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Tijuana International Airport

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General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport

Aeropuerto Internacional de Tijuana General Abelardo L. Rodríguez
View of Main Terminal
Summary
Airport typePublic, Military
OperatorGrupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico
ServesTijuana-San Diego
LocationTijuana, Baja California
Elevation AMSL149 m / 489 ft
Coordinates32°32′27″N 116°58′12″W / 32.54083°N 116.97000°W / 32.54083; -116.97000
WebsiteAeropuerto Internacional de Tijuana
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
09/27 2,960 9,711 Asphalt

General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport (IATA: TIJ, ICAO: MMTJ) in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, is Mexico's second northernmost airport after Mexicali International Airport. Tijuana's Airport is a busy modern airport, which handled 3.8 million passengers in 2006[1], and 4.7 million passengers in 2007[2]. It is a fast growing airport, the fifth busiest airport in Mexico after Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara and Monterrey airports. It is expected to handle in 2008 more than 5 million passengers. The airport registered a total amount (includes domestic and international traffic) of 2,881,300 passengers for the period of January-August 2008, representing a decrease of 11.1% over January-August 2007[3]. It can handle up to 10 million passengers and 360 flights per day.

Tijuana's airport is the hub for Avolar, a new low-cost airline (since August 2005), and the second leading airline at the airport, currently operating up to 20 daily flights. It was the first low-cost airline in Mexico, before some airlines as Interjet and Volaris. The airport serves as focus city for Aeroméxico (together with Aeroméxico Connect), the leading airline in Tijuana, which operates up to 70 daily flights to/from 15 Mexican cities. Aeroméxico is trying to develop the airport as a gateway to Asia. Since the first flight in November 2006, Aeroméxico operates 4 weekly flights to Tokyo-Narita[4] and Shanghai-Pudong[5]. The airport serves as focus city also for Volaris. It formerly was a focus city for Aero California.

It is part of the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, a holding group that controls 12 international airports in central and northern Mexico.

History

The airport first terminal was originally built on the southwest part of the airport, facing the new and current terminal building. The airport was incorporated to ASA in 1965.

By the end of the 60's, the demand of flights to the then-developing city of Tijuana increased, as more passengers were arriving and settling in the city. The construction of the new terminal began and was opened in October 15, 1970, by then-President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz.

The original terminal was then assigned as an air base for the Mexican Armed Forces, and it is now simply known as the aeropuerto viejo, or old airport.

The airport is named after General Abelardo L. Rodríguez, Governor of the North District of the Federal Territory of Baja California from 1923-1930, and late President of Mexico from 1932-1934.

Expansion

The airport terminal was expanded and renovated in 2002, when the extension of concourse A and B was built, allowing the terminal to double its capacity. Several taxiways were also expanded, to allow the operations of larger aircraft such as the Boeing 747. Nevertheless, as the airport has become one of the most important hubs and gateways in the country, and the only international gateway from Asia to Latinamerica, there is a plan of a new terminal, which could house the operations of the major airline at the airport: Aeroméxico (including Aeroméxico Connect). As of today, both of the concourses have been expanded and remodeled, including the progressive introduction of glass-jetways replacing the old ones.

Since the inauguration of the flights to Tokyo and Shanghai, Aeroméxico has requested more positions capable of handling the Boeing 777, since only one is available at the concourse where the airline operates from. The airport authorities have stated therefore, that they are considering the possibility of building a new concourse, with 7 gates, from which two of them could receive the Boeing 777, even with double jetways for each position, but increasing the fees on those selected flights. There has not been a formal statement on behalf of the airport nor the airline on this matter.

Location

The runway of the Tijuana Airport runs (east-west) parallel to the U.S.-Mexico border fence and is approximately 100 meters south of it. The approach to the runway is either from the east (normally) or from the west (when Santa Ana wind conditions exist). The airport's main runway is located just 30 meters away from the Autonomous University of Baja California: it is the only airport in the world located between an international border and a university.[citation needed]

Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM / KSDM) in San Diego, California lies just over one nm north of TIJ, with a similar runway length and a slightly different orientation (08 / 26). However SDM is a general aviation field not set up for scheduled passenger service.

Ground transportation

Further information: Tijuana § Local_transportation

Bus

The airport may be reached from Downtown Tijuana or Zona Rio (or viceversa) by the local bus route Mirador-Miramar-Soler-Centro-Plaza Rio-Otay-Aeropuerto, for only $6.50 Mexican Peso (around $0.64 U.S. dollar, or almost €41 cents) per ride ticket.

