New Tulum Airport Claims 1,200 Hectares
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced the acquisition of 1,200 hectares for the development of a new airport in Tulum, Quintana Roo.
During the Monday morning press conference, while highlighting the support of the local residents for the Tren Maya project, he mentioned that it was these very residents who facilitated the purchase of the communal land, located in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto.
“So, they provided us with the 1,200 hectares. We conducted the appraisal, paid them, and they requested our assistance in development programs—all the development programs meant for them,” he stated.
López Obrador emphasized that it was “Mayan farmers, honest and good people,” who provided the communal land for the airport, in stark contrast to the corruption involved in land transactions along the Riviera Maya.
Furthermore, he disclosed that the military engineers currently working on the Santa Lucía Airport will be responsible for the construction of the new airport in Tulum, following the completion of the former’s inauguration.
“On March 21, we will inaugurate the ‘Felipe Ángeles’ airport, and the military engineers will proceed to work on the Escárcega-Chetumal and Chetumal-Tulum sections, as well as the Tulum-Cancun stretch. Additionally, they will be involved in constructing the new Tulum airport.”
When questioned about the official name of the airport, the president stated that it is yet to be determined.
During a conference held days prior in Tulum, where he provided updates on the municipality’s infrastructure projects, he revealed that the airport would be inaugurated in December 2023, alongside the Tren Maya.
The president proudly acknowledged the work of the military engineers in constructing the government’s priority projects and emphasized the short timeframe in which they were completed.
“The work of the military engineers has been instrumental in achieving these projects, setting an example for all. It proves that nothing is impossible. An airport of high quality, completed within two and a half years, at affordable prices. Where? Where? So, when companies claim, ‘It can’t be done,’ how can they say that? All of this has contributed to maintaining a productive work dynamic,” he stated during Monday’s press conference.
He also informed that following the airport’s inauguration, the military engineers would focus on coordinating and executing the Escárcega-Chetumal and Chetumal-Tulum sections of the Tren Maya.
López Obrador further announced that in addition to these mega-projects, there are plans for hydraulic concrete pavement in Cancun and the establishment of a natural park, the Jaguar Ecological Park, spanning a thousand hectares, which will be connected to the Tulum archaeological zone.
