Los Cabos International Airport

Los Cabos International Airport

*Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Cabos*
Los Cabos International Airport; Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Cabos
	IATA: SJD; ICAO: MMSD;
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
Serves	San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Location	San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Opened	1977
Focus city for	Viva
Time zone	MST (UTC-07:00)
Elevation AMSL	114 m / 374 ft
Coordinates	23°09′06″N 109°43′15″W / 23.15167°N 109.72083°W
Website	www.loscabosairport.com
Map
	SJD Location of the airport in Baja California Sur SJD SJD (Mexico)
Runways
Statistics (2024)
Total passengers
Total passengers	7,488,200
Ranking in Mexico	6th
	Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico

Los Cabos International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Cabos) (IATA: SJD, ICAO: MMSD) is an international airport located in San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, serving as the main gateway to the Los Cabos region on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. It offers flights to more than 50 destinations across the Americas and Europe, primarily functioning as a major destination for most U.S. and Canadian mainline airlines. The airport is also part of a high-traffic air corridor connecting the Baja California Peninsula with Mainland Mexico.

Operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), the airport supports general and executive aviation, flight training, and tourism-related operations. It is the larger of two airports in the Los Cabos region; the smaller Cabo San Lucas International Airport is located approximately 26 kilometres (16 mi) to the south.

As of 2025, it is the sixth-busiest airport in Mexico and ranks 23rd in Latin America by passenger traffic.^[2] It also ranks fourth in Mexico for international passengers. In 2024, Los Cabos International Airport handled 7,488,200 passengers, a 2.95% decrease from 2023, of which 4,658,059 were international passengers.^[1]

History

A Mexicana de Aviación Boeing 727-200 at SJD in 1993.

Los Cabos International Airport was inaugurated in 1977, featuring a provisional terminal with a tent-like roof. As the Los Cabos beach resort gained popularity among American and Canadian tourists, the airport underwent a substantial expansion and renovation in 1997, resulting in the construction of the current Terminal 1, accommodating both domestic and international flights.^[3]

In 2002, the control tower was upgraded with advanced technology during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum hosted in Los Cabos. Terminal 2 was subsequently added to accommodate increased international flights, and a new highway provided direct access to the tourist zone. Between 2008 and 2011, Terminal 1 underwent renovations, and Terminal 3 was constructed adjacent to Terminal 2. The general aviation apron was relocated, and a dedicated terminal for general aviation activities was established at the northern end of the airport grounds.

In September 2011, non-stop flights to Shanghai, China were briefly operated. In 2014, Hurricane Odile caused substantial damage, leading to an 18-day suspension of operations before reopening on October 3, 2014.^[4] The airport's infrastructure has faced challenges due to a surge in resorts and rapid regional population growth, leading to congestion and reported capacity constraints during peak hours.^[5]

Between 2018 and 2020, Terminal 3 was fully integrated with Terminal 2, adopting the name Terminal 2 and undergoing further expansion in 2022 with additional jet bridges.^[6] From 2019 to 2020, TUI Airways provided flights to and from London Gatwick Airport, and since 2023, Spain-based carrier Iberojet has operated daily flights to Madrid.^[7]

Facilities

Los Cabos International Airport is situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, at an elevation of 114 metres (374 ft) above mean sea level. The airport features a single runway, designated as 16/34, measuring 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) with an asphalt surface. The commercial aviation apron accommodates 22 narrow-body aircraft. Nonetheless, the airport is also capable of accommodating wide-body aircraft. For general aviation, there is a dedicated apron with stands for fixed-wing aircraft and helipads for private aviation. The airport operates two terminals.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1, covering an area of 16,580 square metres (178,500 sq ft), houses arrival and departure facilities for domestic flights within a single-story building. It features a distinctive roof over the departures concourse with peaked white structures. The arrivals area includes a baggage claim, car rental services, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops. The departures section includes a check-in area, a security checkpoint, and a concourse with a food court and eight gates on the ground level, allowing passengers to walk to their aircraft. A mezzanine level, housing a VIP lounge, is accessible from the departure concourse.^[8]

