Querétaro International Airport (QIA) saw international passenger traffic increase by 47% annually in January 2024, just one month after the airport completed a US $80-million renovation project. 

Domestic arrivals are also up at QIA, and overall traffic at the newly renovated airport is projected to reach 2 million passengers in 2024.

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency reported that 51,200 international passengers arrived at the 20-year-old airport in January, up 47.2% over the 34,800 international arrivals in January 2023. And from January through April of this year, 205,142 international travelers touched down at the Querétaro airport, representing a 60.4% increase over the 127,906 international arrivals during the first four months of 2023.

After the renovations were completed in December, several airlines added new international routes. Viva Aerobus now flies to San Antonio and Houston from QIA, and Aeromexico flies from QIA to Detroit and Atlanta. 

Domestic arrivals during the first four months this year increased by a comparatively modest 11.2% over the January-April 2023 figures, but domestic traffic makes up the majority of total passengers at QIA. Of the 594,152 passengers arriving at the QIA during the January-April 2024 period, 389,010 — or 65% — were Mexican nationals.

Querétaro’s Sustainable Development Minister Marco Antonio Del Prete predicted last week that overall traffic at the airport could surpass 2 million this year, a number that would represent a 13% increase over 2023, when 1.7 million passengers traveled through  QIA.

“We are seeing 20% growth in passenger traffic over last year,” del Prete said at a press event, taking into account the unofficial data for May.

The second phase of the aforementioned renovation project includes the expansion of the existing terminal as well as the installation of new jetways. A new waiting room will accommodate 500 additional passengers, while the jetways and additional screening centers will facilitate the movement of the increased numbers of travelers.

“The project for a new terminal is still in the proposal stage, so it is too early to offer details,” del Prete said, although in December, he had suggested construction could begin as early as this year.

With reports from El Economista and Diario de Queretaro