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Cancun International Airport
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- CUN/MMUN
- Country:
- Mexico
- Passenger Count :
- 22,318,467 (2021)
- Runways :
- 12R/30L - 3,500m (11,483ft) | 12L/30R - 2,800m (9,186ft)
- Terminals:
- Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4
According to data provided by the Airports Council International (ACI), Cancún International Airport (CUN) had over 13.2 million international passengers last year, ranking tenth worldwide behind some larger hubs like Dubai, Istanbul, and Amsterdam. However, in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cancún ranked 61 overall. So, how has this Mexican airport become one of the leading international airports globally? Let’s find out.
Cancún, the international gateway to Mexico?
Mexico currently has two main international points of entry: Mexico City Benito Juárez International (MEX) and Cancún International Airport.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Cancún was established as Mexico’s main international airport. Last year, the hub in the Caribbean had 35% of all the international passengers in the country (MEX had 26.9%).
Most of Cancún's international passengers are leisure travelers from the United States. According to Cirium, Cancún currently receives 1,219 international flights per week, of which 812 come from the United States.
How did Cancún rank in the top ten?
Earlier this week, ACI released the top ten busiest airports worldwide for 2021, which showed encouraging signs of traffic recovery.
Dubai remained the top airport worldwide in the international segment, receiving 29.1 million passengers (still 66.3% below 2019 levels, as the COVID-19 pandemic still impacted Dubai’s operations).
The top ten by ACI was completed by Istanbul (26.4 million passengers), Amsterdam (25.4 million), Frankfurt (22.6 million), Paris Charles de Gaulle (22.6 million), Doha (17.7 million), London Heathrow (17.6 million), Antalya (17.1 million), Madrid (15.3 million), and Cancún (13.2 million).
The average decrease of international travelers in 2021 compared to 2019 was -55.25% between these ten airports. Nonetheless, Cancún had the best international recovery overall; it finished the year just 19.7% below its pre-pandemic traffic levels. This is one of Cancún’s secrets.
Throughout the pandemic, Cancún has been able to bounce back and attract international travelers looking for leisure destinations with lots of open spaces and few travel restrictions. Mexico, overall, and Cancún, in particular, have become this type of destination.
The Mexican government never imposed travel restrictions and kept its borders open, allowing for a faster recovery of the airline industry. For instance, Volaris is already carrying 40% more passengers than in 2019, a testament to the country’s resilience.
When ACI released its 2019 top ten busiest airports worldwide, Cancún was listed as the 61 most important international passenger globally. One year later, Cancún moved forward and ranked 28 overall. Last year, it finally broke into the top ten.
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Cancún’s top international players
As stated previously, Cancún has 1,219 weekly international flights, offering nearly 227,000 seats. On average, there are 186.1 seats available on every flight coming into Cancún from abroad.
As of April 2022, Cancún’s largest international airline is American Airlines, which offers 156 weekly flights from several destinations in the United States. On average, American Airlines has 22 daily flights to the Mexican destination.
United Airlines is closely behind American Airlines with 151 weekly flights, followed by Delta Air Lines (112), Frontier (99), JetBlue (97), and Southwest with 95. The largest non-American airline to operate international flights to Cancún is Copa Airlines, with 56 weekly flights (eight per day).
Are you surprised to see Cancún in the top ten of the world’s busiest international airports? Do you think it will keep its place in the ranking moving forward? Let us know in the comments below.