New Tulum Airport welcomes first U.S. flights this week

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

The Mayan Riviera, a beloved destination along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, is set to become more accessible to travelers from the United States. With the recent inauguration of the Tulum International Airport, visitors can now look forward to bypassing the congested Cancún airport and the lengthy journey south that follows. Direct flights from the U.S. to Tulum will commence this Wednesday, marking a significant shift in how tourists approach their travel to this picturesque region.

The initiation of services by major American carriers is scheduled with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines launching their flights on March 28, and United Airlines following closely on March 31. These airlines will establish direct connections between Tulum and several key American cities, including Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, and Newark. Additionally, the expansion continues with Air Canada introducing flights in May, and both JetBlue Airways and Panama’s Copa Airlines joining the roster in June.

Laura Diver, a marketing executive for Colibri Boutique Hotels, enthused about the convenience this new airport brings, painting a vivid picture of travelers enjoying margaritas on Tulum’s stunning beaches by midday after a morning flight from the United States. Despite the excitement, it’s noted that the Tulum airport project is still under development, a characteristic of several large infrastructure initiatives driven by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Even as the airport began handling domestic flights in December, ongoing construction efforts to finalize the terminal and its access road were reported by Karla Cayetano, a reservations manager at Kanan Tulum resort. She mentioned that despite these unfinished aspects, guests have started utilizing the new airport over Cancún for their arrivals.

However, the introduction of the new airport has not been without its challenges, particularly regarding ground transportation. With options currently limited and prices steep, David Ortiz Mena, president of the Tulum Hotel Association, expressed significant concerns in December about the high costs associated with ground travel. Efforts to negotiate lower ground transportation taxes with the airport and government authorities were still in progress as of mid-March, aiming to make access to and from the airport more affordable for visitors.

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