Cancun International Airport, Mexico's second busiest airport after the capital's hub, is preparing for its biggest expansion in years. In August 2026, the airport will re-open Terminal 1, which has been unused for more than 15 years following the destruction caused by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. In parallel, the expansion of Terminal 4, which is considered the main international hub of the airport, continues. The total investment in the development of airport infrastructure is estimated at approximately $1.4 billion.
The revival of Terminal 1 is especially important for the distribution of international passenger traffic. After opening, they plan to transfer a significant part of flights from South and Central America there. Today, carriers such as Copa Airlines, LATAM Airlines, Gol Linhas Aéreas, Wingo and Aerolíneas Argentinas share terminals 2, 3 and 4 with North American airlines. Last year alone, Cancun received more than 755 thousand passengers from South American countries, and this load has already begun to create constant congestion at passport control and baggage claim areas. This is critical for Cancun: the airport regularly handles up to 680 operations per day, and during holiday periods the number of flights can exceed 500 per day.
At the same time, the airport is expanding Terminal 4, which was opened relatively recently, but is already operating almost at its maximum capacity. New boarding gates will be added, check-in and security areas will be expanded, and international capacity will also increase. It is Terminal 4 that today receives a significant portion of flights from the USA, Europe and Canada.
The expansion of the airport is directly related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Although no matches will be played in Cancun, the city is becoming a key transit hub for international fans. Cancun International Airport remains the only airport in Mexico with direct flights to all 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The airport expects to complete the reconstruction of Teminal 4 by the start of the World Cup.
In addition, the airport is actively introducing automated electronic turnstiles to speed up immigration control. For citizens of the USA, Canada and several European countries, passport processing can now take less than a minute. Combined with the redistribution of passenger traffic, this should significantly reduce queues, which could last for several hours during peak hours.