ADEPM meeting with GAP group, Pacific Airport Group.

Getting to the Riviera Nayarit through the Puerto Vallarta airport

95% of tourists who visit Punta de Mita and the southern region of the Riviera Nayarit arrive by plane, hence the importance that the arrival and departure processes for their vacations be agile and organized.

Puerto Vallarta airport ranked seventh out of the top 10 in highest passenger traffic. It is the 3rd most important beach, it reaches 53 destinations, there are 23 airlines that arrive at the destination including jet blue, spirit, and one Canadian. In addition, new airlines were incorporated, showing that of the total number of passengers received by the Puerto Vallarta airport, 63% are international and 37% national.

The recovery from 2019 up to now has increased by 8%.  Health protocols have been added; airlines and all service providers.

An important issue that has not helped to improve the service is the lack of staff at the destination. The statistics show a substantial improvement in the processes in security, customs, and migration.

Peak hours are between 12:00-5:00 p.m., It is at this time when 80 to 85%   of arrivals are received. Therefore, the migration and customs filter works in its entirety, the 14 migration modules and the 16 customs modules are active, but they are insufficient due to the increase in passengers arriving at the airport. According to the international standard migration takes 10 minutes, and Customs is taking 14 minutes. The National Guard is supporting the processes, times and efficiency of customs agents.

Puerto Vallarta airport will put new facilities and smart technology into use in 2024

The gap group, with a historic investment, is working on the expansion of the airport with a new terminal that is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2024 and designed by Benjamín Romano, under a 21st century scheme. In addition, it will have state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, x-rays, modern services and structures, all under sustainable development and operation. This will result in no longer having to stop at customs to have your bags checked.

The characteristics that the new airport terminal in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit will have are:

• greater security.
• smart baggage claim.
• use of the subsoil to lower the temperature of the building by 18 degrees.
• operation in the last quarter of 2024.
• energy saving in favor of sustainability. solar panels.
• unique and innovative structure.

While the project is underway, the ADEPM showed its openness to help establish the mechanisms or meetings with the necessary authorities to improve and speed up the current flow that the airport has. On the other hand, the airport  promised to agree  schedules  for  the airlines, to seek a better distribution of arrival times, hoping to obtain a favorable response from them before the high season begins.