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 is a two-story structure. The ground floor manages arrivals with customs and immigration facilities, a baggage claim area, car rental services, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops. The upper floor is dedicated to departures, featuring check-in areas, a security checkpoint, and a 400 metres (1,300 ft) long departure concourse. This section includes restaurants, food stands, duty-free shops, and 19 gates, nine of which are equipped with jet bridges. A VIP lounge in Terminal 2 is located past security, near the central food court.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Aero	Charter: Los Angeles–Van Nuys
Aeroméxico	Mexico City
Aeroméxico Connect	Mexico City
Air Canada	Seasonal: Montreal–Trudeau, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver
Alaska Airlines	Los Angeles, Portland (OR), San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Seattle/Tacoma Seasonal: Las Vegas, Sacramento
American Airlines	Austin, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Phoenix–Sky Harbor Seasonal: Charlotte^[9]
Condor	Seasonal: Frankfurt
Copa Airlines	Panama City–Tocumen (begins December 4, 2025)^[10]
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma Seasonal: Austin (begins December 20, 2025),^[11] Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK
Flair Airlines	Seasonal: Vancouver
Frontier Airlines	Phoenix–Sky Harbor Seasonal: Denver
Iberojet	Seasonal: Madrid
JetBlue	New York–JFK
Mexicana de Aviación	Guadalajara, Mexico City–AIFA
Southwest Airlines	Austin, Denver, Houston–Hobby, Nashville, Oakland, Orange County, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Sacramento, San Diego Seasonal: Baltimore, Chicago–Midway, Indianapolis (begins March 5, 2025),^[12] Kansas City, St. Louis
Sun Country Airlines	Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul
United Airlines	Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco
Viva	Cancun, Culiacán, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA, Monterrey, Querétaro, Tijuana, Toluca/Mexico City, Torreón/Gómez Palacio Seasonal: Cincinnati
Volaris	Culiacán, Guadalajara, León/El Bajío, Mexicali, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA, Oakland,Ontario, Tijuana, Toluca/Mexico City
WestJet	Calgary, Toronto–Pearson, Vancouver Seasonal: Edmonton, Kelowna, Victoria, Winnipeg

Destination maps

Los Cabos Airport tower, view from the runway

Passengers boarding various flights at SJD

Los Cabos Mexico City Mexico City/AIFA Culiacán Guadalajara León/Del Bajío Mexicali Monterrey Querétaro Tijuana Toluca Torreón Hermosillo Domestic destinations from Los Cabos International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination
Toronto-Pearson Vancouver Calgary Edmonton Winnipeg Kelowna Victoria Montréal–Trudeau Canadian destinations from Los Cabos International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination
Austin Chicago–O'Hare Dallas/Fort Worth Los Angeles New York–JFK Phoenix–Sky Harbor Portland (OR) San Diego San Francisco Seattle/Tacoma Atlanta Nashville Detroit Minneapolis–St. Paul Salt Lake City Denver Houston–Intercontinental Newark Las Vegas Houston–Hobby Orange County San Jose Charlotte Chicago–Midway Baltimore Cincinnati Kansas City St. Louis Oakland Ontario Sacramento Van Nuys Indianapolis United States destinations from Los Cabos International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination
Panama City Central American destinations from Los Cabos International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination

Statistics

Busiest routes

**Busiest domestic routes from Los Cabos International Airport (2024)**^[13]
Rank	City	Passengers	Ranking	Airline
1	Mexico City	405,810		Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Magni, Viva, Volaris
2	Tijuana, Baja California	252,979		Viva, Volaris
3	Guadalajara, Jalisco	240,785		Mexicana, Viva, Volaris
4	Culiacán, Sinaloa	108,371		Viva, Volaris
5	Toluca, Estado de México	98,986	1	Viva, Volaris
6	Monterrey, Nuevo León	93,106	1	Magni, Viva
7	Mexico City-AIFA	84,236	1	Mexicana, Viva, Volaris
8	Querétaro, Querétaro	37,367	1	Viva
9	León/El Bajío, Guanajuato	29,716	2	Volaris
10	Mexicali, Baja California	19,409	1	Volaris
11	Hermosillo, Sonora	18,108	1	Viva
12	Torreón, Coahuila	15,168	1	Viva
13	Cancún, Quintana Roo	12,964		Viva
14	Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua	345	2
15	Chihuahua, Chihuahua	115