Shuttle

Aeroméxico provides a shuttle service from San Diego, California, United States[6] to General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport to allow San Diego residents make connections within Mexico, Japan[4], and the People's Republic of China[5], while Volaris provides a shuttle service between the airport and San Diego International Airport to allow passengers travelling either to Mexico or the United States reach their final destination.

Taxi

Due to a prohibition by Mexican law, Mexican cities' public taxis may only drop passengers to the airport, but cannot pick up passengers from the terminal. The airport then offers transportation for passengers from the terminal to any point of the city on the SAAT Taxis (Servicio Aeroportuario de Autotransporte Terrestre, Spanish for Terrestrial Transport Airport Service, an airport government-leased taxi company).

Facilities

Airport Main Terminal Layout.

Commercially speaking, the airport is composed of a single runway, a parallel taxiway, and a 23 gate main terminal with two concourses, a food court and a high-tech control tower, one of the tallest in Mexico. At the opposite side of the Main Terminal building there is another terminal, the Old Airport Terminal, which houses military aviation, mostly performed by the Mexican Armed Forces. The airport is also used to a lesser extent for general aviation, housed at the General Aviation Building (GAB Terminal).

Main Terminal:

  • Number of gates: 24
  • Contact positions: 12
  • Number of jetways: 12
  • Number of baggage claiming carousels: 3
  • Lounges:
  • Food court (Concourses A, B - Floor & Upper Level)
  • Customs (Arrivals area)
  • Taxi & car rentals (Arrivals & Departures area)
  • Buses (Arrivals & Departures area)
  • Duty Free (Main corridor, Concourses A, B)
  • Parking area (Building E)

GAB Terminal:

  • General aviation apron
  • VIP Room
  • Pilots lounge
  • Passengers lounge

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Old Airport Terminal

Further information: Mexican Air Force § Structure

The Old Airport Terminal (known for locals as Aeropuerto Viejo, old airport) is set for aviation of the Mexican Military and federal police forces. This military airbase belongs to the Northwestern Region of the Mexican Air Force.

In-coming flights of this armed forces agencies usually arrive from the Mexican Air Force Central Region, mostly from Mexico City International Airport or nearby airbases.

Main Terminal

Concourse A (Gates A1-A12)

  • Aeroméxico (Culiacán, Durango, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, León, Mexico City, Morelia, Puerto Vallarta, Shanghai-Pudong, Tokyo-Narita)
    • Aeroméxico Connect (Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Culiacán, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, La Paz, Mazatlan, Monterrey)
  • ALMA de Mexico (Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, La Paz, Los Mochis)
  • Aviacsa (Guadalajara, Mexico City)
  • Volaris (Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Cancún, Culiacán, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, La Paz, León, Los Cabos, Mazatlán [begins December 07, 2008], Morelia, Oaxaca, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Tapachula, Toluca, Uruapan)

Concourse B (Gates B12-B24)

  • Avolar (Acapulco, Colima, Cuernavaca, Guadalajara, Morelia, León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tepic, Uruapan)
  • Interjet (Guadalajara, Mexico City)
  • Mexicana (Guadalajara, Mexico City, Zacatecas)
  • Viva Aerobus (Culiacán, Monterrey)

Charter airlines

Cargo airlines

GAB Terminal

Note: The General Aviation Building (GAB Terminal) is used for general/non-commercial aviation or private jets. The General Aviation Building is designed to receive up to 120 persons per hour and it has all the services for the convenience of passengers during their private flights. It has a surface of 420 sq. mts. [4,700 sq. ft.], where there are government offices, administrative offices, a pilots lounge and passenger lounge.

Two aviation schools are based at this terminal:

Former airlines/destinations

Domestic

International

Notable incidents

  • The airport was home for an old Boeing 747 from Kabo Airlines (Nigeria) that had been there for more than 15 years. Now, it is home for a B747 from Global Peace Ambassadors.
  • Just almost a day before former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was arrested in Chile, he landed for the first time on the American continent on Tijuana's airport for a short stop of an hour.
  • In May 2007 a Copa Airlines flight from Panama City to Los Angeles was diverted to Tijuana because the aircraft was low on fuel. The passengers were forced to stay in Tijuana over night for hours without food or water because the LAX immigration was closed[citation needed].

See also

Alternate airport

References

  1. ^ Cnnexpansion.com "Abertis buys airports" (Spanish) [1]
  2. ^ Passenger Statistics for 2007 [2]
  3. ^ [3]
  4. ^ a b "Narita (NRT) Service," Aeroméxico
  5. ^ a b "Shanghai (PVG) Service," Aeroméxico
  6. ^ "Creating a connection," San Diego Union-Tribune
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