Mazatlán International Airport, (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Mazatlán); officially Aeropuerto Internacional General Rafael Buelna (General Rafael Buelna International Airport) (IATA: MZT, ICAO: MMMZ) is an international airport located in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the primary international gateway to Mazatlán, a popular Mexican tourist destination, offering flights to and from Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The airport also facilitates various tourism-related activities, flight training, and general aviation. Owned by Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte (OMA), it is named after Rafael Buelna, a military figure who played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution.
Mazatlán International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional de Mazatlán | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte | ||||||||||
| Serves | Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico | ||||||||||
| Time zone | MST (UTC-07:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 12 m / 39 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 23°09′41″N 106°15′58″W / 23.16139°N 106.26611°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  MZT Location of the airport in Sinaloa  MZT MZT (Mexico) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Source: Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte[1] | |||||||||||
Mazatlán Airport is the busiest in Sinaloa for international passengers and ranks second to Culiacán International Airport for domestic operations. It serves as a gateway in a heavily traveled air corridor connecting mainland Mexico to the Baja California peninsula. In 2022, the airport handled 1,450,944 passengers, and this number increased to 1,621,740 in 2022, a 11.77% growth according to OMA.[1]
Facilities edit
The airport is situated 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) southeast of Mazatlán, with an elevation of 12 metres (39 ft) above mean sea level. It has a single runway, designated as 08/26, which is 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) long and surfaced with asphalt. The commercial aviation apron features ten parking positions intended for narrow-body aircraft, located around two terminal satellites. Additionally, the general aviation apron provides parking spaces and heliports for private aviation.
Passenger terminal edit
The passenger terminal accommodates both arrival and departure services for domestic and international flights within a two-story main building and two satellite terminals. The ground floor of the main building includes check-in areas and an arrivals section featuring customs and immigration facilities, a baggage claim area, and an arrivals hall. Here, passengers can access car rental services, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops. The upper floor of the main building houses the security checkpoint and a departure area equipped with a food court, duty-free shops, a VIP lounge, and a transit zone. The gates are located in two satellite buildings, designated A and B, which are connected to the main terminal via a walkway.[2]
Satellite A serves domestic flights and features waiting areas with shops and food stands. It has four gates: gates 7 and 9 are located on the top floor and are equipped with jet bridges, while gates 6, 8, and 10 are located on the ground floor, where passengers board their aircraft directly from the apron. Airlines operating from this satellite include Aeromexico, Aeromexico Connect, Viva Aerobus, Volaris, TAR, Magni, Calafia Airlines, and Aero Servicio Guerrero.
Satellite B serves international flights, primarily from U.S. American and Canadian airlines. It features sitting areas, food stands, and duty-free shops. This Satellite also features four gates (gates 1-5), with two of them equipped with jet bridges. Airlines operating from Satellite B include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Eagle, Sun Country Airlines, United Express, and Westjet.
Other facilities edit
Adjacent to the terminal, other facilities include civil aviation hangars, cargo and logistics and courier companies, and designated spaces for general aviation. The parking facility provides both short-term and long-term parking spaces.
Mazatlán Area Control Center (ACC) is one of four Area Control Centres in Mexico, with the others being the Mexico City ACC, Monterrey ACC, and Mérida ACC.[3] It operates under the Mexican Airspace Navigation Services, (Spanish: Servicios a la Navegación en el Espacio Aéreo Mexicano). Mazatlán ACC provides air traffic control services to aircraft within the Mazatlán Flight Data Region (FDRG). This region includes the entire Baja California Peninsula, the Gulf of California, the northern Pacific Coast of Mexico, the states of Sonora and Sinaloa, and western sections of Chihuahua, Durango, and Nayarit. It shares its boundaries with six other Area Control Centers. To the east, it is adjacent to the Monterrey ACC and Mexico ACC, while to the north, it borders the Los Angeles ARTCC and Albuquerque ARTCC. To the west, it borders the Oakland Oceanic ARTCC (KZAK) and Mazatlán Oceanic (MMFO) Flight Information Regions (FIR).[4][5]
Additionally, the Mazatlan Oceanic Air Control Center (ICAO: MMFO) is located at the Mazatlán Airport. This center is responsible for providing air traffic control services within its Flight Information Region (FIR), which is one of two FIRs in Mexico, covering a significant portion of the North Pacific Ocean and spanning 2,856,498 square kilometres (1,102,900 sq mi).[6] Its borders include the Oakland Oceanic ARTCC (KZAK) to the West, the Mexico FIR (MMFR) to the east, and the Central American FIR (MHTG) to the south.
