Mérida International Airport

Mérida International Airport

Aeropuerto Internacional de Mérida
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/Public
Owner/OperatorGrupo Aeroportuario del Sureste
ServesMérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Built1929
Time zoneCST (UTC-06:00)
Elevation AMSL12 m / 39 ft
Coordinates20°56′13″N 089°39′28″W / 20.93694°N 89.65778°W / 20.93694; -89.65778
Websitewww.asur.com.mx/Contenido/Merida/shopping
Maps
Location of Mérida International Airport
MID is located in Yucatán (state)
MID
MID
Location of the airport in Yucatán
MID is located in Mexico
MID
MID
MID (Mexico)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 3,200 10,499 Asphalt
18/36 2,300 7,546 Asphalt
Statistics (2023)
Total passengers3,674,103
Ranking in Mexico8th Steady
Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste[1]

Mérida International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Mérida), officially Aeropuerto Internacional Manuel Crescencio Rejón (Manuel Crescencio Rejón International Airport) (IATA: MID, ICAO: MMMD), is an international airport located in the Mexican city of Mérida. It serves as the primary international gateway to Mérida and the State of Yucatán, a popular tourist destination, offering flights to and from Mexico, the United States, Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. The airport also accommodates facilities for the Mexican Airspace Navigation Services, and the Mexican Army, and supports various tourism, flight training, and general aviation activities. Additionally, it serves as a focus city for Viva.

The airport is named in honor of the jurist and politician Manuel Crescencio García Rejón, who was originally from Yucatán. It is operated by the Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR).[2] The airport has become one of the fastest-growing airports in the country. In 2022, it handled 3,079,618 passengers, surpassing three million passengers in a calendar year for the first time; and in 2023, the number increased to 3,674,103 passengers.[1] It also ranked as the eighth-busiest airport in terms of passengers and aircraft movements, and tenth for cargo.[3]

History

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Airport's airside.
Boarding gates at the airport.
Boarding gates at the airport.
Boarding gates at the airport.
VIP Elemento Lounge at the airport.
Airport's chappel.
Check-in counters at the airport.
Main corridor at the airport.
Main corridor at the airport..
Airport's landside.
Baggage claim at the airport.
Baggage claim at the airport.
Airport's Control Tower.

The airport's history traces back to its inauguration in 1929 when Mexicana de Aviación introduced the Mérida-Campeche-Ciudad del Carmen-Minatitlán-Veracruz-Mexico City route, operated with a Ford Trimotor aircraft. In 1964, Mexicana de Aviación sold the airport to the Mexican government. A significant reconstruction of the airport was completed in 1968, replacing the previous facilities. During the 1960s, American Airlines provided service to the airport, making it one of the few airports, apart from Mexico City and Acapulco, to be served by a major airline.

During the 1990s, the airport became part of the Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, marking an important instance of a private concession within this group. This consortium encompasses various airports, including Cancún, Cozumel, Huatulco, Mérida, Minatitlán, Oaxaca, Tapachula, Villahermosa, and Veracruz. Throughout the years, it underwent several modifications and modernizations, notably in 1999, 2011, and 2021. The airport has welcomed distinguished political and religious figures, such as Pope John Paul II, as well as U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and President of China, Xi Jinping.

Throughout its history, the airport has been serviced by a range of airlines, including Aero California, Aeromar, Aviateca, Blue Panorama Airlines, Cubana, Delta, Interjet, Mexicana, Neos, Pan Am, Lufthansa, TAR, and Tropic Air. From 1972 to 2005, it functioned as the primary hub for Aerocaribe and Aerocozumel, both subsidiaries of the former Mexicana. Between 1992 and 1995 it served as a hub for Aviacsa, and more recently, it was home to the regional airline Mayair.[4]

Facilities

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The airport is situated in the Mérida urban area, less than 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southwest of the city centre, at an elevation of 12 metres (39 ft) above sea level. It features two runways: Runway 10/28, which is 3,200 metres (10,500 ft) long, and Runway 18/36, which spans 2,300 metres (7,500 ft). Adjacent to the terminal, there is a commercial aviation apron capable of accommodating up to 11 narrow-body aircraft or a combination of 3 narrow-body and 3 wide-body aircraft. Additionally, a remote stand is available for 2 narrow-body aircraft. The airport has the capacity to service airplanes as large as Boeing 747s and 777s, although most daily flights involve smaller aircraft, with the most common being the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. The airport can handle up to 30 operations per hour and operates around the clock.[5]

Passenger terminal

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The passenger terminal is a two-story structure. The ground floor comprises the main entrance, a check-in area, and the arrivals section, which includes customs and immigration facilities, along with baggage claim services. Additionally, car rental services, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops are available. The upper terminal floor hosts a security checkpoint and departure area, featuring a 260 metres (850 ft) long departures concourse. Within this section, there are restaurants, food stands, duty-free shops, VIP lounges, and eleven gates (C1-11), with seven of them equipped with jet bridges.[6][7]

In the vicinity of the terminal, various facilities are located, including civil aviation hangars, cargo and logistics companies, and cargo services. There is also a dedicated general aviation terminal that supports a range of activities, such as tourism, flight training, executive aviation, and general aviation.

