Following the creation of the new Mexican Tourist Airport Group (GATM) and the Mexican Airports (AME) company, which are contemplating ambitious infrastructure expansion plans for their terminals in Tepic and Puerto Escondido, the company’s focus is now on increasing connectivity to various European nations.
In an interview with A21, AME’s general manager, Javier García Bejos, reported that they are already negotiating with airlines operating in the Old Continent to create connections through Mexico City International Airport (AICM).
“What we are working with the companies is to ensure they can have adequate schedules so their flights from Europe land at the AICM at a suitable time and create a connecting flight to Tepic and Puerto Escondido,” the executive commented.
“We are working with the airlines to help connect flights coming from Europe. There are a large number of people coming from this continent who want to reach Puerto Escondido or Tepic,” he stated.
We seek to “make more direct and simpler connections from the main European hubs to reach our destinations with a stopover in Mexico City. The truth is that there is a lot of product development to be done,” explained García Bejos.
It was in 2022 that the federal government created the GATM (Mexico City Airports and Auxiliary Services), which, together with AME, would jointly operate the Tepic and Puerto Escondido terminals with the goal of improving their competitiveness and increasing connectivity. This led to a partnership between the government entity Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA) and the private company Mota Engil for the operation of this infrastructure, resulting in the companies investing 4 billion pesos in each airport to expand and improve their infrastructure.
The executive explained that in the case of the Tepic airport, they extended the runway by one kilometer, expanded the terminal building by 20,000 square meters, and built a 43-meter-high control tower, making it the tallest building in Nayarit.
Fernando Gómez Suárez, a professor at the Universidad Panamericana and aviation specialist, commented that these airports previously lacked a strategy to thrive, so this partnership with a private company was created to boost them, as they are airports with great potential and needed a capital injection to find a market, the analyst said.
A promising future
“With the investment we are making in each of the airports, we have the potential to have plans for the next 25 years, without any problems,” stated Javier García Bejos, the general director of AME.
“The great news for both airports is that they have development plans that can allow them to grow in an orderly manner and can effectively meet the demand for services,” the executive indicated.
García Bejos explained that in the case of Tepic, one of its potential markets is migrants, because many Nayarit residents live in California and continually come back to see their families.
“Another type of traveler interested in coming to the state are American surfers, especially to the San Pancho region. This community has gained a lot of popularity,” he commented.
“In the case of Puerto Escondido, we have seen that young travelers from Mexico City are starting to flock to this destination, especially given the difficulties in Acapulco, Guerrero,” he noted.
In addition to this market, there is also potential for migrant tourists and surfers, especially from Los Angeles, California.
New destinations for growth
Javier García Bejos stated that concrete plans are in place for both airports for an orderly expansion into the United States and Canada.
The executive specified that for the Tepic terminal, they will seek to have new operations to Phoenix, Denver, and Dallas, as well as other cities in the state of California.
In addition, there is potential to attract flights from Canada, specifically Calgary, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.
Regarding Puerto Escondido, he reported that plans are to expand to destinations such as Los Angeles and Miami, as these are some of the most promising markets.
Regarding national connectivity, the goal is to have operations to Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and Mexicali, he noted.
Source: a21
