TULUM, México – Mexicana de Aviación, under the stewardship of the Mexican government, has witnessed a significant spike in passenger traffic and confirmed bookings, with Tulum International Airport leading the charge. Since commencing operations 14 days ago, the airline has completed 220 flights, with Tulum’s terminal, the newest addition in Quintana Roo, topping the passenger count.
Statistics revealed to The Tulum Times indicate that from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport, a total of 3,652 travelers were transported during the reported period. The “Felipe Carrillo Puerto” terminal has welcomed 738 passengers, followed by Tijuana, Baja California, with 421, and Mérida, Yucatán, with 344.
Leobardo Ávila, the Deputy Director-General of the airline operated by the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena), highlighted the confirmation of 14,162 reservations for the terminal in Quintana Roo’s Maya Zone, projected until June this year.
The highest demand for upcoming flights is centered on Tulum’s “Felipe Carrillo Puerto” International Airport with 2,676 bookings, followed by Mazatlán, Sinaloa, with 1,673, and the “White City” with 1,463.
The airline’s revival, 13 years after ceasing operations, was marked by an inaugural flight of a Boeing 737-800. This flight linked the airports established under the government’s Fourth Transformation initiative: “Felipe Ángeles” in the State of Mexico and “Felipe Carrillo Puerto” in Quintana Roo.
President of the Republic inaugurated this service during a press conference at the National Palace Treasury Hall on December 26th last year.
The airline official stated that since December 26th, a total of 280 flight hours have been logged, translating to 20 hours of daily operations, accumulating 151 hours per week, and anticipated to reach 604 in the first 30 days.
The state-run airline now operates to 15 destinations with 16 daily flights, totaling 112 operations per week, expected to reach 448 in the first month.
Flights from Felipe Ángeles International Airport cover daily services to Acapulco and Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, six days to Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, five to Guadalajara, Jalisco, and four to Palenque, Chiapas.
As per the company’s website, Tulum has flights three times a week (Monday, Friday, and Sunday), and two days to the capital of Quintana Roo, Chetumal, as well as to Campeche, Mérida, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, and Tijuana.
The new Quintana Roo airport terminal boasts a 3,700-kilometer-long concrete runway, making it the largest and best-equipped in the Yucatán Peninsula and the second-largest in Mexico.
The terminal features 13 boarding gates with over a thousand seats and waiting areas, a migration area, an operations center, a hangar for 11 executive aircraft, and a 45-meter-high control tower equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
The airport estimates an initial capacity to handle up to 32,000 annual operations, with an estimated passenger influx of 5.5 million.
Passengers arriving in Tulum are drawn to the Maya Ka’an region, comprising 76 original localities from the municipalities of Felipe Carrillo Puerto and José María Morelos, and the ecological-recreational park “El Jaguar,” spanning over 3,000 hectares dedicated to environmental preservation and conservation.
