Cancún International Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cancun International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional de Cancún
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste | ||||||||||
| Serves | Cancún | ||||||||||
| Location | Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico | ||||||||||
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| Elevation AMSL | 20 ft / 6 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 21°02′12″N 86°52′37″W / 21.03667°N 86.87694°W | ||||||||||
| Website | https://cancun-airport.net | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
 CUN
Location in Quintana Roo
CUN
Location in Mexico
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| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||
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Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste
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Cancun International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Cancún) is a very busy airport in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico. It is located on the beautiful Caribbean coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. This airport is super important for travel in Latin America, being the third busiest in the whole region. In Mexico, it's the second busiest, right after Mexico City International Airport. In 2022, over 30 million people traveled through Cancun Airport!
The airport has two runways that can be used at the same time. It first opened in 1974. A company called Grupo Aeroportario del Sureste manages it. Cancun Airport is a main base for MAYAir. It's also a key airport for VivaAerobus and Volaris. You can fly from here to more than 20 cities in Mexico. Plus, it connects to over 30 countries in North, Central, South America, and Europe.
Contents
Growing Bigger: Airport Expansion
Cancun Airport has been growing a lot. It's now the second most popular way to enter Mexico by air. In 2005, a lot of money was spent to build Terminal 3. This new terminal opened in 2007. They also built a new runway and a very tall control tower. The new control tower is 97 meters (318 feet) tall. That makes it the tallest in Latin America!
Terminal 2 was made bigger in 2014. Terminal 3 also got a huge expansion, adding more gates and shops. This helped the airport handle more passengers each year. In October 2017, Terminal 4 opened. This was exciting because it made Cancun the first airport in Mexico with four terminals.
Airport Terminals: Where You Fly From
Cancun Airport has four terminals, and they are all used today.
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 has seven gates. After a big storm called Hurricane Wilma, it was closed for a while to be fixed up. It reopened in 2013 for special charter flights. It also serves two Mexican airlines: Magni and VivaAerobús.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 has 22 gates. Most flights within Mexico leave from here. Also, many international flights to Central and South America use this terminal. Some longer flights to Europe also depart from Terminal 2. You can find banks and places to eat here. There are also shops and services for travelers.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 has 21 gates and has been made bigger recently. Most airlines from the United States use this terminal. Some Canadian and European airlines also fly from here. You can find duty-free shops, cafes, and restaurants. There are also services for people arriving from other countries.
Terminal 4
Terminal 4 opened in October 2017. It has 12 gates. This terminal can handle 9 million passengers every year. Many well-known airlines fly to Terminal 4. These include Aeroméxico, Air France, Lufthansa, Air Transat, and Southwest Airlines. There are also plans to build a hotel and a parking garage here.
Airlines and Destinations: Where You Can Go
Cancun International Airport connects you to many places around the world! You can fly to cities across Mexico. It also has flights to many countries in North, Central, and South America. Plus, there are direct flights to several cities in Europe.
Some of the airlines that fly here include:
- Aeroméxico
- Air Canada
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Delta Air Lines
- JetBlue
- Lufthansa
- Southwest Airlines
- Spirit Airlines
- United Airlines
- Viva Aerobus
- Volaris
- WestJet
Cargo Flights
Besides passenger flights, Cancun Airport also handles cargo (goods) flights. These flights bring important items to and from Cancun. Some cargo airlines that use this airport are Amerijet International, Estafeta Carga Aérea, and FedEx Express.
Destinations Map
| Destinations map |
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Airport Traffic: How Busy It Is
Cancun Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Millions of passengers travel through it every year. The number of travelers has grown a lot over time. In 2022, over 30 million people used the airport! This shows how popular Cancun is as a travel spot.
Passenger Numbers Over the Years
| Year | Total passengers | % change |
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| 1999 | 6,969,733 | – |
| 2000 | 7,745,317 |  11.1% |
| 2001 | 7,639,021 |  1.4% |
| 2002 | 7,717,144 | 1.0% |
| 2003 | 8,683,950 | 12.5% |
| 2004 | 10,010,526 | 15.3% |
| 2005 | 9,301,240 | 7.1% |
| 2006 | 9,728,149 | 4.6% |
| 2007 | 11,340,027 | 16.6% |
| 2008 | 12,646,451 | 11.5% |
| 2009 | 11,174,908 | 11.6% |
| 2010 | 12,439,266 | 11.3% |
| 2011 | 13,022,481 | 4.7% |
| 2012 | 14,463,435 | 11.1% |
| 2013 | 15,962,162 | 10.4% |
| 2014 | 17,455,353 | 9.4% |
| 2015 | 19,596,485 | 12.3% |
| 2016 | 21,415,795 | 9.3% |
| 2017 | 23,601,509 | 10.2% |
| 2018 | 25,202,016 | 6.8% |
| 2019 | 25,481,989 | 1.1% |
| 2020 | 12,259,148 | 51.89% |
| 2021 | 22,318,467 | 82.1% |
| 2022 | 30,342,961 | 36.0% |
Most Popular Routes (2022)
The airport has many popular routes. Here are some of the busiest:
- Mexico City: This is the busiest route, connecting Cancun to Mexico's capital.
- Monterrey, Mexico: Another very popular domestic route.
- Dallas/Fort Worth, USA: A top international route to the United States.
- Houston, USA: Another major connection to the USA.
- Guadalajara, Mexico: A key route within Mexico.
- Chicago, USA: A busy route to a major US city.
- Atlanta, USA: Another important connection to the United States.
- Panama City, Panama: A top route to Central America.
- New York, USA: A very popular route to the East Coast of the USA.
- Miami, USA: Another busy route to Florida.
- Toronto, Canada: A major connection to Canada.
- Bogotá, Colombia: A key route to South America.
- London, UK: A popular route to Europe.
Awards and Recognition
Cancun International Airport has won awards for its great service. In 2011, it was named the Best Airport in Latin America – Caribbean. This award came from the Airports Council International. It was also recognized as the 2nd Best Airport by Size for airports handling 5 to 15 million passengers.
See also
In Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Cancún para niños
- List of the busiest airports in Mexico
- List of the busiest airports in Latin America