Other facilities

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The airport is home to the Mérida Area Control Center (ACC), one of four such centers in Mexico, alongside the Mexico City ACC, Monterrey ACC, and Mazatlán ACC.[8] Operated by the Mexican Airspace Navigation Services (Spanish: Servicios a la Navegación en el Espacio Aéreo Mexicano), Mérida ACC provides air traffic control services for aircraft operating within the Mérida Flight Data Region (FDRG), which encompasses the southeastern region of Mexico. This region shares its boundaries with six other Area Control Centers. To the west, it borders the Monterrey ACC and Mexico ACC, while to the north, it shares borders with the Houston ARTCC (KZHU), and to the east and south, it connects with the Havana ACC (MUFH) and the Central American ACC (MHTG), respectively.[9][10]

Air Force Base No. 8 (Spanish: Base Aérea Militar No. 8 Mérida, Yucatán) (BAM-8) is located on the airport grounds, north of Runway 10/28. It serves as the home for Air Squadron 114, responsible for operating Cessna 182 aircraft. BAM-8 features two aprons, one spanning 11,775 square metres (126,750 sq ft) and another covering 4,000 square metres (43,000 sq ft). In addition to these, it includes three hangars and various other facilities for accommodating Air Force personnel.[11]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Aeroméxico Mexico City
Aeroméxico Connect Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA
Aerus Cancún, Villahermosa
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami
Magnicharters Mexico City
Seasonal: Cancún
Mexicana de Aviación Mexico City–AIFA
TAG Airlines Flores, Guatemala City
United Airlines Houston–Intercontinental
Viva Guadalajara, Havana, León/El Bajío, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA, Miami,[12] Monterrey, Orlando,[12] Puebla, Querétaro, Tijuana1 (begins November 3, 2024),[13] Toluca/Mexico City, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa
Seasonal: Los Angeles (begins December 18, 2024)[13]
Volaris Guadalajara, León/El Bajío, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA, Monterrey, Oaxaca
WestJet Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson

^1 Viva flight to Tijuana makes a stopover in León/El Bajío.

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
Aeronaves TSMCancún, Queretaro
AeroUnion Guatemala City, Mexico City, Miami, New York-JFK
EstafetaCancún, Mexico City, Miami, Villahermosa
Mas AirLos Angeles, Manaus, Mexico City, São Paulo-Viracopos
TUM AeroCarga Cancún, Toluca/Mexico City

Destinations map

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Domestic destinations from Mérida International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination
International destinations from Mérida International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination

Statistics

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Annual passenger traffic at MID airport. See Wikidata query.

Busiest routes

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Busiest domestic routes from Mérida International Airport (2023)[14]
Rank City Passengers Ranking Airline
1  Mexico City, Mexico City 944,674 Steady Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Magni, Viva Aerobus, Volaris
2  Jalisco, Guadalajara 188,600 Increase 1 Viva Aerobus, Volaris
3  Nuevo León, Monterrey 175,928 Decrease 1 Viva Aerobus, Volaris
4  State of Mexico, Mexico City-AIFA 90,226 Steady Aeroméxico Connect, Volaris
5  State of Mexico, Toluca 60,035 Increase 4 Viva Aerobus
6  Veracruz, Veracruz 53,444 Decrease 1 Viva Aerobus
7  Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez 35,061 Decrease 1 Viva Aerobus
8  Guanajuato, León/El Bajío 13,207 New entry Viva Aerobus, Volaris
9  Querétaro, Querétaro 32,446 New entry Volaris
10  Tabasco, Villahermosa 21,057 Decrease 2 Viva Aerobus
Busiest international routes from Mérida International Airport (2023)[14]
Rank City Passengers Ranking Airline
1  United States, Houston 47,533 Steady United Airlines
2  United States, Miami 37,896 Steady American Eagle
3  United States, Dallas 22,614 Increase 3 American Eagle
4  Cuba, Havana 6,985 Decrease 1 Viva Aerobus
5  Canada, Toronto 3,455 Decrease 1 WestJet
6  Guatemala, Guatemala City 3,449 Decrease 1 TAG Airlines
7  Cuba, Camagüey 1,656 Steady Viva Aerobus
8  Cuba, Santa Clara 1,656 New entry Viva Aerobus
9  Guatemala, Flores 137 Decrease 1 TAG Airlines

Accidents and incidents

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Passenger's Traffic" (in Spanish). ASUR. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Our airports".
  3. ^ "Estadística Operacional de Aeropuertos / Statistics by Airport". Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  4. ^ Aviacsa History
  5. ^ "MID airport information".
  6. ^ "Salones Premier".
  7. ^ "Caral lounge".
  8. ^ "Air Traffic Control Services".
  9. ^ "ATFM Regional Implementation Progress in the CAR Region" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Seminario/taller CAR/SAM para la implantación de sistemas avanzados de vigilancia y automatización" (PDF).
  11. ^ "Bases Aéreas. Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional".
  12. ^ a b "New Destinations from Mérida". Viva Aerobus (in Spanish). October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Viva Aerobus adds 2 new routes from Mérida". Mexico News Daily. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
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