14.4%, although international traffic decreased slightly, particularly from the United States, which has 26 connections at the airport.  

To help boost passenger traffic, GAP is “working with airlines to reactivate routes, including possible transatlantic destinations, especially with European countries,” according to Amador. 

With reports from Reportur, Expansión and El Economista