Guadalajara International Airport

Guadalajara International Airport

*Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara*
Guadalajara International Airport; Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara
	GDL Airport Front View
	IATA: GDL; ICAO: MMGL;
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico
Operator	Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico
Serves	Guadalajara, Jalisco
Location	Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco
Hub for	Aeroméxico; Volaris;
Focus city for	Interjet; VivaAerobus;
Elevation AMSL	1,529 m / 5,016 ft
Coordinates	20°31′18″N 103°18′40″W / 20.52167°N 103.31111°W
Maps
	; Guadalajara airport diagram
	GDL Location of airport in Mexico GDL GDL (Mexico)
Runways
Statistics (2019)
Total Passengers
Total Passengers	14,823,592
Ranking in Mexico	3rd
	Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico

Guadalajara International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara), officially known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla) (IATA: GDL, ICAO: MMGL), is the main airport of Mexico's second-largest city Guadalajara. Opened in 1966, it is located 16 km south of the city center. In 2018 it handled 14,340,152 passengers, and 14,823,592 in 2019, an increase of 3.37%.^[1]It is Latin America's tenth and Mexico's third-busiest airport, after Mexico City International Airport and Cancún International Airport and second-busiest for cargo flights.^[2]

Guadalajara's International Airport consists of two runways and one terminal. It is also a major airport for connections, being a hub for Volaris, for which it is a primary gateway to the United States, and as well Aeroméxico. It is also a focus city for Interjet, and VivaAerobus. Flights are offered to destinations within Mexico and to Central America and the United States. In addition, cargo flights are offered to many destinations, including countries in Asia and Europe.

The airport is named for Miguel Hidalgo, who began the war that brought Mexican independence from Spain. He has been called the "father of Mexican independence".

In 2020, it was announced that the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico group have invested around $14 billion pesos to build a new runway and terminal building, along with new facilities and improvements such as an expanded parking lot, a hotel, office block, and a solar-powered plant.^[3] Additionally, the airport aims to expand services to the United States as well as Europe.^[3] Expected to be completed by 2024, it is part of GAP's new expansion plan for its airports in the state of Jalisco, both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, and its total budget is $18 billion pesos.^[3]

Terminals

Passenger terminal

The Passenger Terminal or Terminal 1, is used by all airlines for international and domestic flights.^[4] The terminal has customs facilities. There are also 27 remote parking positions. It also has 12 jetways and 5 concourses:

Concourse A - Bus gates A1 through A8
Concourse B - Jetway gates B10 through B13
Concourse C - Lower level, Bus gates C20 through C29
Concourse D - Jetway gates D30 through D38
Concourse E - Lower level, Bus gates E40 through E50

Cargo terminal

The Cargo Terminal was recently expanded and has a capacity to store approximately 350,000 tons of goods annually in its 27,000 square meters. It has 6 positions that can handle any kind of major aircraft.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Aeromar	Mexico City, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta
Aeroméxico	Chicago–O'Hare, Fresno, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Sacramento, San Francisco, Tijuana
Aeroméxico Connect	Mexico City, Monterrey, Salt Lake City
Alaska Airlines	Los Angeles, San Jose (CA)
American Airlines	Dallas/Fort Worth
American Eagle	Phoenix–Sky Harbor
Calafia Airlines	La Paz, Loreto, Los Mochis, Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo
Copa Airlines	Panama City (resumes September 4, 2020)^[5]
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta
Interjet	Cancún, Chicago–O'Hare, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mexico City, San Antonio, San Francisco, San José del Cabo, Tijuana, Toluca/Mexico City Seasonal: Puerto Vallarta
Magnicharters	Cancún Seasonal: Tijuana
TAR Aerolineas	Durango, Puerto Vallarta, Querétaro, Toluca/Mexico City
United Airlines	Houston–Intercontinental
United Express	Houston–Intercontinental
VivaAerobus	Cancún, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Culiacán, Hermosillo, La Paz, Los Angeles, Mérida, Mexicali, Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Reynosa, Tampico, Tijuana, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz, Villahermosa Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, San José del Cabo Charter: Havana
Volaris	Acapulco, Cancún, Charlotte, Chetumal, Chicago–Midway, Chicago–O'Hare, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Obregón, Culiacán, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Durango, Fresno, Hermosillo, Houston–Intercontinental, La Paz, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Mochis, Mérida, Mexicali, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York–JFK, Oakland, Oaxaca, Ontario, Orlando, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Portland (OR), Puerto Escondido, Querétaro, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Jose (CA), San José del Cabo, Seattle/Tacoma, Tapachula, Tijuana, Torreón/Gómez Palacio, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Veracruz

