Tijuana International Airport (; ), officially Aeropuerto Internacional General Abelardo L. Rodríguez (), is an international airport located northeast of downtown Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. It serves the surrounding San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area, home to a population of five million.
The airport functions primarily as a domestic gateway, serving a network of 37 domestic destinations. It is a hub for Volaris and a focus city for Viva. Additionally, the airport houses facilities for the Mexican Air Force and supports cargo flights, tourism, flight training, and general aviation. It is the westernmost airport in Mexico and the second-northernmost, after Mexicali International Airport. The airport is operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico.
Situated adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, Tijuana Airport is a geographically binational airport, having direct access to its terminal from Mexico and from its Cross Border Xpress (CBX) facility in the United States. This rare feature allows passengers to walk across the border using the CBX pedestrian bridge.
The airport ranks as the fifth busiest in Mexico for both passenger numbers and aircraft movements, and holds the 16th position in Latin America and the 47th in North America. It handled 12,545,800 passengers in 2024 and reached 12,650,000 in 2025, of which 4,018,100 were international passengers using the CBX terminal.
History
Early years
Tijuana Airport, inaugurated as the 'Aeropuerto Federal de Tijuana on May 1, 1951, replaced the former airport located on today's Agua Caliente Boulevard. The initial passenger terminal was situated on the southwest side of the airport grounds, facing the present terminal. In 1954, Mexicana de Aviación began direct flights from Tijuana to Mexico City. In 1965, as part of the National Plan of Airports introduced during President Díaz Ordaz's administration, the airport became part of the Government-owned corporation Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA). Tijuana's population growth during the 1960s led to increased flight demand.
The airport's long runway, with an orientation of 10/28, had its northern end located less than south of the U.S. border wall. This meant that departing airplanes entered U.S. airspace after takeoff. The year 1969 marked the introduction of Operation Intercept, aimed at curbing narcotics flow between the U.S. and Mexico. Rising political pressure to reduce incursions into U.S. airspace resulted in the requirement to reorient the runway from 10/28 to 09/27.
In 1970, a new long runway (09/27) and a terminal capable of accommodating larger aircraft were constructed north of the existing runway. The new runway direction impacted Tijuana's approach, particularly over Cerro San Isidro, a high land obstacle, causing an increase in the glide slope on eastern approaches beyond 3 degrees and hindering a full Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach on runway 27, necessary during adverse weather conditions.
The original terminal then transitioned into an air base for the Mexican Air Force, now known as the 'Aeropuerto Viejo''' (old airport). During the 1970s, Tijuana experienced rapid growth, leading to expansions in both terminal and parking areas to meet escalating airport demand.
Privatization In the 1980s, both terminal space and passenger parking at Tijuana Airport became insufficient to meet demand. In 1990, Mexico initiated its first two 10-year joint ventures with private investors. One of the initial projects involved expanding both the departure concourse and parking areas.
The year 1995 marked a significant change with the publication of the 'Ley de Aeropuertos (Airports Law) by the Department of Communications and Transportation (), marking the beginning of Mexico's airport privatization program. In 1999, Tijuana Airport joined Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), a consortium headquartered in Guadalajara.
Under the airport privatization concession in 2002, the airport management undertook an expansion project. The extension of concourses A and B allowed for a doubling of the terminal's capacity. Furthermore, several taxiways were expanded to accommodate larger aircraft, such as the Boeing 747.
Growth and hub years Throughout its history, Tijuana Airport has served as a strategic hub for various airlines. In the 1990s, up until its discontinuation of services in 2006, Aero California utilized the airport as a hub, offering services to more than 12 domestic cities. Other airlines such as TAESA, Aerolíneas Internacionales, Líneas Aéreas Azteca, and Avolar also established their hubs in Tijuana during the 1990s and early 2000s, operating extensive domestic networks. Notably, Avolar had its maintenance base at a large hangar facility in Tijuana, later acquired by Volaris. Volaris initiated operations in Tijuana in 2006, gradually expanding its services and transforming Tijuana into a hub with connections to more than 35 destinations.
As the airport grew in significance, emerging as one of the country's largest hubs, plans for a new terminal were contemplated, though no tangible progress was made. Between 2011 and 2012, significant renovations occurred in Concourses A and B. These enhancements included new customs and international arrivals facilities and a new bus terminal.
Bi-national/International operations
On December 9, 2015, the Cross Border Xpress (CBX) opened, linking the passenger terminal in Tijuana with a terminal in San Diego. The facility allows passengers to cross directly between the United States and Mexico through a pedestrian bridge connected to the airport terminal, giving the airport direct access from both sides of the border. The project followed decades of planning and negotiations involving border control, management, funding, and construction.
On the Mexican side, the New Transit Processing Building (NEP; ) opened in 2022 as a terminal expansion for cross-border passengers arriving from San Diego through the CBX bridge. The facility includes immigration, customs, airline check-in, and security screening areas, and connects directly with the departures concourse. It also processes the airport's international arrivals.
