Mérida, Yucatán — Since Tuesday, an increasing influx of travelers has forced airlines to switch to larger-capacity airplanes and even charter flights to accommodate demand.
Operators at the Mérida airport have requested airlines to add 7,000 extra seats a week to meet demand, said Grupo Aeroportuario de Sureste (ASUR).
Three charter flights landed here this week, each with with an average of 100 passengers. A VIP flight will originate from Brazil, pass through Cartagena and from there arrive in Mérida, and then to Hawaii, reported Óscar Carrillo Maldonado, administrator of Mérida’s Manuel Crescencio Rejón airport.
He said that flights to national destinations, Monterrey and Guadalajara, are practically 100 percent booked, and that demand for international flights have increased to and from Houston, Miami and Havana.
ASUR Director Héctor Navarrete Muñoz said he requested a 25 percent increase over the current 28,000 seats available per week.
“We need to grow by 25 percent in the number of seats available for the state, especially since in Yucatán 25 hotels are being built and the International Congress Center will be opened, so we must be prepared for this, and the airlines too,” he said.
For Easter weekend alone, 90,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport, he said.
ASUR is preparing a growth plan for the Merida International Airport that will carry it to 2023.
Source: Sipse
