Tulum, Q.R. — The Tulum International Airport received its first official passenger flights after its early afternoon inauguration. On December 1, 2023, the Aeropuerto Internacional de Tulum Felipe Carrillo Puerto (its official name) became operational.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa inaugurated the airport during an official ceremony that took place 12:30 p.m. local time.
The airport was filled with dignitaries that included members of the federal government cabinet as well as the ambassadors of Portugal, France, the United States and Cuba, along with Mexican governors, mayors and Mayan dignitaries, as a plaque was unveiled.
Quintana Roo Governor Mara Lezama stated that Quintana Roo now has its fourth international airport, making it the state with the largest port infrastructure certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
“There is no greater social justice than bringing development where there was none, that is transformation of other projects such as the Maya Train, the Puerta al Mar by Felipe Carrillo Puerto in the heart of the Mayan zone, the Jaguar Park and the in the north, the Nichupté Bridge, in the south, the Quintana Roo Park and the recovery of archaeological zones, are projects that will provide a better life to everyone and all of that is shared prosperity,” said Governor Mara Lezama during the ceremony.
Travelers into the Tulum airport will be closer to other state attractions of the Maya Ka’an region which is made up of 76 towns.
With the opening of the Tulum airport, the state government is investing 109 million pesos into social infrastructure and roads in those communities. In Tihosuco, the Caste War Museum is being rehabilitated.
The Tulum airport has a 3,700 meter long runway, the most equipped on the peninsula and the second largest in the country. The building has 13 boarding rooms with more than 1,000 waiting room seats, a hangar for 11 executive aircraft and a 45-meter-high control tower equipped with the latest technology.
Shortly after the official inauguration, a Viva Aerobus plane landed, becoming the first commercial airline to arrive at the Tulum airport. The 737-800 plane carrying160 passengers landed minutes after 2:00 p.m. from the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) of Mexico City.