Mexico’s Flag Carrier Aeroméxico Quits Tulum Airport as Demand Slumps

MEXICO · TRAVEL · AVIATION

Aeroméxico, Mexico’s flag carrier, is pulling out of Tulum International Airport at the end of September. It was one of the first carriers to fly there when the terminal opened less than three years ago.

The exit leaves the Caribbean resort town without a direct link to Mexico City’s main airport. It also adds to a long list of airlines that have cut back at a terminal built to rival Cancún.

What Aeroméxico said

The airline confirmed the move to the financial newspaper El Financiero on Sunday 27 September.

“We are going to make a temporary suspension. September 30 will be the last day,” it said.

“It is suspended because of market conditions and to maximise our route network,” the airline added. It has not issued a press release.

The first sign came in flight schedules rather than an announcement. The aviation site Cranky Flier reported on 24 September that Aeroméxico had filed its exit the previous weekend.

Flights filed for later months were removed. The schedule data, which runs to August 2027, shows no Aeroméxico service to Tulum at all.

An airport that never took off

Tulum is a beach town famous for its clifftop Maya ruins, about 90 minutes by road south of Cancún airport. Its airport, named Felipe Carrillo Puerto, opened on 15 December 2023 and is run by a company owned by the armed forces.

It sits beside a station on the Maya Train, the state-built railway around the Yucatán Peninsula. Together they were meant to open up the southern Caribbean coast to more visitors.

Aeroméxico began with two daily flights from Mexico City.

By May 2026 it had cut its service from Felipe Ángeles, the capital’s second airport, to four flights a week. Only the Mexico City International route was left for the final weeks.

The airport handled 1.233 million passengers in 2024 and 1.244 million in 2025, according to airport figures reported by El Universal. That is about 3,400 passengers a day, spread across arrivals and departures.

This year has been weaker, with 366,000 passengers from January to April. International travellers fell 34 percent in the first quarter, to 178,000, according to the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC), Mexico’s aviation regulator.

For scale, Cancún airport runs up to 350 flights a day, according to Cranky Flier. From October, Tulum will have two to four domestic departures a day through the winter, according to the same analysis.

Why the flights left

In June 2024, foreign airlines flew to 12 destinations from Tulum, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Panama City. By May 2026 only four remained: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Miami, served by Delta, American and United.

Those figures come from the aviation consultant Fabricio Cojuc, speaking to El Universal. Avianca, Copa Airlines and JetBlue have all left.

“At first there was a bubble, an effervescence, but little by little the numbers did not meet expectations,” he said. Airlines responded by trimming schedules and favouring Cancún.

El Financiero pointed to the end of the start-up incentives airlines often get at new airports. Local reporting also cites the seaweed known as sargassum, costly taxis from the airport and a slowdown in Tulum’s tourism.

Sargassum has been a recurring problem for the town.

It closed 70 businesses this summer, as covered in Sargassum Closes 70 Tulum, Mexico Businesses. Mexico’s government has since tried to revive demand, including through its Renace recovery plan.

What travellers should do

On 14 September Aeroméxico published a flexible policy called “Tulum TQO offer adjustment”. It covers tickets to, from or via Tulum.

Passengers can move to another flight or take an electronic credit for the ticket’s value. They can also get a refund to the original form of payment.

Anyone booked after 30 September should contact the airline now rather than wait for the flight date.

Within Mexico, Viva Aerobus, Volaris and the state-owned Mexicana still serve Tulum. Canadian airlines fly there in winter.

The main alternative remains Cancún airport, with its far larger choice of flights.

What comes next

The airport stays open, and other airlines’ schedules continue. Aeroméxico’s wording leaves the door open to a return, though it has filed no flights to show one.

The exit does not make Tulum harder to reach for most foreign visitors, who already fly mainly via Cancún. It does underline how hard it has been to build demand for a second airport so close to Cancún.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Aeroméxico stop flying to Tulum?

Its last day of operation in Tulum is Wednesday 30 September 2026. The airline calls it a temporary suspension, but its schedules show no Tulum flights through August 2027.

I have an Aeroméxico ticket to Tulum after 30 September. What can I do?

Under the airline’s “Tulum TQO offer adjustment” policy, you can move to another flight, take an electronic credit for the ticket’s value, or ask for a refund to your original form of payment.

Which airlines still fly to Tulum?

American, Delta and United fly from Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Miami. Viva Aerobus, Volaris and Mexicana fly within Mexico, and Canadian airlines fly there in winter.

Is it better to fly into Cancún for Tulum?

Cancún offers far more flights, and Tulum is about 90 minutes away by road. Flying into Tulum saves the drive, but choice of routes and times is now limited.

Sources: El Financiero, Aeroméxico statement on Tulum, 27 September 2026, Cranky Flier, schedule analysis of Tulum airport, 24 September 2026, Noticaribe, Aeroméxico leaves Tulum, 27 September 2026, The Tulum Times, Aeroméxico ends its Tulum flights, 27 September 2026, El Universal, Tulum airport loses momentum (AFAC and airport figures), 25 May 2026, La Jornada Maya, Tulum airport traffic falls, May 2026. All retrieved 28 September 2026.

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