Tulum Airport Surpasses AIFA in International Traffic

Tulum's Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport reported a record-breaking month in May, with 64,000 passengers on international flights. This is the highest number since the airport's opening on December 1. The airport now ranks eighth in international traffic, surpassing Morelia, Queretaro, Cozumel, and the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA), which began operations on March 21, 2022.

As the summer vacation period approaches, Felipe Carrillo Puerto trails behind the airports of Cancún, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Monterrey, and Guanajuato, according to the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC). The airport is the fourth international hub for commercial operations in Quintana Roo and offers nine routes to the United States and two to Canada. The airport also welcomed its first flight from Panama's Copa Airlines last Thursday, and a new route to Frankfurt, Germany, is expected to launch in December.

Several airlines currently operate in Tulum, including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, Jet Blue, and Copa Airlines. Lufthansa/Discovery is set to join in December.

Felipe Carrillo Puerto is aiming to become the primary airport for visitors to the Riviera Maya. It has the capacity to serve 5.5 million people annually, boasting 13 boarding rooms with over a thousand seats, 500 parking spaces, and an airport operations center. The state-run company, Grupo Aeroportuario, Ferroviario, de Servicios Auxiliares y Conexos Olmeca-Maya-Mexica, manages the airport.

The UNWTO, formerly known as the World Tourism Organization, announced that Mexico welcomed 42.2 million international tourists in 2023, making it the sixth most visited country for the second year running. In 2021, Mexico was the second most visited country for the first time, having been third in 2020, largely due to its decision to keep its borders open during the pandemic.

Brian Rodriguez, a Monex analyst, noted that Mexico's enduring appeal as a global tourist destination partly explains the success of its airport groups.