Don_Miguel_Hidalgo_y_Costilla_International_Airport

Guadalajara International Airport

Guadalajara International Airport

International airport serving Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport (IATA: GDL, ICAO: MMGL), simply known as Guadalajara International Airport, is the primary international airport serving Guadalajara, Jalisco, the third-largest city in Mexico. It facilitates flights to and from destinations across Mexico, the Americas, and Europe.[2] It is the largest hub for Volaris, functioning as the airline's primary gateway to the United States.[3] Additionally, it serves as a hub for Aeromexico and Viva Aerobus. Operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), the airport is named after Miguel Hidalgo, a prominent leader in the Mexican War of Independence.

Quick Facts Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Summary ...

The airport is the second-busiest in Mexico for cargo flights, providing cargo services to countries in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Additionally, the airport supports various tourism initiatives, flight training programs, and general aviation activities. In terms of passenger traffic, Guadalajara Airport ranks as the third busiest in Mexico, following Mexico City and Cancún. Furthermore, it stands as the ninth busiest in Latin America and the 44th busiest in North America. It handled 15,606,600 passengers in 2022 and experienced an increase to 17,710,200 passengers in 2023, reflecting a growth rate of 13.5%.[1]

History

Early operations

Terminal main entrance

The Guadalajara Airport was inaugurated on March 1, 1951, featuring two asphalt runways, an apron, and a small passenger terminal. The opening ceremony was officiated by President Miguel Alemán Valdés.[4]

Guadalajara Airport has undergone significant expansions since its early days. In 1966, operations were briefly suspended due to safety concerns raised by the Technical Commission of the Mexican Pilots Association (Spanish: Asociación Sindical de Pilotos Aviadores de México ASPA). Urgent repairs were carried out, with airlines temporarily redirected to the Zapopan Air Force Base. The renovation efforts included enlarging the original 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) runway 10/28. By 1968, the runway was reconstructed and extended to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft), coinciding with the reconstruction of the airport's passenger building.

The airport was reinaugurated as the new Miguel Hidalgo International Airport. This transformation allowed it to accommodate wide-body aircraft and was executed largely using existing infrastructure, with the old runway, apron, and building repurposed for general aviation. Throughout the following years, the airport underwent further transformations. In 1973, runways, taxiways, aprons, passenger buildings, parking lots, a control tower, and fuel storage areas were completely renovated or newly constructed. Technological enhancements, such as jetbridges, high-intensity lights, visual approach slope indicator (VASI) and runway end identifier lights (REIL), were implemented to ensure operational efficiency and safety.

Hub operations

In the 1980s, Mexicana, a key player in the country's aviation industry, began a decentralization effort to address congestion at Mexico City International Airport. Guadalajara, alongside airports like Monterrey and Mérida, played a pivotal role in accommodating additional routes and frequencies to alleviate pressure on the capital's airport. As part of this initiative, a Maintenance Base was inaugurated in 1988. This facility had the capacity to service ten Boeing 727-200 aircraft and two DC-10s, constituting a significant portion (approximately 23%) of the airline's fleet. Until Mexicana's bankruptcy, the airport served as a hub for the airline, functioning as one of its gateways to the United States.

On May 24, 1993, the airport parking lot became the site of a tragic firefight between the Logan Heights Gang, associated with the Tijuana Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel. This confrontation resulted in seven fatalities, including Catholic Archbishop Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo.[5]

In 1994, expansion and adaptation projects were funded by Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA), leading to significant improvements in the passenger terminal and departures concourse. The apron was extended, and two taxiways were added. A transformative year came in 1995 with the publication of the 'Ley de Aeropuertos' (Airports Law) by the Department of Communications and Transportation (Spanish: Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transporte), marking the inception of Mexico's airport privatization program. In 1999, Guadalajara Airport joined Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), a consortium headquartered in Guadalajara.

The airport served as a hub for Aero California from its establishment in 1960 until its bankruptcy in 2006. In the 2000s, it also served as the primary hub for the now-defunct regional airline ALMA and was a secondary hub for Aeromar. In 2010, Volaris commenced service to Guadalajara, absorbing routes from the defunct Aerocalifornia and Mexicana. This marked the establishment of what is now Volaris' largest hub.

