Culiacán International Airport

Bachigualato Federal International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Federal de Bachigualato, IATA: CUL, ICAO: MMCL), commonly named Culiacán International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional de Culiacán), is an international airport located at Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. It handles the national and international air traffic of the city of the Metropolitan Area of Culiacán.

Culiacán International Airport

Aeropuerto Internacional de Culiacán
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/public
OperatorGrupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte
ServesCuliacán and Navolato
LocationBachigualato, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Focus city forVolaris
Elevation AMSL108 ft / 33 m
Coordinates24°45′52″N 107°28′28″W
WebsiteOfficial website
Map
CUL is located in Sinaloa
CUL
CUL
CUL is located in Mexico
CUL
CUL
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 2,300 7,546 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Total passengers2,426,003
Ranking in Mexico10th Steady
Source: Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte

The airport is the tenth-busiest in Mexico. It is also the busiest in domestic traffic and the second-busiest for international operations in the state of Sinaloa. It serves as a Focus city for Volaris. The airport is named after the neighborhood of Bachigualato, where the airport is located. It is currently handled by Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte.

In 2021, Culiacán Airport moved 1,970,211 passengers, and 2,426,003 in 2022.[1]

Facilities

Culiacán International Airport has two terminals and a 7,546 ft (2,300 m) long runway. The main terminal is used for all commercial flights, domestic and international. It features arrivals and departures halls and a concourse with multiple gates, two of which are equipped with jetbridges. There are ten stands for mid-size aircraft. The airport has a capacity for 22 operations per hour.

From February to November 2012, the airport began the work of expansion to the terminal building. The work consists of improving the airport functionality and passenger comfort, with an expansion of 3,000m², including the new terminal lobby and the growth in outpatient, remodelling of 2,500m² for passengers, reconfiguration of check-in point on upper level with three simultaneous check-in lines, the construction of a vertical circulation core in the front façade including a panoramic elevator, the growth of the waiting lounge area, the shopping area redesign and a projection of an image of modernity in its façade and inside it.

The passenger terminal is currently undergoing redevelopment. In 2023 Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte announced the renovation of the Culiacán International Airport, a project expected to be completed in 5 years to serve 5 million passengers, according to estimates. The project includes the expansion of waiting areas, additional exits, and a complete renovation of the terminal area, with an investment of at least 636 million Mexican pesos.[2][3]

The General Aviation Terminal (also known as the Private Aviation Terminal) is located next to the Main Terminal. The terminal is used for private planes, and helicopters.

The Military Air Base No. 10 is a facility of the Mexican Air Force located at Culiacán Airport. It houses Air Squadron 109, which operates Cessna 182 aircraft. It has two aviation platforms: one covering 13,800 square meters and another covering 21,000 square meters with 30 positions for helicopters and small aircraft. The latter platform is used as a maintenance center for single-engine Cessna aircraft and Bell helicopters. The Air Base has 5 hangars and other facilities for accommodating Air Force personnel.

In favorable weather, flights from the Baja California Peninsula and north arrive at Runway 02, and flights from the rest of the country at Runway 20.

Culiacán Airport terminal map
Culiacan Airport
Passenger Terminal
Check-in Area
Culiacan Airport main terminal
Culiacán International Airport boarding on tarmac

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Aeroméxico Mexico City
Aeroméxico Connect Mexico City
Aero Pacífico San José del Cabo
Calafia Airlines La Paz, Loreto
TAR Chihuahua, Hermosillo, La Paz, Mexicali, Monterrey
Viva Aerobus Cancún, Guadalajara, La Paz, Mexico City, Monterrey, San José del Cabo, Tijuana
Seasonal: Chihuahua
Volaris Cancún, Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Mexicali, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA, Monterrey, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Puerto Vallarta, Querétaro, San José del Cabo, Tijuana

Destinations map
Destinations map
Domestic destinations from Culiacán International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination
Italic = Suspended destination
International destinations from Culiacán International Airport
Red = Year-round destination

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
Estafeta San Luis Potosí, Tijuana

Statistics

Passengers
Culiacán Airport Passengers. See Wikidata query.

Busiest routes
Busiest routes at Culiacán International Airport (2022)[4]
Rank City Passengers Ranking Airline
1  Baja California, Tijuana 489,715 Steady VivaAerobús, Volaris
2  Mexico City, Mexico City 271,173 Steady Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, VivaAerobús, Volaris
3  Jalisco, Guadalajara 147,776 Steady VivaAerobús, Volaris
4  Baja California Sur, San José del Cabo 80,651 Steady Aero Pacífico, VivaAerobús, Volaris
5  Baja California, Mexicali 78,212 Steady Calafia Airlines, TAR, Volaris
6  Nuevo León, Monterrey 62,356 Steady Calafia Airlines, TAR, VivaAerobús
7  Baja California Sur, La Paz 33,015 Steady Calafia Airlines, TAR, VivaAerobús
8  Quintana Roo, Cancún 18,124 Increase 2 VivaAerobús, Volaris
9  United States, Phoenix 7,734 New entry American Eagle
10  Chihuahua, Chihuahua 7,494 Decrease 1 TAR, VivaAerobús
11  Sonora, Hermosillo 7,143 Decrease 1 TAR

Accidents and incidents
Wikinews has related news:
  • On July 5, 2007, a twin-engine Sabreliner cargo jet failed to take off from the airport due to a loss of control resulting from a tire blowout and slid off the runway onto a highway. Three people died on board the plane and six on the ground; five more were injured.[5]
  • On April 24, 2012, a Cessna 182 registered XBMPN for private use crashed in the airport a few seconds after it took off. The plane was heading to Chihuahua Airport, and at the time of the crash it carried only the pilot, who sustained minor injuries. The aircraft remained in some trees at the end of the runway, still on airport property.[6]
  • On January 5, 2023, an Aeromexico Embraer E190 operating a passenger flight to Mexico City International Airport was hit by gunfire from members of a drug cartel. There were no injuries amongst the passengers or crew on board. A Mexican Air Force 737-800 was also shot at.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Passenger's Traffic" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte (in Spanish). January 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  2. "Aeropuerto de Culiacán: así quedará remodelado" (in Spanish).
  3. "Proyecto Ejecutivo de la Ampliación de la Terminal del Aeropuerto internacional de Culiacan, Proyecto en proceso para OMA en 2021" (in Spanish).
  4. "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. "Plane crashes in Sinaloa, 9 dead (in Spanish)". La Jornada. July 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  6. "Plane plummets in Culiacán Airport (in Spanish)". Linea Directa Portal. April 2012. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  7. "Drug Cartel Members Shoot At Mexican Army And Aeromexico Aircraft At Culiacan International Airport". Simple Flying. January 5, 2023. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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