Tulum airport, a runway in the jungle

From the departure lounge you can see the jungle, because it was also the jungle. There are the vines, the chechen and the chicopazote cut off on the sides of the road that gives access, they are still behind the runways, they look like a green and immense blanket as soon as the plane rises. The Ministry of Defense has built the Tulum airport and has given it the slogan "the airport of the jungle." On the controversial military mega-construction, which began operations in early December with two airlines and about six flights a day, work is still ongoing. Electricians, operators and excavators share the premises with passengers who celebrate the proximity of the airport to one of Mexico's tourist jewels.

Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport is about 40 kilometers away from Tulum (Quintana Roo). The journey takes an hour from the center of one of the country's most squeezed destinations. In the new mecca of international arrivals, people pay in dollars, waiters serve in English and most beaches have been privatized, while 43% of the population lives in poverty. The uncontrolled growth of Tulum, which has 46,000 inhabitants and receives two million tourists a year, favored the idea of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Aerial view of Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport, in Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Monica Gonzalez Islands

As part of his legacy of great works, the president presented this airfield in October 2020 as the most effective way to decongest Cancun's airport, the second with the most travelers in the country, and saturated by the arrival of European and American tourists. It also served as the icing on the cake of his star work: the Mayan Train. The railway route, of which a third was inaugurated this Friday and will be completed by the end of February, stops at this airport. López Obrador has insisted on his strategy of offering a complete package to the thousands of tourists who arrive and those who are yet to arrive. For the Tulum airport alone, the government expects 700,000 travelers between now and next year.

López Obrador ignored the protests of environmental groups, communities of the Sian Ka'an reserve and also some ejidatarios, who two months ago even blocked access to the airport to protest the non-compliance with conditions in the construction. The president instructed Sedena to deal with the matter. A half-hidden plaque at the entrance to the airport sums up what happened next: in a year and six months later, what was once the habitat of jaguars and tapirs, a small piece of Mexico's lungs, more than 1,500 hectares of North America's last rainforest became an airport, a highway, railroads, a gas station, etc. a fuel plant, a housing unit and a military air base. The project, shielded as national security, has so far cost 16,000 million pesos.

The Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport, inaugurated on December 1, 2023.Mónica González Islas

The airport was inaugurated on December 1. In what has already become the president's particular style, it premiered without being completely finished. Two weeks after the start of the flag, some toilets are still under construction inside and there are still no commercial premises. "There's a lot of unfinished business at the airport," says one of the employees who picks up the rental cars, "but we're just getting started."

On the ground floor, companies attend at a stand similar to that of the fairs. There is the ADO bus company, which has already incorporated five trips from the airport to Tulum (for 175 pesos, about nine dollars), two to Playa del Carmen and another to Chetumal; taxi services, which range in price from $12 to $60 if you want a collective or private trip, and car rental companies. There are no restaurants yet, but an organic food company sells sandwiches and Sabritas. The upper floor is covered with plastic plants and roofs that simulate bamboo. Some brands have already put up their sign that they will open soon.

Appearance of Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport.Monica Gonzalez Islands

But planes are already arriving and taking off. At the moment, only the airlines Viva Aerobus and Aeromexico have trips, bound for Mexico City, Felipe Angeles Airport, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Tijuana. As of March 28, 2024, foreign airlines such as United Airlines, Delta Airlines, America Airlines, and Spirit will begin operating. This week, JetBlue announced a daily flight to New York starting in June. The Ministry of Defense projects a useful life of 30 years for the airport and the use of 7.2 million passengers, on average per year, until 2033; 9.8 million by 2043 and 12.1 million by 2053. By comparison, Cancun airport, whose prices are similar, handles more than 27 million passengers a year.

Most of the passengers waiting for their flight this Sunday arrive from Tulum. They have chosen the new airport because of its proximity. Melissa Restagno, 34, of the United States, found it to be "clean and very beautiful". The Spanish musician David Orduño has found it more comfortable than returning to Cancun, in addition, the arrival at the terminal has been very fast from the Tulum bus station. Mexico's Edwin Hernandez is also very happy with the serve. When asked for his opinion on the felling of the forest, he says resignedly: "I wish all that wood had been used." The Ministry of Defense maintained in its studies for the approval of the construction that the 1.3 million trees that were going to be cut down could be used for construction, fuel, firewood, ornaments or medicinal uses. Hernandez is already flying back to Mexico City, on a plane in which only a third of the population is occupied, and he says: "The jungle thing is not cool, but the airport is worth it." And behind that statement is hidden the polarization of a country.

Wildlife advertisement at the main entrance of Tulum International Airport, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Monica Gonzalez Islands

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