León/Bajio International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de León/Bajío); officially Aeropuerto Internacional de Guanajuato (Guanajuato International Airport) (IATA: BJX, ICAO: MMLO), is an international airport situated in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico. It is the main international airport serving the Greater León Metropolitan Area and the State of Guanajuato, which is home to a population of 6 million residents, including the cities of Celaya, Guanajuato, Irapuato, Salamanca, and San Miguel de Allende. In addition to offering domestic flights within Mexico, it serves as a gateway for international travel, connecting Central Mexico to various destinations in the United States. It serves as a focus city for Volaris and supports flight training, cargo, logistics and general aviation activities.
León/Bajío International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional del Bajío | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico | ||||||||||
| Serves | León, Guanajuato, Mexico | ||||||||||
| Location | Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | Volaris | ||||||||||
| Time zone | CST (UTC−06:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,815 m / 5,955 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 20°59′36″N 101°28′51″W / 20.99333°N 101.48083°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  BJX Location of the airport in Guanajuato  BJX BJX (Mexico) | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||
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Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico[1] | |||||||||||
Operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), Bajío Airport derives its name from the cultural region "El Bajío" (the lowland), which is situated within the central Mexican plateau. It ranks as the ninth-busiest airport in Mexico in terms of passenger numbers and the seventh-busiest for international passenger traffic. In 2022, the airport served 2,603,200 passengers, a figure that increased to 3,220,800 passengers in 2023, marking a substantial 23.7% growth compared to the previous year and becoming the ninth airport in Mexico to surpass three million passengers in a calendar year.[1]
History
editThe airport was inaugurated in 1991 by President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, replacing the former San Carlos International Airport located in León.[2] The growing industrial activity in the Bajío region and the massive migration of Mexicans to the United States in recent decades has been reflected in a substantial increase in international air transport demand. In 1999 the terminal went through an expansion project, improving equipment, and enhancing services for passengers. In February 2001, this airport received Air Force One during President George W. Bush's visit to Mexico. On March 23, 2012, the airport welcomed Pope Benedict XVI, who arrived on a direct flight from Rome, Italy, during his first and only visit to Mexico.
At the end of 2015, work began on the construction of a parallel taxiway along the entire length of the runway. In August 2016, the airport opened its first and only VIP lounge, while modernization and expansion work in the departure area and the entire terminal began, including the relocation of the customs and immigration checkpoint. Work was completed in mid-2018. Throughout its history, the airport has been served by various airlines, including Aeromar, Aviacsa, Calafia Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Delta Connection, Interjet, Mexicana, TAESA, and TAR Aerolíneas.
Facilities
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The airport is located between the cities of León and Silao in Guanajuato, at an elevation of 1,815 metres (5,955 ft) above mean sea level. It has a single runway, designated as 13/31, with a length of 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) and an asphalt surface. The commercial aviation apron provides nine stands for receiving narrow-body aircraft. The general aviation apron offers stands for fixed-wing aircraft, in addition to heliports for private aviation. The airport also includes a cargo area called "Puerto Interior," which connects the airport with a freight rail and motor transportation hub.[3][4] It is equipped to handle up to 26 flights per hour.
The passenger terminal accommodates both arrivals and departures for domestic and international flights. The ground floor houses the arrivals area with customs and immigration facilities, the baggage claim area, and the departures section that includes a check-in area, a security checkpoint, and a departures concourse with gates 4-6 that provide direct access to the apron, enabling passengers to walk to their aircraft. From this departure concourse, access to the upper floor is available, which houses snack bars, souvenir shops, and gates 1 to 3, which are equipped with jet bridges for boarding.
Bajío Airport currently lacks direct public transportation services, requiring travelers to use other transport options. The airport provides both short-term and long-term parking facilities. Car rental services are available on-site, with rental counters for Hertz, Budget, Veico, and City Car Rental located in the arrivals hall.[5]
For intercity bus travel, Primera Plus and Unebus offer services to various destinations including León, San Miguel de Allende, Silao, Guanajuato, Purísima del Rincón, and San Francisco del Rincón. From León, passengers can connect to various destinations across Mexico. Advanced bookings can be made through shuttle services listed on local tourist websites, such as Viva Aerobus, Primera Plus, and Unebus.
Airlines and destinations
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Passenger
editDestination maps
edit  León/Del Bajío Domestic destinations from León/Bajío International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination |
 International destinations from Bajío International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal/charter destination Italic = Suspended passenger destination |
Statistics
editPassengers
editGraphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Top destinations
edit| Rank | City | Passengers | Ranking | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Baja California, Tijuana
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380,243 | 
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Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 2 |  Quintana Roo, Cancún
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211,718 |  1
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Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 2 |  Mexico City, Mexico City
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176,247 |  1
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Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect |
| 4 |  Nuevo León, Monterrey
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146,107 |
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Viva Aerobus |
| 5 |  Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta
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61,999 | 1
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Volaris |
| 6 |  Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez
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61,730 | 1
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Viva Aerobus |
| 7 |  Baja California Sur, San José del Cabo
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35,949 | 1
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Volaris |
| 8 | Baja California, Mexicali
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34,989 | 1
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Volaris |
| 9 |  Yucatán, Mérida
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34,118 |
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Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 10 |  Sonora, Hermosillo
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8,288 | 
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Volaris |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Ranking | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States, Dallas/Fort Worth
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105,812 |
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American Airlines |
| 2 | United States, Houston-Intercontinental
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94,071 |
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United Airlines, Viva Aerobus |
| 3 | United States, Chicago (O'Hare and Midway)[a]
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65,973 |
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United Express, Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 4 | United States, Oakland
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37,195 |
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Volaris |
| 5 | United States, Los Angeles
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32,030 |
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Volaris |
| 6 | United States, Sacramento
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16,023 |
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Volaris |
| 7 | United States, Fresno
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15,492 | 2
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Volaris |
| 8 | United States, San Jose
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13,308 | 1
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Volaris |
| 9 | United States, San Antonio
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12,200 | 1
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Viva Aerobus |
- Notes
- ^ The official statistics combine both O'Hare and Midway airports.
Accidents and incidents
edit- On 17 September 2021, a VivaAerobús Airbus A320-200, registered XA-VAP, experienced an engine failure shortly after takeoff from El Bajío. The aircraft landed safely after circling the airport and burning fuel for 25 minutes.[8]
See also
edit- List of the busiest airports in Mexico
- List of airports in Mexico
- List of airports by ICAO code: M
- List of busiest airports in North America
- List of the busiest airports in Latin America
- Transportation in Mexico
- Tourism in Mexico
- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
- Metropolitan areas of Mexico
- San Miguel de Allende
- Guanajuato (city)
- Festival Internacional Cervantino
References
edit- ^ a b "GAP Traffic Report 2023" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "Los aeropuertos de León".
- ^ "SKYPLUS INDUSTRIAL AND LOGISTICS PARK".
- ^ "Puerto Interior".
- ^ Veico Car Rental
- ^ "Viva Aerobús announces three new routes from AIFA". EnElAire (in Spanish). June 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
- ^ "VivaAerobus suffers engine failure shortly after take-off Mexican airport". September 19, 2021.
External links
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Media related to Del Bajío International Airport at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
- León/Bajío Airport information at Great Circle Mapper
- Aeronautical chart and airport information for MMLO at SkyVector
- Current weather for MMLO at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for BJX at Aviation Safety Network
- Tourism in Guanajuato
- Festival Cervantino
