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The Busiest Airports In Mexico

Airplanes on the runway at the Mexico City International Airport.
Airplanes on the runway at the Mexico City International Airport.

Mexico is the third largest economy in North America and therefore has one of the most developed aviation industries in the region. Airports in Mexico are amongt the most advanced in Latin America with some of the airports receiving millions of passengers annually. All the airports in the country are owned by private investors except the country鈥檚 busiest, the Mexico City International Airport.

1. Mexico City International Airport

Mexico City International Airport is an international airport located in Venustiano Carranza, a municipality of Mexico City. The airport is the primary airport serving greater Mexico City and is owned by the 鈥淕rupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de Mexico鈥. It is the busiest airport in Mexico and Latin America with its terminals handling about 100,000 passengers daily. In 2016, the airport served over 41.7 million passengers and 0.483 million tons of cargo with its runways conducting 448,147 aircraft movements. The airport is a hub for many aviation companies including Aeromar, Interjet, AeroUnion, and Volaris among others.

Mexico City International Airport was initially a small civilian airport and was upgraded to meet international standards in 1943 with its first international route being to Los Angeles International Airport. The airport has undergone intensive expansion with the construction of two terminals: Terminal 1 (opened in 1958) and Terminal 2 (opened in 2007) to accommodate the increasing air traffic. However, the airport is currently operating above its structural capacity, and the Mexican government is planning the construction of a new airport to replace the Mexico International Airport.

2.Cancun International Airport

The Cancun International Airport is an airport located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Quintana Roo. The airport is comprised of two parallel runways and three terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3. Terminal 1 is used primarily for low-cost charted local flights and was temporarily shut down after being damaged by Hurricane Wilma. Terminal 2 handles most of the domestic flights and all international flights to all South and Central America destinations. Terminal 3 handles all flights to the US and Canada as well as being the hub for many European carriers. Cancun International Airport is the second busiest airport in Mexico with over 21.4 million passengers using its facilities in 2016. The airport is the busiest airport for international flights serving over 14.5 million passengers in 2016.

3.Guadalajara International Airport

The Guadalajara International Airport (also known as the Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport) is the main airport serving Guadalajara, Mexico鈥檚 second-largest city. The airport was named after Miguel Hidalgo who was a key historical figure during the struggle for independence. The airport is the third busiest in the country with over 11.3 million passengers using its facilities in 2016. Guadalajara International Airport was opened in 1966 and quickly became a hub for many international carriers including Aeromar, Aeromexico, American Airlines, United Airlines, Air France Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, United Express and Volaris. The airport has two terminals; The Passenger Terminal and The Cargo Terminal which has an annual storage capacity of 350,000 tons. Guadalajara International Airport has two asphalt runways with one stretching over 13,000 feet to accommodate the larger international aircraft.

Aviation Accidents

While Mexican airports have recorded millions of passengers in the past few years, there have been a few accidents which have dented the airports鈥 reputation. One such accident was the 1975 crash of the Western Airlines Flight 2605 at the Mexico City International Airport which caused 71 fatalities.

Which Are The Busiest Airports In Mexico?

RankAirportLocationPassenger Traffic, 2016
1Mexico City International AirportMexico City41,710,254
2Canc煤n International AirportCanc煤n, QR21,415,795
3Guadalajara International AirportGuadalajara, Jal11,362,552
4Monterrey International AirportMonterrey, NL9,178,533
5Tijuana International AirportTijuana, BC6,318,826
6Los Cabos International AirportSan Jos茅 del Cabo, BCS4,089,000
7Licenciado Gustavo D铆az Ordaz International AirportPuerto Vallarta, Jal3,990,483
8Manuel Crescencio Rej贸n International AirportM茅rida, Yuc1,944,782
9Federal de Bachigualato International AirportCuliac谩n, Sin1,726,654
10Del Baj铆o International AirportLe贸n, Gto1,692,864
11Hermosillo International AirportHermosillo, Son1,525,884
12General Heriberto Jara International AirportVeracruz, Ver1,315,867
13General Roberto Fierro Villalobos International AirportChihuahua, Chih1,305,961
14脕ngel Albino Corzo International AirportTuxtla Guti茅rrez, Chis1,272,689
15Carlos Rovirosa P茅rez International AirportVillahermosa, Tab1,240,795
16Abraham Gonz谩lez International AirportCiudad Ju谩rez, Chih1,102,855
17General Rafael Buelna International AirportMazatl谩n, Sin973,440
18Manuel M谩rquez de Le贸n International AirportLa Paz, BCS837,072
19Toluca International AirportToluca, Mex771,152
20Xoxocotl谩n International AirportOaxaca, Oax746,910
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