JetBlue Airways and Air Canada have become the latest airlines to schedule new routes to Tulum, located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
Commercial flights at Felipe Carrillo Puerto Tulum International Airport (TQO) began on Dec. 1, initially catering to domestic operations by Aeromexico and Viva Aerobus. International services to and from the country's newest airport are set to commence in March.
JetBlue plans to open a route to Tulum from June 14, 2024, offering daily nonstop flights from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport. The destination will become its fourth in Mexico alongside Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.
Meanwhile, Air Canada plans to offer two routes to Tulum from next May. Year-round flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) will start on May 3, operating twice a week, while a weekly service from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) begins the following day.
The Star Alliance member currently serves eight points in Mexico during the winter 2023-24 season, flying to Cancun, Cozumel, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Los Cabos, Mexico City Juarez and Puerto Vallarta.
“Without connectivity there is no tourism, and the two new routes to the new Tulum International Airport, which is ready to receive five million passengers, will boost the arrival of tourists from our second-most important source market for international tourists,” says Mexico's tourism secretary Miguel Torruco Marqués.
Tulum, located southwest of Playa del Carmen and Cancun, is known for its beaches and nearby ancient Mayan ruins. The new airport has a 3,700-m (12,140-ft.) runway and the capacity to handle 5.5 million passengers per year.
American Airlines has already confirmed plans to launch three routes to TQO from Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas Fort-Worth and Miami, while Delta Air Lines will offer flights from Atlanta. United Airlines intends to fly to the destination from Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Newark, and Spirit Airlines will introduce routes from Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida.
Alongside Air Canada’s plans to serve Tulum, the airline has unveiled a second new destination joining its network in summer 2024. Starting on March 28, flights to Charleston International Airport (CHS), South Carolina, will begin, operating daily from YYZ.
OAG Schedules Analyser data shows the carrier will become the sole provider of nonstop flights between the cities and the first since Porter Airlines offered a short-lived service to CHS from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in 2015.
Helen Hill, CEO of Explore Charleston and Chair of the Aviation Authority Board, says there is “tremendous untapped potential” in the Toronto-Charleston market. “Beyond increasing access for leisure travelers, the daily, nonstop service creates more opportunity to recruit group business and provides improved connectivity for Charleston-area residents traveling to Canada and other international destinations served through Air Canada’s Toronto hub,” she adds.
Elsewhere, Air Canada is adding more flights to Austin (AUS) and St. Louis (STL) from YUL, complementing its services from YYZ and Vancouver to Austin, and from YYZ to St. Louis. Seasonal fights between YUL and STL will begin on May 1, operating daily, and year-round YUL-AUS will kick off the next day, operating 4X-weekly. Additional seasonal frequencies have also been scheduled from Ottawa, Calgary, Saskatoon and Regina.
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