The Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in Tulum, Quintana Roo, celebrated its first full year of operations on Sunday, surpassing expectations for passenger traffic. Last year, it became the fourth international airport in the area surrounding the Riviera Maya, joining the Cancún, Chetumal and Cozumel airports.
“The International Air Transport Association projected that we would receive 700,000 passengers in this first year,” Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa said in a statement. “However, thanks to the joint work, vision and commitment to our state, we have far exceeded that goal, reaching more than 1,074,000 passengers and 8,500 air operations as of Nov. 21. And we still have one month left to close the year!”
The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) recorded visitor traffic of 942,093 travelers aboard 7,627 flights to Tulum between January and October, and by Nov. 4, visitor numbers had surpassed one million.
Tulum is located approximately two hours by car from Cancún. After the Mexico City International Airport (AICM), Cancún is the second most-visited airport in the country and the primary airport for incoming international travelers.
The “terminal sells itself by being in a privileged world destination,” said the general director of the National Institute of Legal-Aeronautical Research (INIJA), Pablo Casas Lías, in an interview with the newspaper Reforma. He added that due to its success, the airport may soon face saturation problems.
Rogelio Rodríguez, an air sector specialist, stressed the importance of carrying out better marketing to attract visitors who are thinking of traveling to the Riviera Maya via Cancún.
Con 673 operaciones aéreas el sábado ✈️, y alrededor de medio millón de visitantes nacionales y extranjeros, nuestro estado se sigue consolidando como destino mundial 🌎.
En esta #NuevaEraDeTurismo, refrendamos nuestro compromiso para que el éxito turístico llegue a todos los… pic.twitter.com/d0Q2ap21SJ
— Mara Lezama (@MaraLezama) November 25, 2024
Works began on the Tulum airport in 2022, and were completed on Nov. 30, 2023. Construction is estimated to have cost 19.2 billion pesos (US $939.3 million).
There are currently 11 airlines operating out of Tulum, serving 15 destinations. Nationally, Aeroméxico, Viva Aerobús and Mexicana de Aviación connect with the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) in Mexico City, while Viva Aerobús also flies from Tulum to Monterrey and Guadalajara.
International routes include:
- JetBlue to New York City
- American Airlines to Miami, Charlotte and Dallas
- Air Canada to Montreal and Toronto
- Delta to Atlanta
- United Airlines to Houston, Chicago and Newark
- Copa Airlines connects Tulum with South America via Panama
- Sunwing to Montreal
Four airlines will open new routes to Tulum in December, improving connectivity between the Mexican Caribbean and Canada, as well as South America. Discover Airlines will also launch the first direct flight from Tulum to Europe, connecting with Frankfurt.
With reports from Reforma and El Economista
