Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla
GDL Airport Front View
IATA: GDL ICAO: MMGL
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
Operator	Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
Serves	Guadalajara, Jalisco
Location	Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco
Hub for	Volaris
Focus city for	VivaAerobús Aeromexico
Elevation AMSL	1,529 m / 5,016 ft
Coordinates	20°31′18″N 103°18′40″W / 20.52167°N 103.31111°W / 20.52167; -103.31111
Maps
Guadalajara airport diagram
GDL Location in Jalisco Show map of Jalisco GDL Location in Mexico Show map of Mexico
Runway
Runway Length Surface m ft 11R/29L 4,000 13,123 Asphalt 11L/29R (under construction) 3,538 11,608 Asphalt 02/20 1,818 5,964 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Total Passengers 15,606,600 Ranking in Mexico 3rd
Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico

The Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport (also called Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara) is a very important airport in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Guadalajara is Mexico's third-largest city. The airport opened in 1966 and is about 16 kilometers south of the city center.

In 2022, over 15.6 million passengers used this airport. This makes it the third busiest airport in Mexico. Only Mexico City International Airport and Cancún International Airport are busier. It is also the second busiest for cargo flights.

Guadalajara International Airport has two runways and one main building for travelers. It is a major airport for connecting flights. It is a main hub for Volaris and a key airport for flights to the United States. It is also a focus city for Aeroméxico and VivaAerobus. You can fly from here to many places in Mexico, Central America, the United States, and Spain. Cargo planes also fly to countries in Asia and Europe.

The airport is named after Miguel Hidalgo. He was a very important person in Mexico's history. He started the war that helped Mexico become independent from Spain. People call him the "father of Mexican independence."

Airport History: How It Grew

The airport first opened on March 1, 1951. The president of Mexico at that time, Miguel Alemán Valdés, and the governor of Jalisco, José de Jesús González Gallo, were there for the opening.

In 2020, big plans were announced for the airport. The company that runs the airport, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, decided to invest a lot of money. They plan to build a new runway and a new terminal building. They also want to add new things like a bigger parking lot, a hotel, and offices. There will even be a power plant that uses sunlight!

These changes are expected to be finished by 2024. The goal is to have more flights to the United States and Europe. In December 2021, the airport got its first direct flight to Europe. Aeroméxico started flying to Madrid using a large Boeing 787 plane.

Exploring the Airport Terminals

Airport's Main entrance.

Terminal Map

Main Corridor at the airport.

Concourse A at the Airport.

Concourse D (Now Concourse C) at the airport.

Local baggage claim.

Passenger Terminal: Where Travelers Go

The Passenger Terminal, also called Terminal 1, is used by all airlines. It handles both flights within Mexico and international flights to other countries. This terminal has special areas for customs checks.

There are also 27 places where planes can park away from the gates. The terminal has 12 jetways, which are the bridges you walk through to get on the plane. It has four main areas called concourses:

• Concourse A - This area has gates A1 through A8. You walk from the gate to the plane.
• Concourse B - This area has gates B10 through B13, which use jetways.
• Concourse C - This area has gates C30 through C37, which also use jetways.
• Concourse D - This area is on the lower level and has gates D40 through D50. Buses take you from these gates to your plane.

Cargo Terminal: For Goods and Packages

The Cargo Terminal is where goods and packages are handled. It was recently made bigger. It can now store about 350,000 tons of goods each year. This area is very large, covering 27,000 square meters. It has 6 spots where even the biggest cargo planes can load and unload.

Terminal interior

Airlines and Where They Fly

Passenger Flights

Cargo Flights

Airport Amenities: What You Can Find

The airport has many services and places to make your trip easier and more fun.

Restaurants and Food

You can find many places to eat at the airport, including:

• Burger King
• California Pizza Kitchen
• Carl's Jr.
• Chili's
• Corner Bar
• De Volada Grab N' Go
• El Quijote
• Fronteras Bar
• Guacamole Mexican Grill
• Johnny Rockets
• Krispy Kreme
• La Pausa
• Los Tres Amigos Tacos
• Medas
• Natural Break
• Sbarro
• Starbucks
• Subway
• Wings

Car Rental Services

If you need a car when you arrive, these companies are available:

• Avis
• Enterprise
• Hertz
• Veico Car Rental
• City Car Rental
• Mex Rent A Car

Hotels Near the Airport

If you need to stay close to the airport, there are hotels like:

• City Express Guadalajara Aeropuerto
• Hampton Inn de Hilton Guadalajara-Aeropuerto
• Hangar Inn

VIP Lounges

For a more comfortable wait, there are special lounges:

• Aeroméxico Salón Premier
• Citibanamex Salón Beyond
• VIP Lounge East
• VIP Lounge West

Airport Statistics: How Many People Fly?

