A quiet detail is hidden in Mérida’s latest airport numbers: the busiest days are now brushing up against 180 aircraft operations. Only part of that is scheduled airline service, but the passenger totals behind it are rising fast. Airport managers say the next phase is less about new runways and more about what travelers feel—space at the gates, room to wait, and smoother boarding during peak hours. The changes could reshape how Yucatán connects to the rest of Mexico and to seasonal routes abroad.
Daily operations are climbing
Mérida’s international airport is now handling **up to 180 daily operations** on its busiest days. That count combines scheduled airline service with private and **general aviation** movements. An “operation” is one takeoff or one landing. So the figure tracks aircraft activity, not passenger seats. Airport management says there are 80 operations, counting both arrivals and departures, of which 80 are commercial flights. The rest comes from general aviation traffic. This split helps explain why the apron can look full while the terminal feels uneven. It also shows Mérida is attracting more corporate, charter, and private flying alongside regular routes. When movements stack up, timing becomes the constraint. A late inbound can delay the next departure if a gate is still occupied. That pressure is strongest when several flights share the same hour. For travelers, the impact is practical. It shows up as tighter gate schedules, fuller seating areas, and less room for small delays to be absorbed. In plain terms, the airport is operating closer to its current limits more often.
The passenger data points in the same direction. In January 2026, the airport processed 357,388 passengers on scheduled service. That was about 13% higher than in January 2025. Domestic travel led the totals with 315,955 passengers. International travel added **41,433 passengers**. These counts exclude transit and general aviation passengers. That is why other tallies can look slightly higher. Over a longer stretch, the growth holds. For all of 2025, the airport recorded 3,939,692 passengers. That was an annual gain of roughly 6.5% in 2024. Scheduled domestic travel accounted for 3,536,308 passengers that year. International traffic contributed 403,384 passengers. Those splits matter for planning because international routes need steady loads. They also carry higher spillover for hotels, rentals, and business travel. The total puts Mérida close to the four-million mark. It also strengthens the case for more capacity and more routes. For residents and expats, the change is measurable. It makes weekend trips and North American connections easier to sustain year after year.
Expansion plans target gates and waiting space
To avoid bottlenecks at the airport, management is tying growth to **capacity upgrades**. The plan calls for the **final waiting area to expand by 30%** by the end of 2026. That is the space where passengers sit before boarding. The airport also expects to increase the number of gates with jet bridges. The target is to move from six to eleven jet-bridge gates. More contact gates can reduce bus boarding friction and improve turnaround. Airside work is part of the same package. Officials describe wider taxiways leading to the runways. They also describe a larger commercial apron with more parking positions near the terminal. A separate expansion is planned for the **general aviation** platform. Together, these works aim at the points travelers notice first. Gate crowding is one of them. Limited seating is another. So is the wait for an arriving aircraft to reach a stand. Several upgrades are described as phases within a longer master plan. The staging is designed to keep flights operating during construction.
More routes are in play
Route planning is the next lever. Airport management points to sustained international service, including a seasonal connection to Toronto. They say it has been operating for roughly seven months. The stated goal is to make that link more permanent over time. On the regional side, the **Villahermosa–Mérida** route is scheduled to restart on March 3, 2026. It is expected to run three times a week at launch. Officials also anticipate additional route announcements during 2026. For expats living in Yucatán, more connectivity changes daily logistics. It can reduce the need to backtrack through Mexico City for short trips. It can also widen same-day options for meetings, medical visits, or family travel. The flip side is that higher demand can fill popular flights earlier. As capacity projects roll out, travelers may also see gate changes and temporary detours inside the terminal. The key indicator to watch is whether growth stays steady outside peak season. If it does, airlines usually respond with more frequency, not just new names on the departure board.
