Cancun Airport has just this week recorded its busiest day of all time. The airport, which has coped admirably with the millions of passengers flying in and out every month, eclipsed a record from pre-pandemic times despite the high season barely having started in the Mexican Caribbean region. In doing so, it is the latest of a string of several such travel-related records being set by Cancun and the surrounding towns and islands, as travelers simply can’t get enough of this enchanting strip of coastline.
Despite breaking records and being the only major airport around, Cancun International Airport has managed the throngs of travelers with minimal fuss, with little to worry about in terms of delays and cancelations, serving as an example that other airlines in travel hotspots around the world would be wise to learn from. Here’s a look at how Cancun Airport set the record and why it could be broken once more in the coming months.
Cancun Airport Breaks Records – Information For Travelers
Cancun International Airport has long since been popular with American travelers. An estimated 81% of all international arrivals to Mexico are from the U.S., with tens of millions taking the trip to Cancun each year to enjoy the beaches, resorts, and ruins that have seen its popularity explode in recent times. With Cancun set to welcome record numbers of travelers this year, it was only a matter of time before the city’s airport broke its record for the busiest day on record – and that milestone was achieved on Saturday.
The previous record was an impressive 659 flights coming or going in one day, which was set back in March 2018 – before we had any idea of the travel chaos that was due to come our way. Fast forward a few years, and that record was broken just a few days ago, as a stunning 660 flights landed or departed from the airport on Saturday, with the new record having been set barely a few days into the region’s typical high season.
Out of these 660 flights, the vast majority were international trips, solidifying Cancun’s status as one of the most in-demand destinations on the planet. A total of 473 international flights were recorded, flying to 73 different international destinations around the world, whilst there were also 223 domestic flights heading to or from 23 different destinations across the country, proving that Cancun is popular with both international and domestic travelers alike.
The record is expected to be broken once again throughout the course of the next few months as high season in the region begins to really take hold. Cancun has braced itself for huge scores of travelers arriving, with hotel occupancy levels in the city already hovering around the 80% mark and expected to rise even higher as we head into the new year and beyond. Thankfully, a string of new hotels that have recently opened has helped to ease the burden – and the price surges – that travelers are facing when looking for a place to stay.
Perhaps most impressively, the airport has quietly gone about setting the new record with disruptions to normal service kept to a minimum. Whilst airports across the world and, notably in Europe, have struggled to cope with the renewed appetite for travel, Cancun Airport has got back into the swing of things without any significant bouts of delays or cancellations. This is a testament to the lengths the airport went through to ensure smooth service was offered, such as the hiring of new immigration agents and digital immigration kiosks, which have undoubtedly had a positive impact.
The airport isn’t the only port that has set records this year. The island of Cozumel has had a record number of cruise arrivals this year, welcoming more than 3 million tourists from nearly 1200 cruises – a 340% jump above its record in 2021. With around 18 million travelers set to have visited the state of Quintana Roo by the end of the year, you wouldn’t bet against new records being set in the coming weeks either.