Cancún Airport Transporters Blame ASUR for Steep Fees

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Tourist transport operators at Cancún International Airport say over-regulation and excessive fees imposed by Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), the company that holds the airport concession, are still hurting their businesses when they pick up or drop off passengers at any of the working terminals.

Operators said they must pay up to 300,000 pesos a year to hold a position at the airport, on top of meeting a list of requirements that includes handing over confidential information.

One operator, Mateo Suárez, said the group has been asking the federal government since 2024 to regulate the situation, arguing that ASUR is trying to set itself up as an authority by demanding documents that they say violate their right to privacy.

Operators Ismael García, Carlos Brito and Hugo Esperanza confirmed the account.

Among the documents ASUR requires are payroll receipts containing workers’ personal information and proof of social security registration. The operators say the demands infringe on their privacy and run counter to Mexico’s Personal Data Protection Law, and they argue ASUR is not an authority empowered to request such records.

Complaint Filed With Aviation Agency

Suárez said operators filed a complaint with the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC), but the agency concluded that ASUR has the right to request the documentation. The group has asked for a second meeting to argue that the practice violates their privacy rights.

He added that operators must also pay fees to provide service at the terminal, even though they only use the airport’s internal roads to park and wait for their clients.

“When you go into the platform section, we also have to pay for parking, which in a single day can top 1,000 pesos,” he said.

Suárez said that in no other airport in Mexico does a concession company impose similar rules on transport providers.

Towing and Emissions Rules

He noted that requirements set by the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) include passing periodic inspections of vehicle emissions. Vehicles that fail can be sent to an impound lot with support from the National Guard and two tow companies that work for ASUR: Graas Tripe AAA and Abimerhi. Those firms charge at least 6,800 pesos per tow, plus the corresponding fine and the cost of moving the vehicles to depots located on the highway exit toward Mérida.

José Bizarro Galván, president of the Movimiento de Transportistas Organizados Unidos de la Riviera, had previously voiced his objections and said he sent letters to federal authorities. The problem persists.