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Aeromexico	Los Angeles, Mexico City
AeroUnion	Los Angeles, Mexico City
Air France Cargo	Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Amerijet International	Miami
Cargolux	Houston–Intercontinental, Luxembourg
Cathay Pacific Cargo	Anchorage, Hong Kong
DHL Aviation	Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Querétaro
Estafeta	La Paz, San Luis Potosí
FedEx Express	Memphis
Korean Air Cargo	Seoul–Incheon, Vancouver
LATAM Cargo Mexico	Bogotá, Los Angeles, Miami
Lufthansa Cargo	Dallas/Fort Worth, Frankfurt
Panalpina operated by Atlas Air	Huntsville, London–Stansted
Qatar Airways Cargo^[6]	Doha, Liege
TUM AeroCarga	Hermosillo, Tijuana, Toluca
UPS Airlines	Louisville

Amenities

Restaurants

Burger King
California Pizza Kitchen
Carl's Jr.
Chili's
Corner Bar
De Volada Grab N' Go
El Quijote
Fronteras Bar
Guacamole Mexican Grill
Johnny Rockets
Krispy Kreme
La Pausa
Los Tres Amigos Tacos
Medas
Natural Break
Starbucks
Subway
Wings

Car rental

Hotels

City Express Guadalajara Aeropuerto]
Hampton Inn de Hilton Guadalajara-Aeropuerto]
Hangar Inn

VIP Lounges

Statistics

Annual traffic

**Annual Passenger Traffic**
Year	Passengers	% Change
2010	6,918,621
2011	7,154,959	3.41%
2012	7,389,897	3.28%
2013	8,104,762	9.67%
2014	8,695,183	7.28%
2015	9,758,516	12.22%
2016	11,362,552	16.43%
2017	12,779,874	12.47%
2018	14,340,152	12.21%
2019	14,823,592	3.37%

Busiest routes

**Busiest domestic routes from Guadalajara International Airport (2019)**^[7]
Rank	City	Passengers	Ranking	Airline
1	Mexico City, Mexico City	1,692,737		Aeromar, Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
2	Baja California, Tijuana	893,917		Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
3	Quintana Roo, Cancún	441,444		Interjet, Magni, VivaAerobus, Volaris
4	Nuevo León, Monterrey	425,389		Aeroméxico Connect, VivaAerobus, Volaris
5	Baja California, Mexicali	228,579		VivaAerobus, Volaris
6	Sonora, Hermosillo	201,162		VivaAerobus, Volaris
7	Baja California Sur, Los Cabos	191,941		Calafia Airlines, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
8	Sinaloa, Culiacán	165,775	1	VivaAerobus, Volaris
9	Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez	164,203	1	VivaAerobus, Volaris
10	Baja California Sur, La Paz	121,102		Calafia Airlines, Viva Aerobus, Volaris
11	Yucatán, Mérida	115,780	2	VivaAerobus, Volaris
12	Chihuahua, Chihuahua	88,000	1	VivaAerobus, Volaris
13	Veracruz, Veracruz	81,075	1	VivaAerobus, Volaris
14	Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez	73,552		Calafia Airlines, VivaAerobus, Volaris
15	Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta	62,123		Aeromar, Calafia Airlines, Interjet, TAR, VivaAerobus
16	Puebla, Puebla	48,519	2	Aeromar, Viva Aerobus
17	Tabasco, Villahermosa	41,438	1	VivaAerobus
18	Tamaulipas, Reynosa	29,990	2	VivaAerobus
19	Oaxaca, Oaxaca	29,333	2	TAR, Volaris
20	México (state), Toluca	29,329	3	Interjet