Passenger terminal

Expansion challenges and local concerns

In 2020, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico announced a substantial investment of 14 billion pesos in Guadalajara Airport. This funding was dedicated to essential developments, including the construction of a new runway located on the northern side of the airport, converting the terminal and other buildings into midfield facilities. Other developments include improved terminal access, an expanded parking lot, a hotel, an office complex, and a solar power plant. The comprehensive expansion project is slated for completion by 2024.[6]

Despite the promising vision, expansion initiatives have faced setbacks due to conflicts with residents. Protests have disrupted parking lot access, leading to a reevaluation of the construction timeline. Residents argue that Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico holds debts for the land, originally expropriated in 1975 for airport expansion. This contested terrain, spanning the airport's polygon and an additional 320 hectares (790 acres), designates 51 hectares (130 acres) for the second runway. The ongoing dispute has prompted Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico to appeal to the Department of Communications and Transportation, resulting in a temporary postponement of the second runway's construction. Successful completion of these expansions is anticipated to substantially boost the airport's capacity, accommodating over 40 million passengers. In the absence of fruitful negotiations, the potential for another expropriation remains an option to advance the project.

In December 2021, Guadalajara Airport achieved a significant milestone with the introduction of Aeroméxico's nonstop flights to Madrid, operated by a Boeing 787. This marked the airport's inaugural direct connection to Europe.[7]

Facilities

Terminal map
Departures concourse C

The airport is located in the municipality of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Downtown Guadalajara. Situated within built-up areas of the Metropolitan zone, the airport is situated at an elevation 1,529 metres (5,016 ft) above sea level, featuring two asphalt runways: Runway 11R/29L measuring 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) and Runway 02/20 measuring 1,818 metres (5,965 ft). To the north of the airfield, plans for a new Runway 11L/29R are underway, situated in a build-up area that is currently in the process of expropriation.

Passenger Terminal

The airport's single terminal spans an area of 89,300 square metres (961,000 sq ft) and is currently undergoing renovations. Operating as a two-story facility, the terminal facilitates domestic and international flights. The ground floor encompasses arrival amenities, including baggage claim carousels, domestic check-in sections, and a commercial corridor housing snack kiosks, banks, souvenir shops, and car rental services. The upper floor features security checkpoints and a departures area extending 630 metres (2,070 ft), housing food courts, restaurants, and 43 gates distributed across four concourses:

  • Concourse A: Airside Walk-up gates A1 - A8
  • Concourse B: Jetbridge gates B10 - B13
  • Concourse C: Jetbridge gates C30 - C37
  • Concourse D: Ground Floor, Bus gates D40 - D50[8]
    Food court at the departures concourse
    Terminal main entrance
    Volaris Airbus A320-271N N530VL at GDL
    Aeromexico Boeing B737-9 MAX XA-HSB at GDL

Various VIP lounges, such as the Aeroméxico Salón Premier, Citibanamex Salón Beyond, VIP Lounge East, and VIP Lounge West, are available within the passenger terminal. Additionally, nearby hotel services include City Express Guadalajara Aeropuerto, Hampton Inn by Hilton Guadalajara-Aeropuerto, and Hangar Inn.[9] Car rental services include Avis, Enterprise, Hertz, Veico Car Rental, City Car Rental, and Mex Rent A Car. Restaurants at the airport include:

Restaurants

Other facilities

Air Force Station No. 1 (Spanish: Estación Aérea Militar N.º 1 Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara) (E.A.M. 1) is situated on the airport grounds.[10] Adjacent facilities encompass a maintenance base for Volaris, Aeromexico, an FBO terminal, a general aviation apron with several hangars, and a cargo terminal, recently expanded to store approximately 350,000 tons of goods annually within its 27,000 square metres (290,000 sq ft). The cargo terminal features six positions capable of handling various wide-body aircraft.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

More information Airlines, Destinations ...

