Cancún Airport Loses 15% of International Passengers in August

Travelers walking through the terminal at Cancún International Airport with luggage

Cancún, Quintana Roo — International traffic at Cancún International Airport fell 15% in August compared with the same month last year, according to the traffic report from Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR).

The airport handled 1,192,427 international passengers in August, down from 1,402,782 in August 2025. That means roughly 210,355 international travelers did not pass through the terminal in a single month.

The August decline is one of the sharpest so far this year at the Mexican Caribbean’s leading tourist gateway, deepening a negative trend that has built up over 2026.

Between January and August, Cancún moved 12,930,607 international passengers, 6.1% fewer than the 13,776,321 recorded in the same period of 2025 — a shortfall of 845,714 travelers.

The drop in international traffic is the main driver behind the decline in total passenger numbers at Cancún. In the first eight months of the year, the airport registered 19,275,570 passengers, down 5.7% from 20,438,138 in the same period of 2025.

Domestic Traffic Also Slips

Domestic traffic also fell, though less sharply. From January to August, the airport counted 6,344,963 domestic passengers, 4.8% fewer than the 6,661,817 recorded a year earlier.

In Cozumel, the international decline persisted but was milder. The island’s airport registered 274,037 international passengers from January to August, 3.5% fewer than the 283,973 in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the drop was 4.2%.

The Quintana Roo figures reflect a broader fall in international traffic at ASUR’s Mexican airports. Between January and August, that segment declined 5.5%, from 14,771,891 passengers in 2025 to 13,965,225 in 2026.

The decline was even steeper in August at the national level, when international traffic at ASUR’s Mexican airports fell 13.6%, while domestic traffic rose 4.1%.

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By Laura Castillo

Laura Castillo covers tourism, business, and economic development across Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and the wider Riviera Maya for Riviera Maya News & Events. She tracks the region's most important business stories — from hotel investments and airline route expansions to real estate market trends and local economic policy — helping English-speaking readers stay informed about the economic pulse of Mexico's Caribbean coast.Laura has been reporting on Quintana Roo's tourism sector since 2020, closely monitoring developments in Cancun's hotel zone, Tulum's rapidly growing commercial corridor, and the evolving business landscape in Playa del Carmen. Her coverage includes corporate investments, employment trends, infrastructure projects, and the economic impact of events like sargassum seasons and hurricane preparation.Before joining Riviera Maya News & Events, Laura worked in business development and market analysis in the Riviera Maya region, giving her first-hand insight into how tourism, real estate, and local commerce intersect. She is fluent in English and Spanish.For story tips: laura@rivieramayanews.mx