**Busiest international routes from Los Cabos International Airport (2024)**^[13]
Rank	City	Passengers	Ranking	Airline
1	Los Angeles, California	317,977		Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines
2	Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas	253,480		American Airlines
3	Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona	231,922		American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines
4	Houston, Texas (Intercontinental and Hobby)^[a]	206,761		Southwest Airlines, United Airlines
5	San Francisco, California	161,941		Alaska Airlines, United Airlines
6	Denver, Colorado	125,393		Southwest Airlines, United Airlines
7	Seattle, Washington	117,981		Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines
8	Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare and Midway)^[b]	90,026		American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines
9	Atlanta, Georgia	78,671		Delta Air Lines
10	San Diego, California	69,227	1	Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines
11	Vancouver, Canada	65,730	1	Air Canada, Flair Airlines, Sunwing Airlines, WestJet
12	Salt Lake City, Utah	59,973	1	Delta Air Lines
13	New York, New York	56,610	3	Delta Air Lines, JetBlue
14	Orange County, California	46,720	1	Southwest Airlines
15	Calgary, Canada	45,010	1	Sunwing Airlines, WestJet

Notes

^ The official statistics combine both George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports.
^ The official statistics combine both O'Hare and Midway airports.

References

^ ^a ^b "GAP Traffic Report 2024" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
^ "Estadística Operacional de Aeropuertos / Statistics by Airport". Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
^ "About Cabo Airport: San José del Cabo International Airport".
^ "Hurricane Odile: Mexico begins airlifts of tourists stranded in Los Cabos". The Guardian. September 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
^ "Los Cabos Tourist Alert: Depart For Airport Early Due To Traffic Congestion".
^ "Los Cabos Airport Expanding With More Gates To Keep Up With Tourist Demand".
^ "Iberojet schedules two seasonal routes to Mexico".
^ "Los Cabos Airport Maps".
^ "American Airlines Launches New Nonstop Flights to the Caribbean, Latin America". Travel and Leisure. June 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
^ "Copa Airlines expands its network in Latin America and the Caribbean: a new destination and two reactivations". Aviación al Día (in Spanish). July 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
^ "Delta Adds Two New Routes in Africa and One in Mexico". Aviation A2Z. February 28, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
^ "Southwest Airlines introducing new nonstop flight from Indianapolis for Spring Break 2026". WTHR. August 14, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025.

External links

Media related to Los Cabos International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
Aeronautical chart and airport information for MMSD at SkyVector
Current weather for MMSD at NOAA/NWS
Accident history for SJD at Aviation Safety Network

[14] The official statistics combine both George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports.

[15] The official statistics combine both O'Hare and Midway airports.

[gapstats-1] "GAP Traffic Report 2024" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025.

[afacstats-2] "Estadística Operacional de Aeropuertos / Statistics by Airport". Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. Retrieved January 27, 2025.

[3] "About Cabo Airport: San José del Cabo International Airport".

[4] "Hurricane Odile: Mexico begins airlifts of tourists stranded in Los Cabos". The Guardian. September 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2017.

[5] "Los Cabos Tourist Alert: Depart For Airport Early Due To Traffic Congestion".

[6] "Los Cabos Airport Expanding With More Gates To Keep Up With Tourist Demand".

[7] "Iberojet schedules two seasonal routes to Mexico".

[8] "Los Cabos Airport Maps".

[aacltcabos-9] "American Airlines Launches New Nonstop Flights to the Caribbean, Latin America". Travel and Leisure. June 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2025.

[10] "Copa Airlines expands its network in Latin America and the Caribbean: a new destination and two reactivations". Aviación al Día (in Spanish). July 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.

[11] "Delta Adds Two New Routes in Africa and One in Mexico". Aviation A2Z. February 28, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.

[12] "Southwest Airlines introducing new nonstop flight from Indianapolis for Spring Break 2026". WTHR. August 14, 2025. Retrieved August 14, 2025.

[sase2023-13] "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025.

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