Late last year, the government of Honduras inaugurated the new Palmerola International Airport (XPL), which would serve the capital city Tegucigalpa and would replace the famous Toncontin International Airport (TGU) as the country’s main hub. Has XPL been a success so far? Let’s investigate further.
Palmerola’s connectivity
Honduras’ new airport, Palmerola International, was built in Comayagua. It is 70 kilometers away from the capital city, Tegucigalpa.
This new airport was built to replace Toncontin International inside Tegucigalpa, which had no feasible way to grow further.
Honduras began the construction of XPL on December 5, 2016. The project was estimated to have cost US$163 million, and it is designed to handle approximately 1.5 million passengers per year during a 50-year lifespan.
Palmerola was one of the new Latin American airport infrastructures inaugurated between 2021 and 2022. Mexico recently inaugurated its new Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), and Chile opened the doors of the new Terminal 2 at Santiago de Chile International Airport (SCL).
According to data provided by Cirium, the new Palmerola Airport currently has around eight flights per day. The hub receives services from American Airlines, Aeromexico, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.
These are the destinations served from Palmerola:
Dallas Fort-Worth, operated by American Airlines once a week.
Miami, operated by American Airlines twice daily. Palmerola’s main route.
Mexico City, by Aeromexico three times a week.
Guatemala, by Avianca, four times a week.
San Salvador, by Avianca 11 times a week.
Panama City, by Copa Airlines, once daily.
Fort Lauderdale, by Spirit Airlines, once daily.
Houston, by United Airlines, once daily.
Overall, the airport has 54 weekly flights. The average flight has 150.8 seats available.
What’s next for Palmerola?
Palmerola Airport has allowed a 130% increase in opening new businesses and has created 3,000 new jobs in Honduras.
The airport recently launched its nightly operations following Avianca’s inauguration of the San Salvador-Palmerola route. After six months of operations, Avianca’s new flight enabled Palmerola to be a 24/7 hub.
Moreover, the airport authorities are currently working to open the new cargo facilities at XPL, which would allow an increase in freighter activities by lowering fares, particularly between Honduras and the United States.
Medardo Galindo, CEO of Honduras’ Agricultural Exportation Federation, said that the average fare to export freighter products would decrease around 20% once the new cargo facilities are open.
What has happened with Toncontin?
Toncontin International Airport is ranked as one of the most complex airports to land in the world. It has a short runway of 2,163 meters, and upon landing, planes fly near mountains and residential neighborhoods while pilots execute a 45-degree turn.
Following the opening of Honduras’ new Palmerola International, Toncontin International heavily decreased its number of weekly operations.
Currently, Toncontin has around 58 weekly flights, according to data by Cirium. The airport has five domestic routes by two operators (CM Airlines and Aerolíneas Sosa).
Have you had the opportunity to fly to Honduras’ new international airport? If so, how was the experience? Let us know in the comments below.