Puebla International Airport to Modernize for Cargo Flights

Puebla's international airport could expand its commercial and cargo operations as a result of the reconfiguration of the Valley of Mexico’s airspace. The state government seeks to take advantage of this opportunity to promote economic growth and investment in the state.

Puebla Governor Miguel Barbosa announced his strategy to modernize the Puebla International Airport (PBC), officially called Hermanos Serdán Airport. The state government seeks to consolidate the airport in Huejotzingo as a key cargo transportation hub for Mexico’s southeastern region.  

Barbosa is pushing the strategy during the redesign of the airspace in the Valley of Mexico, with which the government aims to reduce the saturation at Mexico City International Airport (AICM) through a redistribution of commercial and cargo flights between Felipe Angeles International Airport, Toluca International Airport and PBC. Previously, Barbosa shared that investors were interested in financing the modernization of the latter airport, needing only federal authorization to develop the project.

During a visit to Puebla, President López Obrador voiced his support for the development.

Other than its main focus on cargo operations, Puebla’s government will approach different airlines to increase the supply of commercial flights to PBC, as well as to reestablish the flights that stopped operating, such as those from Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas or Los Angeles.

Puebla’s National Chamber of the Transformation Industry (CANACINTRA) called on the federal government to providing greater support to the Hermanos Serdán Airport by attracting more domestic and foreign flights, along with the consolidation of a cargo zone that could propel the automotive, pharmaceutical, food and textile industries. Luis Espinosa Rueda, President, CANACINTRA Puebla, highlighted the need to end the underutilization of the airport, which instead should be uses as a source of economic growth for Puebla's industries.

Currently, PBC has six domestic destinations in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana, Cancun, Acapulco and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, as well as an international flight to Houston. Flights are operated by Volaris, Viva Aerobus, Aeromar, and United Express airlines. The airport can serve up to 450 passengers per hour, receiving a total of 565,387 passengers in 2021, according to information from its operator Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA).

The modernization of the Puebla Airport already attained government funding. Within the 2022 Federal Expenditure Budget (PEF), MX$112.8 million (US$5.67 million) was allotted to the airport’s modernization. This amount will be part of a three-year investment project for the terminal, to which another MX$166.5 million (US$8.36 million) will be allocated in 2023 and MX$92.4 million (US$4.64 million) in 2024.