Cuernavaca International Airport ; officially Aeropuerto Internacional General Mariano Matamoros (General Mariano Matamoros International Airport) is an airport located in Temixco, Morelos, Mexico. It manages air traffic for the Metropolitan area of Cuernavaca and the entire state of Morelos. Currently, the airport does not operate scheduled passenger public services. Travelers to and from Cuernavaca commonly use Mexico City International Airport, situated approximately 60 km to the north of Cuernavaca. Historically, the airport was a primary hub for Aerolíneas Internacionales. However, it now predominantly handles charter flights and various activities in general and executive aviation, including flight training. The airport is operated by the government-owned corporation Aeropuerto de Cuernavaca S.A. de C.V. It was named after General Mariano Matamoros, a Mexican priest who played a significant role in the country's War of Independence. In 2021, the airport reported a total of 3,627 passengers.

History

Air services to Cuernavaca have consistently faced challenges due to the centralization of aviation operations at the congested Mexico City International Airport. Since the 1990s, political initiatives aimed to establish nearby airports, including Cuernavaca, along with Puebla, Toluca, and Querétaro, as alternative options for serving the saturated Mexico City Area. This initiative, known as the Metropolitan Airport System, gained traction during the 2000s under the Federal Administration. Cuernavaca Airport served as the hub for Aerolíneas Internacionales from 1994 until the airline ceased operations in 2003. Other airlines serving Cuernavaca included Aeroméxico, Volaris, ALMA de México, Avolar, and Mexicana de Aviacion. VivaAerobus offered services at the airport from July 2012 to September 2013. TAR Airlines served the airport from 2016 to 2017 when the airport was left without commercial operations once again. Cuernavaca Airport's capacities remain underutilized. Furthermore, the opening of Mexico City-Felipe Angeles Airport has added to the challenges faced by Cuernavaca in attracting commercial flights. Therefore, Cuernavaca stands as the second largest metropolitan area in Mexico, following Saltillo, without an airport offering commercial flights.

Facilities

The airport covers an area of 110 ha and is situated at an elevation of 1309 m above sea level. It features a single runway, designated as 03/21, with an asphalt surface measuring 2926 m, suitable for receiving aircraft such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. Its apron for commercial aviation spans 21180 m2 and has three positions for narrow-body aircraft. The airport infrastructure also includes a passenger terminal building, a general aviation terminal, hangars, and a control tower. The passenger terminal manages arrival and departure facilities for domestic flights within a two-story building, with gates on the ground level, allowing passengers to walk to their aircraft. It has a short-term parking area and offers ground transportation services. The official operating hours of the airport are from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

Accidents

On November 1, 2023, an Air Ambulance Learjet 35A crashed after a runway excursion while attempting to land on Runway 20, killing all four occupants on board. The aircraft, a 43 year old Learjet 35 registered as XA-IRE was written off due to the accident after it struck a row of trees and some bushes located at the end of the runway. After striking trees, the aircraft exploded a number of times before coming to rest on the hill inwhich the trees were located. The accident was not reported until 14:19 local time, four minutes after the accident. At around 14:40 local time, rescue services finally arrived to find all four occupants deceased and the aircraft destroyed.