Are We (Finally) Ready for a Riviera Maya Airport?

January 16, 2008
Tulúm, Mexico

Those of you who have bought property in the Riviera Maya, take heart—the wait for a new airport may soon be over. Bidding for the new Riviera Maya airport has not yet been announced, but the project is now considered so certain that it’s regularly listed as one of Mexico’s top infrastructure projects for 2008.

Having a shorter commute to your property is hardly the only benefit a new airport may bring. As we've seen in other areas in Mexico, a new airport can drive up Mexican real estate values, attract foreign investment, and lead to public and private infrastructure projects. (And, in fact, highway expansion and improvement in the state of Quintana Roo, where the airport will be located, are also high on the list of infrastructure projects for this year.)

Newspapers here in the Yucatán say that the preliminary studies for the airport, including market and technical studies, have been submitted to the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Ministry of Communications and Transports, or SCT).

The SCT has already announced that it will open bidding for construction in the first half of 2008. As we wrote in October, four firms have indicated that they’ll bid on the project.

According to news sources, the airport will be constructed on land donated by the government of Quintana Roo. The Riviera Maya airport, sources say, will cover approximately 3,200 acres of land. The main landing strip will be 11,483 feet long and 148 feet wide (3,500 meters by 45 meters). In its first phase, the airport will be able to process 5 million passengers a year.

With development in the Riviera Maya continuing strong, the airport is long overdue.

Best regards,

Suzan Haskins
Latin America Editorial Director

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