Airlines and destinations edit
Passenger edit
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aéreo Servicio Guerrero | San José del Cabo |
| Aeroméxico | Mexico City |
| Aeroméxico Connect | Mexico City |
| Alaska Airlines | Los Angeles Seasonal: San Francisco |
| American Airlines | Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix–Sky Harbor |
| American Eagle | Los Angeles |
| Calafia Airlines | Cabo San Lucas, La Paz |
| Delta Air Lines | Minneapolis/St. Paul (begins December 21, 2024)[7] |
| Magni | Monterrey, San José del Cabo Seasonal: Chihuahua |
| Mexicana de Aviación | Mexico City–AIFA |
| Señor Air | Cabo San Lucas, La Paz |
| Sun Country Airlines | Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| Sunwing Airlines | Seasonal: Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Montréal–Trudeau, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver, Winnipeg |
| TAR | Ciudad Juárez, Hermosillo, La Paz, Querétaro |
| United Express | Seasonal: Houston–Intercontinental |
| Viva Aerobus | Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, La Paz, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA, Monterrey, Tijuana |
| Volaris | León/El Bajío, Mexico City, Tijuana Seasonal: Monterrey |
| WestJet | Seasonal: Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver |
Gallery edit
-
Passenger terminal -
Terminal entrance -
Check-in area -
The main corridor at the terminal -
Arrivals hall -
Arrivals hall -
Parking lot -
Main entrance -
Terminal airside -
Satellite B -
Airport entrance -
Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 at MZT -
VivaAerobus Airbus A320-232 at MZT
Destinations map edit
 Mazatlán Domestic destinations from Mazatlán International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination |
 Mazatlán International destinations from Mazatlán International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination |
Statistics edit
Passengers edit
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Busiest routes edit
| Rank | City | Passengers | Ranking | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mexico City, Mexico City
|
274,141 | 
|
Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 2 |  Baja California, Tijuana
|
208,104 |
|
Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 3 |  Nuevo León, Monterrey
|
81,930 |
|
Magni, Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 4 |  Chihuahua, Chihuahua
|
17,780 |  1
|
Magni, TAR, Viva Aerobus |
| 5 | Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez
|
17,024 | 3
|
TAR, Viva Aerobus |
| 6 |  Baja California Sur, La Paz
|
12,507 |  2
|
Aeromar, Calafia Airlines, TAR, Viva Aerobus |
| 7 |  State of Mexico, Mexico City-AIFA
|
10,247 | 
|
Viva Aerobus |
| 8 |  Guanajuato, León/El Bajío
|
6,724 |
|
Volaris |
| 9 | Baja California Sur, Cabo San Lucas
|
6,086 | 3
|
Calafia Airlines |
| 10 |  Querétaro, Querétaro
|
4,521 | 3
|
TAR |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Ranking | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
|
36,784 |
|
American Airlines, American Eagle |
| 2 | United States, Los Angeles
|
30,703 |
|
Alaska Airlines, American Eagle |
| 3 | United States, Dallas/Fort Worth
|
21,446 |
|
American Airlines, American Eagle |
| 4 |  Canada, Calgary
|
17,636 |
|
WestJet |
| 5 | Canada, Edmonton
|
11,590 | 2
|
Sunwing Airlines, Swoop, WestJet, |
| 6 | United States, Minneapolis/St. Paul
|
7,855 |
|
Delta Air Lines, Sun Country Airlines |
| 7 | Canada, Vancouver
|
7,816 | 2
|
WestJet |
| 8 | Canada, Abbotsford
|
5,236 |
|
WestJet |
| 9 | Canada, Toronto-Pearson
|
4,247 | 1
|
Sunwing Airlines |
| 10 | Canada, Montréal-Trudeau
|
2,832 |
|
Sunwing Airlines |
See also edit
- List of the busiest airports in Mexico
- List of airports in Mexico
- List of Mexican military installations
- List of airports by ICAO code: M
- List of busiest airports in North America
- List of the busiest airports in Latin America
- Area control center
- List of area control centers
- Flight information region
- Transportation in Mexico
- Tourism in Mexico
- Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte
- List of beaches in Mexico
- Gulf of California
- Las Labradas
References edit
- ^ a b "OMA's December 2023 Total Passenger Traffic" (PDF; 292 KB). oma.aero. Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte S.A.B. de C.V. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
- ^ "SERVICES".
- ^ "Air Traffic Control Services".
- ^ "ATFM Regional Implementation Progress in the CAR Region" (PDF).
- ^ "Seminario/taller CAR/SAM para la implantación de sistemas avanzados de vigilancia y automatización" (PDF).
- ^ "MMFO Mazatlan Oceanic FIR".
- ^ "Delta Air Lines announces new flights to Mazatlán". EnElAire (in Spanish). February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
External links edit
Media related to Mazatlán International Airport at Wikimedia Commons- Official Website
- Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte
- Aeronautical chart and airport information for MMMZ at SkyVector
- Current weather for MMMZ at NOAA/NWS
- Mazatlán Airport information at Great Circle Mapper
- Accident history for MZT at Aviation Safety Network
- Mexican Air Traffic Control Services
- Servicios a la Navegación en el Espacio Aéreo Mexicano
- Tourism in Mazatlán
