A new military airport begins operations in the middle of the jungle. Tulum International Airport in the Mexican Caribbean opens its runways and gates after 536 days of construction and a disbursement of 16,000 million pesos. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has decided to celebrate the start of his sixth year in office with the inauguration of this emblematic project of his administration. On this anniversary, the president took the opportunity to honor the work of the military and talk about other notable works of his administration, such as the Maya Train. At the start of the flight terminal, López Obrador was accompanied by soldiers and businessmen such as Carlos Slim of Grupo Carso; Daniel Chavez of Grupo Vidanta; and Guadalupe Phillips Margain, Director General of ICA.
Less than a year before the end of his term in office, the president once again defended his government plans, but emphasized that he would retire at the end of his term. “For the good of all, the poor first, peace and tranquility are fruits of justice, that is why we will continue this policy in the time left to us, 10 months, and I wish with all my heart that it is so.” Continuity with that Change, let the transformation continue with the change, because we should not strive to consider ourselves indispensable, but strive to be top bosses and leaders,” he hinted. Amid a shower of applause, the president recalled Francisco I. Madero and his motto: effective suffrage, no re-election.
Aerial view of Tulum International Airport, on November 19th. CUARTOSCURO
Although the president originally announced that Tulum would debut with the Mexican military airline, the lack of aircraft and certification led to the original plan being changed. This Friday at 1:15 p.m. the runways of the new Tulum Airport were opened with a Viva Aerobus flight from Felipe Ángeles in the state of Mexico. The plane with 179 passengers on board was greeted with a water arch symbolizing the first landing. The Mexican airline will offer flights to Mexico City from this terminal with AICM. with Felipe Ángeles to the State of Mexico; and Monterrey. Routes from Guadalajara and Tijuana will also begin in a few weeks. Aeromexico will also offer daily flights and from March 28, 2024, foreign airlines such as United Airlines, Delta Airlines, America Airlines and Spirit will begin operations.
Tulum Airport has the capacity to handle 5.5 million passengers per year, but an average of about 700,000 travelers is expected this first year and in a decade that forecast could increase to 20 million passengers. For the construction of this airport, the Ministry of Defense acquired 1,500 hectares on which the commercial terminal and a military airfield were built. The military officer in charge of the airport’s construction, Gustavo Ricardo Vallejo, reported that 17,900 people were involved in the construction. The new airport will also have a 3,700-meter-long main runway and 13 departure halls, as well as a hangar and a wastewater treatment plant. Tulum Airport will be an important link to another of this administration’s masterpieces: the Mayan Train.
Airport facade.QUETZALLI NICTE-HA (Portal)
This infrastructure in the state is in addition to the three airfields already operating in the region: Cancún, Chetumal and Cozumel. This new state-military airport will compete directly with the private airfields of Grupo Aeroportuario de Sureste (ASUR) for the thousands of domestic and international travelers arriving on the shores of the Mexican Caribbean. Cancun Airport, operated by Asur, has seen more than 27 million passengers so far this year, surpassed only by Mexico City’s AICM. According to Citibanamex calculations, the new Tulum airport could handle between 5 and 15% of Cancun’s passenger traffic in 2024.
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