Passenger Numbers Over the Years

Annual Passenger Traffic

Year	Passengers	% Change
2010	6,918,621
2011	7,154,959	3.41%
2012	7,389,897	3.28%
2013	8,104,762	9.67%
2014	8,695,183	7.28%
2015	9,758,516	12.22%
2016	11,362,552	16.43%
2017	12,779,874	12.47%
2018	14,340,152	12.21%
2019	14,823,592	3.37%
2020	8,125,600	45.40%
2021	12,243,000	50.7%
2022	15,606,600	30.6%

Busiest Domestic Routes (2022)

These are the most popular flights from Guadalajara to other cities within Mexico:

Busiest domestic routes from Guadalajara International Airport (2022)

Rank	City	Passengers	Ranking	Airline
1	Mexico City, Mexico City	1,453,728		Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, VivaAerobús, Volaris
2	Baja California, Tijuana	1,141,397		Aeroméxico, Magni, VivaAerobús, Volaris
3	Quintana Roo, Cancún	498,367		Magni, VivaAerobús, Volaris
4	Nuevo León, Monterrey	448,797		VivaAerobús, Volaris
5	Baja California, Mexicali	235,208		Volaris
6	Baja California Sur, Los Cabos	217,405		Calafia Airlines, VivaAerobús, Volaris
7	Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez	204,822	1	TAR, VivaAerobús, Volaris
8	Sonora, Hermosillo	193,642	1	Interjet, VivaAerobús, Volaris
9	Sinaloa, Culiacán	148,449		VivaAerobús, Volaris
10	Baja California Sur, La Paz	132,692		Aeromar, Calafia Airlines, VivaAerobús, Volaris
11	Yucatán, Mérida	122,957	1	VivaAerobús, Volaris
12	Chihuahua, Chihuahua	115,197	1	VivaAerobús, Volaris
13	Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta	104,039	1	Aeromar, TAR, VivaAerobús
14	Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez	92,464	1	VivaAerobús, Volaris
15	Veracruz, Veracruz	86,659	2	VivaAerobús, Volaris

Busiest International Routes (2022)

These are the most popular flights from Guadalajara to cities in other countries:

Busiest international routes from Guadalajara International Airport (2022)

Rank	City	Passengers	Ranking	Airline
1	United States, Los Angeles	440,831		Aeroméxico, Alaska Airlines, VivaAerobús, Volaris
2	United States, Chicago (Midway and O'Hare)	223,030		Aeroméxico, VivaAerobús, Volaris
3	United States, Dallas/FortWorth	184,670	1	American Airlines, Volaris
4	United States, Houston	139,444	1	United Airlines, United Express, VivaAerobús, Volaris
5	United States, Sacramento	128,277		Aeroméxico, Volaris
6	United States, Fresno	119,561		Aeroméxico, Volaris
7	United States, San Jose	99,252		Alaska Airlines, Volaris
8	United States, Oakland	87,818	1	Volaris
9	United States, Las Vegas	82,243	1	Volaris
10	United States, Phoenix–Sky Harbor	74,124	2	American Airlines, American Eagle, Volaris
11	United States, Seattle	58,991	1	Volaris
12	United States, Ontario	55,913	2	Volaris
13	United States, Portland	50,206		Volaris
14	United States, San Francisco	45,250	2	Aeroméxico
15	United States, Atlanta	40,670		Delta Air Lines

Local Issues: Why Expansion is Slowing Down

The airport's plans to expand are facing some challenges. This is because of disagreements with people who live nearby. There have been protests, and sometimes the airport parking lot has been blocked.

The local residents say that the company running the airport, Grupo Aeroportario del Pacífico, still owes them for land. This land was taken from them in 1975 to make the airport bigger. The land includes the airport area and an extra 320 hectares. About 51 hectares of this extra land are needed for the second runway.

Because of these issues, the company has asked the Mexican government's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation to help solve the problem. If the issues are not fixed, the airport's second runway might be delayed. With the new runway and bigger terminal, the airport could handle over 40 million passengers.

See also

In Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara para niños

• List of the busiest airports in Mexico