Los Cabos International Airport

Los Cabos International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Cabos
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorGrupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
ServesSan José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
LocationSan José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Opened1977 (1977)
Focus city forViva
Time zoneMST (UTC-07:00)
Elevation AMSL114 m / 374 ft
Coordinates23°09′06″N 109°43′15″W / 23.15167°N 109.72083°W / 23.15167; -109.72083
Map
SJD
Location of the airport in Baja California Sur
SJD
SJD (Mexico)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 3,000 9,843 Asphalt
Statistics (2025)
Total passengers7,529,900
Ranking in Mexico6th
Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico[1]

Los Cabos International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Cabos) (IATA: SJD, ICAO: MMSD) is an international airport located in San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, serving as the main gateway to the Los Cabos region on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. It offers flights to more than 50 destinations across the Americas and Europe, primarily functioning as a major destination for most U.S. and Canadian mainline airlines. The airport is also part of a high-traffic air corridor connecting the Baja California Peninsula with Mainland Mexico.

Operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), the airport supports general and executive aviation, flight training, and tourism-related operations. It is the larger of two airports in the Los Cabos region; the smaller Cabo San Lucas International Airport is located approximately 26 kilometres (16 mi) to the south.

As of 2025, it is the sixth-busiest airport in Mexico and ranks 23rd in Latin America by passenger traffic.[2] It also ranks fourth in Mexico for international passengers. In 2024, Los Cabos International Airport handled 7,488,200 passengers, and 7,529,900 in 2025.[1]

History

Los Cabos International Airport was inaugurated in 1977, featuring a provisional terminal with a tent-like roof. As the Los Cabos beach resort gained popularity among American and Canadian tourists, the airport underwent a substantial expansion and renovation in 1997, resulting in the construction of the current Terminal 1, accommodating both domestic and international flights.[3]

In 2002, the control tower was upgraded with advanced technology during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum hosted in Los Cabos. Terminal 2 was subsequently added to accommodate increased international flights, and a new highway provided direct access to the tourist zone. Between 2008 and 2011, Terminal 1 underwent renovations, and Terminal 3 was constructed adjacent to Terminal 2. The general aviation apron was relocated, and a dedicated terminal for general aviation activities was established at the northern end of the airport grounds.

In September 2011, non-stop flights to Shanghai, China were briefly operated. In 2014, Hurricane Odile caused substantial damage, leading to an 18-day suspension of operations before reopening on October 3, 2014.[4] The airport's infrastructure has faced challenges due to a surge in resorts and rapid regional population growth, leading to congestion and reported capacity constraints during peak hours.[5]

Between 2018 and 2020, Terminal 3 was fully integrated with Terminal 2, adopting the name Terminal 2 and undergoing further expansion in 2022 with additional jet bridges.[6] From 2019 to 2020, TUI Airways provided flights to and from London Gatwick Airport, and since 2023, Spain-based carrier Iberojet has operated daily flights to Madrid.[7]

Facilities

Los Cabos International Airport is situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, at an elevation of 114 metres (374 ft) above mean sea level. The airport features a single runway, designated as 16/34, measuring 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) with an asphalt surface. The commercial aviation apron accommodates 22 narrow-body aircraft. Nonetheless, the airport is also capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft. For general aviation, there is a dedicated apron with stands for fixed-wing aircraft and helipads for private aviation. The airport operates two terminals.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1, covering an area of 16,580 square metres (178,500 sq ft), houses arrival and departure facilities for domestic flights within a single-story building. It features a distinctive roof over the departures concourse with peaked white structures. The arrivals area includes a baggage claim, car rental services, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops. The departures section includes a check-in area, a security checkpoint, and a concourse with a food court and eight gates on the ground level, allowing passengers to walk to their aircraft. A mezzanine level, housing a VIP lounge, is accessible from the departure concourse.[8]

