Construction Begins on Puerto Vallarta’s New Airport Terminal

In addition to a new building that will increase the airport’s capacity, there will be a renovation of the runway and other facilities.

Construction of the 4.4bn-peso (US$220mn) second terminal of Puerto Vallarta’s international airport in the Mexican state of Jalisco kicked off on Monday, with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by municipal, state and federal authorities.

Airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) plans a total investment of 7bn pesos for the airport, local outlet Informador reported the company’s chairwoman, Laura Diez Barroso, as saying.

“We’re supporting Mexico in all infrastructure projects and investing a lot in them, always thinking of sustainability, and energy and water savings,” she said during the event that launched the construction works. The event was also attended by Jalisco governor Enrique Alfaro.

This new terminal will span more than 68,000 square meters, which means a growth of 150 percent. In addition, there will be an increase from 11 to 19 boarding bridges, as well as an increase from 9 to 16 remote boarding gates (78 percent more). In other words, this work will give passengers more space and make their trip more enjoyable.

It will also be the first Zero Energy airport terminal in Latin America. This will be achieved within 7.5 years through several strategies, which include: the use of solar panels on the roof of the building, which will lower energy consumption by 40 percent compared to other airports with the same characteristics; and efficient water management through the reuse of 100 percent of the gray, black and blue water generated inside and outside the terminal, which will reduce water consumption by 35 percent; among other elements.

In addition to the construction of the new terminal, resources will be invested to improve the runway, platforms, streets, roads, parking lot and control tower.

The airport currently handles three million passengers a year, and it is believed that the construction work will increase passenger capacity by 50%.

According to air traffic reports from Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), most of the passengers handled at the Puerto Vallarta airport are international travelers with 1.6 million tourists, mostly from the United States, while 1.4 million are domestic passengers.

The Puerto Vallarta International Airport’s Terminal 2 will tentatively be completed in two years, when it will have the capacity to mobilize 4.5 million passengers per year.