TULUM, Mexico — With just under two months until Tulum Airport celebrates its first anniversary, the air terminal has exceeded initial expectations of 700,000 passengers, according to Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) data.
The report indicates that by September, 896,019 visitors had been recorded on commercial flights. Of these, 472,400 were domestic passengers, and 423,000 were international, surpassing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts.
Earlier this year, Javier Diego Campillo, the airport’s general manager, noted that the target had doubled.
“At first, we only had two domestic airlines. However, in recent weeks, based on current operations, the daily passenger average is around 4,120, which doubles the estimate made in the respective demand study,” he said.The rise in expectations is so significant that the Mexican Caribbean Hotel Council is optimistic that Tulum Airport will boost tourist arrivals during the winter season, as flights are not being redirected from Cancun, according to Toni Chaves, a member of the organization.
“Tulum Airport is set to be a key factor in increasing air traffic because 99% of the confirmed flights are new routes. They are not flights being canceled from Cancun to be rerouted to Tulum; these are brand new operations,” Chaves stated.Additionally, the Riviera Maya Hotel Association reported increased bookings for flights and accommodation in November and December, with hotel occupancy expected to reach around 85%. Currently, the airport offers flights to five states within Mexico and connections to the United States, Panama, Canada, Colombia, and Germany. More countries and states will be added to the list soon.