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 is a two-story structure. The ground floor manages arrivals with customs and immigration facilities, a baggage claim area, car rental services, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops. The upper floor is dedicated to departures, featuring check-in areas, a security checkpoint, and a 400 metres (1,300 ft) long departure concourse. This section includes restaurants, food stands, duty-free shops, and 19 gates, nine of which are equipped with jet bridges. A VIP lounge in Terminal 2 is located past security, near the central food court.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aero Charter: Los Angeles–Van Nuys[9]
Aeroméxico Mexico City–Benito Juárez[10]
Aeroméxico Connect Mexico City–Benito Juárez[10]
Air Canada Seasonal: Montreal–Trudeau[11], Toronto–Pearson[11], Vancouver[11]
Alaska Airlines Los Angeles,[12] Portland (OR)[12], San Diego,[12] San Francisco,[12] San Jose (CA),[12] Seattle/Tacoma[12]
Seasonal: Las Vegas,[12] Oakland,[12] Sacramento[12]
American Airlines Austin,[13] Chicago–O'Hare,[13] Dallas/Fort Worth,[13] Los Angeles,[13] Phoenix–Sky Harbor[13]
Seasonal: Charlotte[14]
Condor Seasonal: Frankfurt[15]
Copa Airlines Panama City–Tocumen[16]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta,[17] Los Angeles,[17] Salt Lake City,[17] Seattle/Tacoma[17]
Seasonal: Austin,[18] Detroit,[17] Minneapolis/St. Paul,[17] New York–JFK[17]
Flair Airlines Seasonal: Vancouver[19]
Frontier Airlines Atlanta[20]
Seasonal: Las Vegas[20]
JetBlue New York–JFK[21]
Mexicana de Aviación Mexico City–Felipe Ángeles[22]
Southwest Airlines Denver,[23] Houston–Hobby,[23] Las Vegas (begins June 4, 2026),[24] Orange County,[23] Phoenix–Sky Harbor,[23] Sacramento,[23] San Diego[23]
Seasonal: Austin,[25] Baltimore,[26] Chicago–Midway,[27] Indianapolis,[28] Kansas City,[23] Nashville,[29] Oakland,[30] St. Louis[23]
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul[31]
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare,[32] Denver,[32] Houston–Intercontinental,[32] Los Angeles,[32] Newark,[32] San Francisco[32]
Viva Culiacán,[33] Guadalajara,[33] Hermosillo,[33] Mexico City–Benito Juárez,[33] Mexico City–Felipe Ángeles,[33] Monterrey,[33] Querétaro,[33] Tijuana,[33] Toluca/Mexico City,[33] Torreón/Gómez Palacio[33]
Volaris Culiacán[34] Guadalajara,[34] León/El Bajío,[34] Mexico City–Benito Juárez,[34] Mexico City–Felipe Ángeles[34], Oakland,[34] Ontario,[34] Puebla (begins June 1, 2026),[35] Tijuana,[34] Toluca/Mexico City[34]
WestJet Calgary,[36] Toronto–Pearson,[37] Vancouver[38]
Seasonal: Edmonton,[39] Kelowna,[39] Victoria,[39] Winnipeg[39]

Destination maps

Domestic destinations from Los Cabos International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination
Canadian destinations from Los Cabos International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination
United States destinations from Los Cabos International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination
Central American destinations from Los Cabos International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination

Statistics

Annual Traffic

Passenger statistics at Los Cabos International Airport[40]
Year Total Passengers change %
2010 2,745,500
2011 2,807,000 2.25%
2012 3,018,500 7.55%
2013 3,234,287 7.20%
2014 3,130,986 3.26%
2015 3,523,010 12.55%
2016 4,089,000 16.05%
2017 4,701,580 14.99%
2018 5,249,000 11.6%
2019 5,609,100 6.9%
2020 3,064,200 45.4%
2021 5,549,600 81.1%
2022 7,019,300 25.1%
2023 7,715,500 9.9%
2024 7,488,100 2.9%
2025 7,529,900 0.6%

