Culiacán International Airport

Aeropuerto Internacional de Culiacán
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorGrupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte
ServesCuliacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Focus city forVolaris
Time zoneMST (UTC-07:00)
Elevation AMSL33 m / 108 ft
Coordinates24°45′52″N 107°28′28″W / 24.76444°N 107.47444°W / 24.76444; -107.47444
Websitewww.oma.aero/en/passengers/culiacan/
Map
CUL is located in Sinaloa
CUL
CUL
Location of the airport in Sinaloa
CUL is located in Mexico
CUL
CUL
CUL (Mexico)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 2,300 7,546 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Total passengers2,426,003
Ranking in Mexico10th Steady
Source: Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte[1]

Culiacán International Airport, (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Culiacán); officially Aeropuerto Internacional Federal de Bachigualato (Bachigualato Federal International Airport) (IATA: CUL, ICAO: MMCL), is an international airport located in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the primary air traffic gateway to the Culiacán metropolitan area, offering nonstop flights to many cities in Mexico and serving as a gateway in a heavily traveled air corridor connecting mainland Mexico to the Baja California peninsula. It is also a Focus city for Volaris.

The airport accommodates military facilities for the Mexican Army and supports various tourism, flight training, and general aviation activities. It is operated by Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte and takes its name from the neighborhood of Bachigualato, where it is situated. Culiacán Airport ranks as the tenth-busiest in Mexico and is the third-largest in northwestern Mexico. It is also the busiest for domestic traffic and the second-busiest for international operations in the state of Sinaloa. In 2021, Culiacán Airport served 1,970,211 passengers, a number that increased to 2,426,003 in 2022.[2]

Facilities

Culiacán Airport map

Culiacán Airport is situated in the Bachigualato neighborhood, located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) southwest of the city center of Culiacán. It is situated at an elevation of 33 metres (108 ft) above mean sea level and features a 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) long runway. The airport features two aprons with parking positions for up to 10 narrow-body commercial aircraft, as well as a separate apron dedicated to general aviation. It has a capacity for 22 operations per hour. Under favorable weather conditions, flights arriving from the Baja California Peninsula and northern regions use Runway 02, while those arriving from other parts of the country use Runway 20.

The main terminal serves essential functions, with check-in and baggage handling facilities on the eastern side, and the arrivals section on the west side, which includes customs and immigration facilities. The arrivals section also provides services such as car rental, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops. The upper floor of the terminal houses the security checkpoint and a departure section that hosts a food court, duty-free shops, a VIP lounge, and a concourse featuring five gates, three of which are equipped with jet bridges.[3]

Adjacent to the terminal, there are other facilities, including civil aviation hangars, cargo and logistics companies, and courier services. Additionally, there is a dedicated general aviation terminal that supports a variety of activities, including tourism, flight training, executive aviation, and general aviation.

Passenger terminal airside

In 2023, Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte announced a major renovation project for Culiacán International Airport. This project is expected to be completed within 5 years and aims to accommodate an estimated 5 million passengers. The renovation plan includes expanding waiting areas, adding additional gates, and completely revamping the terminal area. The total investment for this project is set at a minimum of 636 million Mexican pesos.[4][5]

Air Force Base No. 10 (Spanish: Base Aérea Militar No. 10 Culiacán, Sinaloa) (B.A.M 10) is situated at the southern end of the airport grounds. This base houses Air Squadron 109, which operates Cessna 182 aircraft, and it features two aviation aprons. One of these aprons covers an area of 13,800 square metres (149,000 sq ft), while the other spans 21,000 square metres (230,000 sq ft), offering 30 parking positions for helicopters and small airplanes. The larger apron is primarily utilized as a maintenance center for single-engine Cessna aircraft and Bell helicopters. Additionally, the Air Base includes five hangars and other facilities to accommodate Air Force personnel.[6]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aeroméxico Mexico City
Aeroméxico Connect Mexico City
Aero Pacífico San José del Cabo
Calafia Airlines La Paz, Loreto
TAR Chihuahua, Hermosillo
Viva Aerobus La Paz, Mexico City, Monterrey, San José del Cabo, Tijuana
Seasonal: Chihuahua
Volaris Cancún, Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mexicali, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA, Monterrey, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Puerto Vallarta, Querétaro, San José del Cabo, Tijuana

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Estafeta San Luis Potosí, Tijuana
Passenger terminal main hall
Check-in area
Passenger terminal main hall
Passenger terminal at night
Viva Aerobus Airbus A320 at CUL

Destinations map

Domestic destinations from Culiacán International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination
International destinations from Culiacán International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination

Statistics

Passengers

Culiacán Airport Passengers. See Wikidata query.

Busiest routes

Busiest routes at Culiacán International Airport (2022)[7]
Rank City Passengers Ranking Airline
1  Baja California, Tijuana 489,715 Steady VivaAerobús, Volaris
2  Mexico City, Mexico City 271,173 Steady Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, VivaAerobús, Volaris
3  Jalisco, Guadalajara 147,776 Steady VivaAerobús, Volaris
4  Baja California Sur, San José del Cabo 80,651 Steady Aero Pacífico, VivaAerobús, Volaris
5  Baja California, Mexicali 78,212 Steady Calafia Airlines, TAR, Volaris
6  Nuevo León, Monterrey 62,356 Steady Calafia Airlines, TAR, VivaAerobús
7  Baja California Sur, La Paz 33,015 Steady Calafia Airlines, TAR, VivaAerobús
8  Quintana Roo, Cancún 18,124 Increase 2 VivaAerobús, Volaris
9  United States, Phoenix 7,734 New entry American Eagle
10  Chihuahua, Chihuahua 7,494 Decrease 1 TAR, VivaAerobús
11  Sonora, Hermosillo 7,143 Decrease 1 TAR

Accidents and incidents

  • On July 5, 2007, a twin-engine Sabreliner cargo jet failed to take off from the airport due to a loss of control resulting from a tire blowout and slid off the runway onto a highway. Three people died on board the plane and six on the ground; five more were injured.[8]
  • On April 24, 2012, a Cessna 182 registered XBMPN for private use crashed in the airport a few seconds after it took off. The plane was heading to Chihuahua Airport, and at the time of the crash it carried only the pilot, who sustained minor injuries. The aircraft remained in some trees at the end of the runway, still on airport property.[9]
  • On January 5, 2023, an Aeromexico Embraer E190 operating a passenger flight to Mexico City International Airport was hit by gunfire from members of a drug cartel. There were no injuries amongst the passengers or crew on board. A Mexican Air Force 737-800 was also shot at.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "OMA reports 2.3 million passenger traffic in December 2022" (PDF; 292 KB). oma.aero. Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte S.A.B. de C.V. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Passenger's Traffic" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte (in Spanish). January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Acapulco Adding New Terminal to Airport".
  4. ↑ "Aeropuerto de Culiacán: así quedará remodelado" (in Spanish).
  5. ↑ "Proyecto Ejecutivo de la Ampliación de la Terminal del Aeropuerto internacional de Culiacan, Proyecto en proceso para OMA en 2021" (in Spanish).
  6. ↑ "Bases Aéreas. Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional".
  7. ↑ "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Plane crashes in Sinaloa, 9 dead (in Spanish)". La Jornada. July 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Plane plummets in Culiacán Airport (in Spanish)". Linea Directa Portal. April 2012. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "Drug Cartel Members Shoot At Mexican Army And Aeromexico Aircraft At Culiacan International Airport". Simple Flying. 5 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
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