Tulum International Airport Could Become Global Hub
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Tulum International Airport Could Become Global Hub

Photo by:   Tomás del Coro
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Fernando Mares By Fernando Mares | Journalist & Industry Analyst - Tue, 10/11/2022 - 15:23

The Mexican airline Viva Aerobus offered the Defense Ministry (SEDENA) to transform Quintana Roo’s soon-to-be-inaugurated Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport (AIFCP) into a regional hub, revealed leaked documents. Expanding the airport would help desaturate the overburdened Cancun International Airport. 

Documents leaked by hacktivist group Guacamaya revealed a series of emails from Juan Zazua, CEO, Viva Aerobus, who said that AICP will have several competitive advantages over Cancun International Airport, including a larger runway by 200m and lower operational costs, as well as a privileged position within a touristic area frequently visited by US and Canadian tourists. The air terminal has also the potential to compete with other international hubs like Tocumen in Panana. “Tulum is located 130km from Cancun, with an unexploited touristic area. It could alleviate the Cancun Airport’s saturation and become a leading hub for passengers from Mexico, the US and Latin America,” the document said.

The company also suggested some measures to make AICP more competitive, like a lower Airport Usage Fee (TUA) and the establishment of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Preclearance program commonly used in the US. The latter consists of carrying out inspections at the airport of origin, allowing passengers to travel faster among terminals and at the same time reducing costs and ensuring safer operations for airlines. 

Despite Viva Aerobus' optimistic view toward AIFCP, some experts think that transforming it into a hub is complicated. What is more, competing with well-established international hubs like Tocumen may prove difficult. “It is essential to develop a regional market. A hub cannot be created just by a decree, as we saw with Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA), or via an airline’s best intentions,” said Fernando Gómez, Airspace Analyst, Strata Comunicación, to El Sol de México. 

Gómez added that it is important to attract a US airline if the project aspires to become a hub, but he said that it is important to consider international market conditions, as well as attract airlines from all over the world. Gómez agrees that AIFCP could help to desaturate Cancun Airport. However, since the final destination of most of its passengers is the Mayan Riviera, it will not be sufficient to transform the airport into a hub; a comprehensive strategy that considers cargo operations needs to be created, too. 

The plan to transform AIFCP into an international transportation hub caught the attention of the media and industry insiders, as leaked conversations from SEDENA revealed the ministry’s intention to create a tourism-focused holding company called Grupo Aeroportuario Ferroviario y de Servicios Auxiliares Olmeca-Maya-Mexica (GAFSAOMM) to manage infrastructure projects and companies, including AIFCP among the airport it will operate, as reported by MBN.
 

Photo by:   Tomás del Coro

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