Cozumel’s airport growth spurt looks to attract direct flights from Europe
Cozumel’s airport is upgrading its main runway and terminal to accommodate larger aircraft capable of long-haul flights from Europe.
The island’s airport was originally not much more than a simple landing strip used by the military — but little by little domestic charter airlines began to fly in from major Mexican cities like Monterrey and Mexico City.
By the early 2010s, Cozumel’s airport had begun to receive flights from American cities, including Miami, Houston, and Chicago. In the following decade, flights from Toronto and Montreal started to operate several flights a week with multiple carriers such as WestJet and Air Canada.
After the upgrades to the airport’s main runway are complete, Cozumel International will be capable of accommodating aircraft as large as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Also getting upgrades are the airport’s operational infrastructure, commercial spaces, and immigration processing infrastructure.
Aviation Weekly said the first European route to fly directly to Cozumel would likely depart from Rome. This makes sense, as the island has long been a favorite destination among Italian travelers.
Presumably, the airport’s second runway will remain active for smaller domestic aircraft and charters from the United States and Canada.
According to official data from 2023, Cozumel International ranks as Mexico’s 32nd-busiest airport—which in such a large country is nothing to sneeze at. However, if the airport is to compete with Cancún International and the recently inaugurated Tulum International, it has a long way to go.
But direct competition with Cancún or Tulum may not be what Cozumel’s airport authority is going for.
“People don’t come to Cozumel for the same reasons as Cancún or Tulum. There is a niche in the market, and our Island paradise is poised for success,” said Cozumel’s airport director Pablo Esteban Arjona.
The official schedule calls for completing the main runway this year and immediately starting work on the second. However, the entire infrastructure project, including an updated terminal, will not be completed until 2028.
Given all of this, it is unlikely that air travel will overtake Cozumel’s enormous cruise ship sector, one of the world’s largest.
In 2024, Cozumel welcomed over 1,200 cruise ships with 4.6 million passengers aboard. The island’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down, with more and more cruise lines choosing to include it in their itineraries.
However, unlike cruise passengers who often only stay a day on the island, travelers arriving by air tend to spend much more time and money.
Cozumel offers a diverse range of attractions that cater to various interests. Some of the most popular include its coral reefs for snorkeling, Chankanaab Adventure Beach Park, and Mayan archaeological sites like San Gervasio.
Cozumel also has the advantage of being just a 30-minute ferry ride from Playa del Carmen, from which visitors can explore the whole of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer, adventure leader, and PhD candidate. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