Busiest routes

Busiest domestic routes from SJD (Jan–Dec 2025)[40]
Rank Airport Passengers
1 Mexico City, Mexico City 419,920
2 Jalisco, Guadalajara, Jalisco 258,929
3 Tijuana, Baja California 252,979
4 Culiacán, Sinaloa 99,845
5 Toluca, State of Mexico 96,262
6 Monterrey, Nuevo León 95,645
7 Mexico City-AIFA, State of Mexico 87,061
8 León/El Bajío, Guanajuato 29,659
9 Querétaro, Querétaro 23,357
10 Mexicali, Baja California 18,787
Busiest international routes from SJD (Jan–Dec 2025)[40]
Rank Airport Passengers
1 Los Angeles, United States 300,465
2 Dallas/Fort Worth, United States 248,583
3 Phoenix–Sky Harbor, United States 204,079
4 Houston (Intercontinental and Hobby, United States)[a] 189,875
5 San Francisco, United States 158,083
6 Denver, United States 134,569
7 Seattle–Tacoma, United States 113,636
8 Chicago (O'Hare and Midway, United States)[b] 91,926
9 San Diego, United States 83,763
10 Atlanta, United States 81,581
Notes
  1. ^ The official statistics combine both George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports.
  2. ^ The official statistics combine both O'Hare and Midway airports.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "GAP Traffic Report 2026" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  2. ^ "Estadística Operacional de Aeropuertos / Statistics by Airport". Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  3. ^ "About Cabo Airport: San José del Cabo International Airport".
  4. ^ "Hurricane Odile: Mexico begins airlifts of tourists stranded in Los Cabos". The Guardian. September 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  5. ^ "Los Cabos Tourist Alert: Depart For Airport Early Due To Traffic Congestion".
  6. ^ "Los Cabos Airport Expanding With More Gates To Keep Up With Tourist Demand".
  7. ^ "Iberojet schedules two seasonal routes to Mexico".
  8. ^ "Los Cabos Airport Maps".
  9. ^ "Aero Is Taking Air Travel to New Heights". Los Angeles Magazine. May 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  10. ^ a b "Aeromexico Busiest Domestic Routes in 2025". Aviation A2Z. September 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  11. ^ a b c "Los Cabos Is A Trending Destination For Canadians As More Flights Options Launch This Summer". Cabo Sun. May 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Alaska Airlines routes and destinations - Los Cabos International Airport (SJD/MMSD)". FlightRadar24. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Your Gateway To Los Cabos Is Closer Than You Think With 29 Nonstop U.S. Flights". Cabo Sun. September 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  14. ^ "American Airlines Launches New Nonstop Flights to the Caribbean, Latin America". Travel and Leisure. June 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  15. ^ "Los Cabos strengthens its presence in Europe with a new season of the direct flight from Frankfurt to Los Cabos". EnElAire (in Spanish). September 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  16. ^ "Copa Airlines expands its network in Latin America and the Caribbean: a new destination and two reactivations". Aviación al Día (in Spanish). July 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g "Delta Air Lines routes and destinations - Los Cabos International Airport (SJD/MMSD)". FlightRadar24. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  18. ^ "Delta Adds Two New Routes in Africa and One in Mexico". Aviation A2Z. February 28, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  19. ^ "Flair Announces Fall/Winter Schedule". OpenJaw. April 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  20. ^ a b "Frontier Airlines Launches New Nonstop Flights To Los Cabos From These 2 Cities". Cabo Sun. September 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  21. ^ "It's Now Easier Than Ever To Fly Non-Stop From New York To Cabo". Cabo Sun. September 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  22. ^ "Mexicana launches flights to Los Cabos". Mexico News Now. April 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h "Southwest Airlines routes and destinations - Los Cabos International Airport (SJD/MMSD)". FlightRadar24. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  24. ^ "4 New Nonstop Flights To Los Cabos Confirmed In 2026". Cabo Sun. February 2026. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  25. ^ "9 New Nonstop Flights To Los Cabos Confirmed In 2025: Is Your City On The List?". Cabo Sun. September 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  26. ^ "These 2 Low-Cost Airlines Are Launching New Nonstop Flights To Los Cabos". Cabo Sun. August 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  27. ^ "These 3 Airlines Have the Cheapest Flights to Los Cabos. Here's Where They Fly From". Cabo Sun. September 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  28. ^ "Southwest Airlines introducing new nonstop flight from Indianapolis for Spring Break 2026". WTHR. August 14, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  29. ^ "Southwest Airlines to Add Two Nonstop International Flights, One Domestic Flight to Nashville International Airport". Nashville Airport Authority. August 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  30. ^ "Americans Can Fly Nonstop To Cabo From 23 U.S. Cities This Winter". Travel Off Path. September 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  31. ^ "More travel deals for Minnesotans on Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday". Mexico News Now. December 2025. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  32. ^ a b c d e f "United Airlines routes and destinations - Los Cabos International Airport (SJD/MMSD)". FlightRadar24. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Viva routes and destinations - Los Cabos International Airport (SJD/MMSD)". FlightRadar24. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h i ,"Volaris routes and destinations - Los Cabos International Airport (SJD/MMSD)". FlightRadar24. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  35. ^ "Volaris triggers massive expansion with 33 new routes across North America". AviaciOnline. February 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  36. ^ "Calgary, AB, Canada YYC". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (1). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 204–206. July 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  37. ^ "Toronto, ON, Canada YTO". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (1). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1156–1162. July 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  38. ^ "Vancouver, BC, Canada YVR". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 27 (1). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1184–1188. July 2025. ISSN 1466-8718. OCLC 41608313.
  39. ^ a b c d "WestJet routes and destinations - Los Cabos International Airport (SJD/MMSD)". FlightRadar24. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  40. ^ a b c "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2026. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  • Media related to Los Cabos International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
  • Aeronautical chart and airport information for MMSD at SkyVector
  • "Current weather for MMSD". NOAA/NWS.
  • Accident history for SJD at Aviation Safety Network
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.