**Busiest international routes from Guadalajara International Airport (2019)**^[7]
Rank	City	Passengers	Ranking	Airline
1	United States, Los Angeles	495,421		Aeroméxico, Alaska Airlines, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
2	United States, Chicago (Midway and O'Hare)^{[Note 1]}	189,560		Aeroméxico, Interjet, VivaAerobus, Volaris
3	United States, Houston	151,952	1	United Airlines, United Express, VivaAerobus, Volaris
4	United States, San Jose	126,037	1	Aeroméxico, Alaska Airlines, Volaris
5	United States, Sacramento	120,468		Aeroméxico, Volaris
6	United States, Dallas	118,444		American Airlines, Volaris
7	United States, Fresno	111,631		Aeroméxico, Volaris
8	United States, Las Vegas	103,374	1	Interjet, Volaris
9	United States, San Francisco	95,542	1	Aeroméxico, Interjet, Volaris
10	United States, Oakland	67,066	1	Volaris
11	United States, Phoenix–Sky Harbor	57,899	1	American Eagle, Volaris
12	United States, Ontario	57,877	1	Volaris
13	United States, Atlanta	50,364	3	Delta Air Lines
14	United States, San Antonio	47,781	4	Interjet, Volaris
15	United States, Seattle	44,495	1	Volaris
16	United States, Portland	44,472	2	Volaris
17	United States, Salt Lake City	31,816	2	Aeroméxico Connect
18	United States, New York-JFK	29,808	3	Volaris
19	United States, Denver	29,077		Volaris
20	Panama, Panama City	25,513	3	Copa Airlines

Notes

^ The official statistics include both Midway and O'Hare airports.

Local conflicts

Recently, the expansion projects are being delayed due to conflicts with the local residents. Also, several protests were made, blocking the parking lot access many times. These expansion projects include new and better access to the terminal, and it would take 3 years to build a 2nd runway (includes 2 years of land preparation and 1 to build the base and pave it). The locals argue that Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico has debts to the land where the airport sits on because of expropriation of land, which was taken from locals in 1975 to expand the airport.^[8] This terrain consists of the airport's polygon plus 320 hectares — of which 51 hectares will be used to build the 2nd runway. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico urged the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation to resolve the problems by delaying the airport's 2nd runway construction. With this new runway and the expansion of the terminal building, the airport will be able to handle over 40 million passengers. .^[9] If not negotiated the next step could be another expropriation to complete the project.

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.^[10]^[11]^[12]
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.

References

^ "Traffic Report" (Web). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. December 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
^ "Statistics by Airport" (Web). Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta airports in line for major upgrades". Mexico News Daily. Mexico News Daily. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
^ Quarter Studios - Soluciones Digitales. "Aeropuerto de Guadalajara". Retrieved July 29, 2015.
^ "Copa Airlines plans to resume its flights". Nicolás Larenas (in Spanish). July 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
^ https://www.gulf-times.com/story/618496/Qatar-Airways-Cargo-commences-Macau-Guadalajara-tr
^ ^a ^b "Traffic Statistics by Airline" (in Spanish). Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. January 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
^ https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/landowners-continue-their-airport-battle-in-jalisco/
^ https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/second-runway-urgent-for-guadalajara/
^ Aviation Safety Network Accident Description
^ preserveamerica.noaa.gov Bell Masayuki Shimada (1922-1958)
^ nvcfoundation.org "NOAA Honors Nisei with Launch of Fisheries Vessel 'Bell M. Shimada,'" Japanese American Veterans Association, December 2008, Volume 58, Issue 11.

External links

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pácifico
AeropuertosMexico.com (in English)
Template:WAD
FlightAware U.S. airport activity to/from: Don Miguel Hidalgo Y Costilla Int'l (MMGL)
A-Z World Airports: Don Miguel Hidalgo Airport (GDL/MMGL)
TAR Aerolineas

[8] The official statistics include both Midway and O'Hare airports.

[passengers-1] "Traffic Report" (Web). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. December 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2020.

[2] "Statistics by Airport" (Web). Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. Retrieved February 15, 2020.

[gap-expansion-mnd-3] "Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta airports in line for major upgrades". Mexico News Daily. Mexico News Daily. February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.

[4] Quarter Studios - Soluciones Digitales. "Aeropuerto de Guadalajara". Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[COVIDCOPA-5] "Copa Airlines plans to resume its flights". Nicolás Larenas (in Spanish). July 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2020.

[6] ttps://www.gulf-times.com/story/618496/Qatar-Airways-Cargo-commences-Macau-Guadalajara-tr

[sctroutes-7] "Traffic Statistics by Airline" (in Spanish). Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. January 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.

[9] ttps://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/landowners-continue-their-airport-battle-in-jalisco/

[10] ttps://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/second-runway-urgent-for-guadalajara/

[11] Aviation Safety Network Accident Description

[12] reserveamerica.noaa.gov Bell Masayuki Shimada (1922-1958)

[13] vcfoundation.org "NOAA Honors Nisei with Launch of Fisheries Vessel 'Bell M. Shimada,'" Japanese American Veterans Association, December 2008, Volume 58, Issue 11.

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[Note 1]

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