Tulum, Q.R. — There is room for a fourth international airport says the state’s Tourism Director Dario Flota Ocampo. Ocampo says Quintana Roo currently has three international airports with the busiest being Cancun averaging more than 500 operations per day.
While Chetumal and Cozumel operate between seven and 14 routes, there is still room for a fourth, which will be the Tulum International Airport.
“We will have to see the airlines that decide to go there, but I think there is a demand for private flights. I also think there will probably be a demand for some of the flights from South America and of those that come from Europe.
“We must consider that most of the tourists who arrive by air go to the Riviera Maya,” said Ocampo. It’s a several hour long journey for European tourists to reach the Mexican Caribbean,” he said adding that when they land, they also have to wait at Immigration and Customs for their luggage.
That can easily add another hour or two before they even begin to reach their hotel, therefore, an airport that operates in Riviera Maya with fewer flights can speed up those times.
The Tulum International Airport, which will be built in the nearby municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, will be constructed to handle around four million tourists per year.
The state’s other two international airports, Cozumel and Chetumal, are doing well, he said.
“The Cozumel airport is having an impressive growth recovery compared to 2019. Even in July it was almost 80 percent, since there are many more flights than before, it is doing well,” he said.
The Chetumal International Airport, he reported, currently has flights to Mexico City from three national airlines. The American Airlines flight to Miami will be operating for only one more week. Chetumal also has an Aeromar route to Cancun which currently operates twice a week. The new Merida to Chetumal route starts on August 22.