Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) announced a five-year plan to expand 12 Mexican airports by 2024

In December 2019, airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) announced a five year plan to expand 12 Mexican airports by 2024.

But last August, due to the worldwide pandemic, GAP filed a proposal with the Aeronautical Authority for an adjustment to the Master Development Program, thereby postponing investments for almost 20 months.

“We had to postpone some of the works, because in the end these months of the pandemic have not been the best for developments. We have been very careful with all our staff, so they are going at a slower pace than we had planned… It is also clear that today the airline and airport industry is going through complex times, where we are taking a few months to financially recover a bit of air,” said Raúl Revuelta, GAP’s general director, in an interview.

For many cities, this was understandable, but disappointing news, however, Puerto Vallarta was not among the disappointed.

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Last week, GAP announced that there will be no delays in the construction of the new terminal building at the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, which is still on track to be completed in 2024, and will expand its capacity by 60%.

The new terminal will span more than 115,000 square feet and include new jet ways and security lines, according to Revuelta. “Currently, the Gustavo Díaz International Airport has a capacity for 20 aircraft, but the new terminal will add 8 or 9 more slots, without the need to create a new runway,” he added.

“There will be no delays, unlike what happened in the Capital City,” said the director of the Guadalajara Airport, Martín Zazueta.

“For the purpose of Puerto Vallarta, whose main investment is the new building, it will be built as it was planned during the original five-year period, they have different needs, since Puerto Vallarta had a series of requirements and the construction of this terminal building was necessary during the deadlines set from the start,” he added.

The new terminal in Puerto Vallarta, together with Terminal Two of the Guadalajara Airport, will be one of the first designed under the concept of Net Zero environmental sustainability that effectively integrates the sustainable management of the environment, zero carbon footprint, recycling capacity, and optimal use of water, among other elements.

The execution of the works at the Guadalajara airfield will be delayed for two years, so they will conclude in 2026, instead of 2024 as planned in the original project.

Source: airport-technology.com

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