San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, a popular tourist destination, and Ensenada, Baja California, a city in the north, may soon get new airports, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT).
As part of a plan to improve the nation’s airport network, the SICT has asked the Finance Ministry for over 15 million pesos (US $860,415) to conduct feasibility studies.
“These studies will include surveys to determine the groundwater level and soil layers’ capacity to support the buildings as well as carrying out foundation solution proposals,” Jorge Nuño, the SICT Minister, made an announcement on December 6 during his appearance in the Chamber of Deputies.
“Both projects include a study that outlines the development of airport infrastructure in short, medium, and long-term phases,” Nuño added. It is anticipated that the feasibility studies will be finished by August.
Since early this year, both cities have been considered for their own airports.
Despite having a military base for civil aviation, Ensenada is not suited for larger aircraft, and given its proximity to the US, it could profit from the nearshoring boom the area is currently experiencing.
The main airports for San Miguel de Allende, which are more than an hour’s drive away, are the only ones with air connectivity.
However, since San Miguel de Allende is close to two existing international airports and Ensenada is close to the international airport in Tijuana, independent aviation analyst Juan Antonio José told news outlet T21 that neither of the projects has the potential to be profitable.
New Airport in Tulum
A couple of weeks ago, the much-anticipated new airport in Riviera Maya officially opened for business. The inaugural commercial flight to land in Tulum was operated by Mexican low-cost carrier Viva Aerobus.
Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport (TQO), located in Tulum, has been under construction since 2022. The airport is located close to the Caribbean coast on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. In the upcoming months, it is anticipated that at least 5 American airlines will begin service out of the airport.