Cargo

More information Airlines, Destinations ...

Destinations map

Domestic destinations from Guadalajara International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination
North- and Latin American destinations from Guadalajara International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination
European destinations from Guadalajara International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination

Statistics

Passengers

Guadalajara Airport Passengers. See Wikidata query.
More information Year, Passengers ...

Busiest routes

More information Rank, City ...
More information Rank, City ...
Notes
  1. The official statistics combine both Midway and O'Hare airports.

Accidents and incidents

  • On June 2, 1958, Aeronaves de México Flight 111, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation (registration XA-MEV), crashed into La Latilla Mountain, 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the airport, shortly after takeoff for a flight to Mexico City, after the airliner's crew failed to follow the established climb-out procedure for the airport after taking off. The crash killed all 45 people on board, and two prominent American scientists – oceanographer Townsend Cromwell and fisheries scientist Bell M. Shimada – were among the dead. It was the deadliest aviation accident in Mexican history at the time.[17][18][19]
  • Aeroméxico Flight 498: On August 31, 1986 an Aeroméxico DC-9 that originated from Mexico City and stopped at Guadalajara, Loreto and Tijuana collided with a private aircraft while attempting to land at Los Angeles International Airport.
  • On May 24, 1993, Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, the Archbishop of Guadalajara, and six other people were killed in a shootout between rival drug cartels in the airport parking lot.[20]
  • On September 16, 1998, Continental Flight 475, a Boeing 737-524 registered N20643. Departed Houston at 20:56 for an IFR flight to Guadalajara. After executing a missed approach on their first ILS approach to runway 28, the flight was vectored for a second approach to runway 28. The second approach was reported by both pilots to be uneventful; however, after touchdown, the aircraft drifted to the left side of the runway. The left main landing gear exited the hard surface of the runway approximately 2700 feet from the threshold and eventually, all 3 landing gears exited the 197-foot wide asphalt runway, and all the passengers survived.

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "GAP Traffic Report 2023" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  2. [2]
    "Statistics by Airport" (Web). Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  3. [3]
    "Volaris cements Guadalajara as a hub" (Web). Milenio. April 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  4. [4]
    "Guadalajara dio una Calurosa Recepción al Presidente. Gran Concurrencia en el Aeropuerto". El Informador (in Spanish). March 2, 1951. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  5. [5]
    Golden, Tim (May 25, 1993). "Cardinal in Mexico Killed in a Shooting Tied to Drug Battle". The New York Times.
  6. [6]
    "Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta airports in line for major upgrades". Mexico News Daily. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  7. [7]
    "Fly nonstop to Europe from Guadalajara". Aeroméxico. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  8. [8]
    Quarter Studios - Soluciones Digitales. "Aeropuerto de Guadalajara". Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  9. [9]
    Hangar Inn
  10. [10]
    "Bases Aéreas. Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional".
  11. [11]
    Robertson, Becky (April 11, 2024). "New cheap and direct flights under $150 will connect Toronto to historic sun destination". blogTO. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  12. [12]
    Parkinson, Bruce (November 1, 2023). "Flair Touts Improved Performance, Announces New YVR-GDL & YYZ-YQB Routes". TravelPulse Canada. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  13. [13]
    "Volaris connects Guadalajara with Tulum: Take advantage of the opening offer with flights from $99 pesos". El Debate (in Spanish). April 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  14. [14]
    "Atlas Air Schedule". Atlas Air. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  15. [15]
    "Qatar Airways Cargo commences Macau-Guadalajara transpacific freighter service". Gulf Times Commercial Press. January 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  16. [16]
    "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  17. [17]
    "Accident". Aviation Safety Network. June 1958. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  18. [18]
    "Bell Masayuki Shimada (1922-1958)". National Ocean Service. July 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  19. [19]
    "NOAA Honors Nisei with Launch of Fisheries Vessel". Japanese American Veterans Association. December 2008. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  20. [20]
    Golden, Tim (May 25, 1993). "Cardinal in Mexico Killed in a Shooting Tied to Drug Battle". The New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
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