Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico – On Tuesday, July 23rd, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez inaugurated the second runway at Guadalajara’s Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport. This project, funded by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) with a 15.9 billion pesos investment, strengthens Jalisco as Mexico’s top airport logistics hub for cargo and third for passenger traffic.
Alfaro emphasized that the new runway and Terminal 1 improvements will boost Jalisco’s economic, tourist, and logistical growth. He praised the collaboration between government and private sectors, noting that the airport expansion could increase capacity by 70%. Additionally, the Puerto Vallarta airport expansion will double its capacity in a few months.
GAP Board President Laura Díez-Barroso received special recognition from Alfaro for her role in the airport’s modernization. General Miguel Enrique Vallín Osuna, representing the Secretary of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation, highlighted the airport’s role in enhancing trade, tourism, and investment, thus boosting international relations and competitiveness.
Díez-Barroso noted that the project includes a mixed-use building with a Hilton hotel, new general aviation area, 51 hangars, a rescue and firefighting base, and a shopping mall. The runway, 3,538 meters long and 45 meters wide, is the fourth in Mexico to operate with segregated aircraft arrivals and departures.
As part of the official opening event for the second runway at Guadalajara Airport, GAP gave the green light to the first official connecting flight of Volaris Airlines passengers to Cancun, which also marks a launch for Jalisco with other airport logistics hubs.
In the first half of the year, Jalisco received over 7 million passengers, with 4.178 million arriving at Guadalajara Airport and 3.2 million at Puerto Vallarta Airport. Terminal 1 has been modernized, and parking capacity increased by 90 percent to 4,000 spaces, with a future projection of over 10,000 spaces.
Guadalajara Airport, the third busiest in Mexico after Mexico City and Cancun, averages 1,079 weekly departures, operates 60 destinations with 10 airlines, and served nearly 18 million passengers in 2023. It also has the second highest air cargo flight traffic in the country.