Tulum Airport Skyrockets to Serve 40M Flyers!

The "Felipe Carrillo Puerto" International Airport is projected to have a maximum capacity of 40 million passengers, a long-term goal that is surpassing expectations and is set to place the airport in the top 10 globally. Javier Diego Campillo, the airport's general manager, revealed that while these projections are set for 2050, they have already doubled this year's target of 700,000 travelers. By 2024, the airport is expected to serve 1.3 million domestic and international passengers.

Despite the ongoing construction of a hotel and the connection to the Maya Train, the airport has been operational for six months. "We are growing at a rapid pace, attracting numerous airlines. We have already doubled our projected figures for this year, as outlined in an IATA demand study for 2024," Campillo explained.

Within a decade, the airport aims to handle approximately 5.5 million passengers annually. As these projections are confirmed, construction will continue to increase capacity. "To accommodate 19 million passengers, at least one more terminal would be needed, along with an additional runway and more platforms. Fortunately, there is land owned by the airport suitable for this expansion," Campillo added.

The airport sits on a 1,500-hectare plot in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, southwest of Tulum. Of this, 1,200 hectares are designated for the airport complex and an additional 300 hectares for a 12.5-kilometer internal road to link the airport with federal highway 307.

Currently, five international airlines operate at the terminal: Delta, American Airlines, Jet Blue, United, and Air Canada, along with three Mexican airlines: Mexicana, Viva Aerobús, and AeroMéxico. CopaAirlines and Discovery are set to start operations soon, as is Volaris. "We are in negotiations with three more airlines, and we hope they will submit their formal applications to start operations before December," Campillo said.

Currently, 70% of the airport's passengers are domestic, and 30% are international. However, this ratio is expected to change over time.