The airport's proximity to the United States border has made it a departure point for passengers traveling between Southern California and destinations in Mexico. However, competition from nearby San Diego International Airport and taxes applied to international flights in Mexico have limited the airport's international route network. Airport officials stated that the NEP expansion was intended to attract and support additional long-haul service, including routes to Asia and South America.
Routes evolution
In 1954, Mexicana de Aviación introduced direct flights from Tijuana to Mexico City. During the 1970s, cargo airline AeroCarga operated flights from Tijuana to La Paz, Mexico City, and Mérida using Douglas DC-6 aircraft. In 1971, Aeroméxico began flights to Mexico City with Douglas DC-8 aircraft. By 1976, it had expanded its services to Guadalajara using McDonnell Douglas DC-10 equipment. Mexicana reinaugurated its Tijuana flights in 1978, operating a daily flight from Mexico City with a stop in La Paz, using Boeing 727 equipment.
In 1983, Aero California launched the Tijuana-Los Mochis-Guadalajara route with McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jets. Mexicana inaugurated the Guadalajara route in 1985, operating Boeing 727 and 757 aircraft, as well as Airbus A318, A319, and A320 aircraft, over a span of 25 years. In the summer of 1987, Aeroméxico introduced flights to Bogotá, Colombia, operating Douglas DC-8-62 equipment four days a week. In 1988, Aeroméxico declared bankruptcy and underwent restructuring, which impacted its services in Tijuana. In 1991, TAESA initiated flights to Mexico City with a stop in Los Mochis, employing Boeing 727 equipment.
In 2006, Aeroméxico launched the Tijuana-Acapulco route, using Boeing 737-700 aircraft. That same year, Líneas Aéreas Azteca initiated flights to Oakland and Viva began operations in Tijuana from its Monterrey hub, operating Boeing 737-300 equipment. Interjet introduced flights to Mexico City in 2008. In 2009, Mexicana closed routes to Culiacán and Puebla, and ultimately declared bankruptcy in 2010.
From 2006 to 2014, Aeroméxico operated three weekly flights to Tokyo-Narita using Boeing 777-200, before relocating the route to Monterrey. Additionally, Aeroméxico operated flights to Shanghai from 2006 to 2009 and 2010 to 2019. In 2012, regional airline Calafia Airlines initiated bi-weekly flights to Tijuana, operating the Tijuana–Loreto–La Paz route. Viva temporarily suspended its operations in Tijuana in 2014. Interjet started operations on the Tijuana-Acapulco route in 2015, using the Sukhoi Superjet 100. On March 4, 2015, Volaris resumed the Tijuana–Oakland route with two weekly flights, a reduced frequency from its original daily service launched in August 2009 but later canceled due to poor performance. On October 1, 2015, Aeroméxico Connect resumed flights from Tijuana to Monterrey, operated by the Embraer 170. Viva also resumed its flights in Tijuana on November 19, 2015, with Mexico City as its first route, marking the beginning of its current role as an operating base and focus city.
From 2017 to 2018, Volaris Costa Rica initiated flights to San Salvador and Guatemala City. In 2018, the Chinese airline Hainan Airlines commenced three weekly flights from Beijing to Tijuana and onward to Mexico City using Boeing 787-8 equipment. This service was suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interjet also ceased all operations in Tijuana that year after filing for bankruptcy and becoming defunct.
From 2020 to 2023, the airport had no international service due to the pandemic imposing heavier restrictions on air travel. After international travel restrictions were lifted, service resumed on February 15, 2024, with American Eagle launching daily flights to Phoenix, Arizona, using Embraer E175 aircraft. As of 2025, the route operates with CRJ-700 equipment and still operates flights daily except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On December 26, 2023, newly incorporated state-owned airline Mexicana de Aviación commenced daily flights to Tijuana using Boeing 737 equipment from the Mexican Air Force. The airline initially operated two daily flights, but one was later discontinued.
On May 11, 2024, China Southern Airlines launched the bi-weekly Shenzhen-Mexico City route, using Airbus A350 equipment. The flight departs from Shenzhen and flies directly to Mexico City's busiest airport, making a brief stop at Tijuana's airport as a refueling layover on its return leg to Shenzhen. Since this is a layover, not an official direct connection to the airport, passengers at the terminal are not allowed to board the aircraft, nor make flight connections.
On July 12, 2024, after a four-year hiatus, Hainan Airlines restored its thrice-weekly Beijing–Tijuana–Mexico City–Tijuana–Beijing route using the same Boeing 787-8 equipment it used to operate before the COVID-19 pandemic. This marked the resumption of direct passenger service to Asia, making it the only passenger connection to China in the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. Volaris briefly operated direct flights to Las Vegas, beginning on October 29, 2024. The route ran three times a week before being discontinued in 2025.
Volaris remains the largest operator in the airport, offering flights to 35 domestic destinations. Additionally, both Volaris and Viva serve the longest domestic nonstop route in Mexico, from Tijuana to Cancún, with a flight time of over four hours.
Facilities