The 80 million peso (US $4.7 million) expansion works at Querétaro International Airport will be completed in December, according to Sustainable Development minister Marco Antonio Del Prete Tercero, in time for the busy holiday travel season.

To support airline growth plans, the airport’s renovation included adding two new jetways to accommodate increased numbers of travelers, new commercial premises in the waiting room and additional screening centers.

“We will be at almost double the capacity,” Del Prete said. 

In August, newspaper El Economista reported that various airlines were awaiting the expansion to increase their activity in the airport. 

At present, the airport operates flights to 24 destinations, primarily within Mexico. Soon, it will expand its international routes. 

Starting in December, Viva Aerobus will operate routes to Houston and San Antonio, Texas from Querétaro, while the first quarter of 2024 will see the opening of two additional routes to the U.S. The first will be to Detroit, scheduled to launch in January, and the second to Atlanta, starting in March. Both will be operated by Aeroméxico.

QIA’s growth is also reflected in its passenger traffic. According to Del Prete, the airport reported traffic of 1.3 million passengers from January to September, beating out the pre-pandemic whole-year record of 1.2 million passengers in 2019. He expects the airport to welcome between 1.5 to 1.6 million passengers by the end of this year, around 80% of total capacity.

With reports from El Economista, El Universal Querétaro, and AM Querétaro