Sometimes we are asked the question, why does everyone fly to Mexico only to Cancun or the capital Mexico City? Are there no other airports in Mexico? Why can't you fly straight to Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta or Tijuana? The answer is very simple: because almost all flights from Europe are directed to only two airports in Mexico: Cancun and Mexico City.
These are the two largest airports in the state. In 2020, which was slower due to the coronavirus, they accounted for almost 62% of all foreign arrivals to Mexico by air: Cancun — 41%, or 3.3 million passengers, Mexico City — 21%, or 1.6 million passengers. In 2021, after the start of tourism recovery, the flow of foreign tourists to Mexico increased sharply, and Cancun and Mexico City accounted for 96% of all foreign arrivals in the country in 9 months of the year: Cancun — 41%, or 19.8 million passengers, Mexico City — 56%, or 27.2 million passengers.
The largest airport in the country is, of course, the capital's Bunito Juarez Airport. It also leads in the number of national passengers carried. At the same time, Cancun — main center of Mexican tourism — receives a much larger number of flights from Europe and neighboring countries in North America.
From Europe, almost all flights arrive in Kanun or Mexico City. All flights from Russia arrive only in Cancun. Turkish Airlines from Istanbul first flies to Mexico City and then returns to Cancun. A few companies fly from the UK and Spain and to other airports in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, but these are mainly guest power charters, tickets for which are sold as part of tour packages. If you are flying to Mexico from the USA, Canada or neighboring Latin American countries, the list of arrival airports will be much wider.
On routes from Europe to regional airports in Mexico, you will first need to fly into Cancun or Mexico City and then connect to a domestic flight. Even if you buy a single ticket to your final destination in Mexico, you will still go through immigration control upon arrival in Cancun or Mexico City. At these airports, passport control is especially thorough. You will have to go through customs and reload your luggage from an international to a domestic flight yourself.
To summarize, a single ticket from other countries to regional airports in Mexico does not provide much benefit. From a savings point of view, it is much more rational to buy one ticket to Cancun and another — from Cancun to your desired destination in Mexico. Flights from Europe to Cancun can sometimes be very inexpensive, and domestic flights within Mexico are almost always quite cheap, not counting the immediate dates. At the same time, air traffic throughout Mexico is excellent: more than 20 regular flights operate daily between Cancun and Mexico City alone.