Mérida Airport Launches Month-Long Book Swap Program

A new cultural program at Mérida’s international airport is giving travelers something to do besides scroll through their phones while they wait to board.

The Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport launched Lecturas al Vuelo — roughly, “Readings in Flight” — on April 23, coinciding with World Book Day. The initiative invites passengers to take a book from a small lending shelf installed in the departure lounge and, if they like, leave one behind. The idea is simple: books keep moving, and the collection stays fresh.

The program runs for one month and is the result of a partnership between airport operator ASUR, the airlines that operate out of the terminal, the Liga de Acción Social, and CIFAL Mérida. Bookshelves have been set up in the Sala de Última Espera — the gate-side waiting area — where passengers spend the final stretch before boarding.

One distinctive wrinkle: the airlines themselves are donating books left behind by passengers in the cabin. Rather than being discarded or stored, those forgotten paperbacks and novels get folded into the exchange. It’s a practical detail that keeps the collection stocked without requiring an ongoing budget.

“Airports are meeting points where cultures, ideas, and stories converge,” said Héctor Navarrete Muñoz, director of regional airports for ASUR, at the program’s launch. “With Lecturas al Vuelo we want that transit to also be a space for knowledge and reflection, giving new life to books and strengthening the reading habit among our passengers.”

The program has institutional weight behind it. The Liga de Acción Social is one of Yucatán’s oldest civic organizations, founded in 1909 with a focus on education and cultural development. CIFAL Mérida, established in 2012, is a training center run in partnership between ASUR and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); it focuses on sustainable development, education, and social capacity-building across Mexico and Central America. Both organizations have worked alongside the airport on previous social initiatives.

Representatives from Aeroméxico, United, and Volaris were present for the launch, alongside ASUR’s regional and airport-level management. Organizers framed the program as aligned with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, particularly its goals around quality education and access to culture.

The airport has increasingly positioned itself as more than a transit hub. ASUR and CIFAL Mérida have collaborated on environmental and social campaigns before, including a recent sustainability initiative involving community gardens. Lecturas al Vuelo extends that pattern into the cultural sphere.

Whether the program extends beyond its initial month will likely depend on how passengers respond. For now, the shelf is there — take a book, leave a book, and let it travel.

The Manuel Crescencio Rejón airport serves several U.S. cities with direct flights, including Houston and Miami, and has expanded significantly in recent years. For more on getting around once you land, see our guide to Mérida’s airport transit options, including the new electric Ie-Tram route connecting the terminal to downtown.

More information about CIFAL Mérida’s programs: unitar.org.

Quick Facts: Lecturas al Vuelo

• What: A free book-exchange program for airport passengers
• Where: Sala de Última Espera (gate-level waiting area), Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport, Mérida
• When: Available for one month beginning April 23, 2026
• How it works: Take a book; leave one voluntarily
• Partners: ASUR, Liga de Acción Social, CIFAL Mérida, and terminal airlines, including Aeroméxico, United, and Volaris
• Donated books: Include volumes recovered from aircraft cabins by participating airlines