General Francisco Mujica International Airport
General Francisco J. Mujica International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional General Francisco J. Mujica) or simply Morelia International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Morelia), (IATA: MLM, ICAO: MMMM) is an international airport in Álvaro Obregón, Michoacán, Mexico, near Morelia. The airport handles national and international air traffic of the city of Morelia. The airport is named after the former governor of Michoacán, Francisco José Múgica. General Francisco J. Mujica International Airport is the largest in the state of Michoacan. The longest route from Morelia is to Chicago, served by Volaris and VivaAerobus, while the shortest route is Mexico City, served by Aeroméxico Connect.
General Francisco J. Mujica International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional General Francisco J. Mujica | |||||||||||
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 Morelia Intl. airport tarmac and new expansion of boarding area (grey building, completed in Feb. 2020) | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico | ||||||||||
| Serves | Morelia, Álvaro Obregón, Michoacán, Mexico | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | Volaris | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,839 m / 6,033 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 19°51′00″N 101°01′32″W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  MLM Location of the airport in Michoacán  MLM MLM (Mexico) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||
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Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico | |||||||||||
One of the fastest growing airports in the country, it handled 947,100 passengers in 2020 and 1,172,700 passengers in 2022, reaching the million passenger milestone for the first time that year.[1]
History
The airport opened in 1984 and initially only had a daily flight with a DC-9 to Mexico City. The airport has grown to become the largest in the state of Michoacán.
In the past, the airport has been served by Aero California, Aero Sudpacífico, Aeromar, Aviacsa, Avolar, Líneas Aéreas Azteca, Continental (now United), Mexicana, TAESA, and TAR.
Since May 2019, the airport has been remodeled which has resulted in an expansion of the terminal building. When completed, the check-in area will be relocated, more shops and restaurants will be added, as well as more baggage carousels and gate space.
Volaris has recently opened a crew base at the airport, to support its growing number of destinations between Morelia and cities in Mexico and the United States.[2]
Airlines and destinations
Passengers
Destinations map
| Destinations map |
|---|
Domestic destinations from General Francisco Mujica International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Italic = Suspended destination |
 International destinations from General Francisco Mujica International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination Italic = Suspended destination |
Statistics
Busiest routes
| Rank | City | Passengers | Ranking | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Baja California, Tijuana |
271,915 |  |
Volaris |
| 2 |  United States, Chicago (Midway and O'Hare)[Note 1] |
88,607 |  1 |
VivaAerobús, Volaris |
| 3 | United States, Los Angeles |
31,444 |  |
Volaris |
| 4 | United States, Oakland |
30,417 | 3 |
Volaris |
| 5 | United States, Dallas |
28,187 | |
American Airlines, American Eagle |
| 6 | United States, San Jose |
22,475 | 1 |
Volaris |
| 7 | United States, Fresno |
22,021 | 1 |
Volaris |
| 8 | United States, Houston |
20,846 | 1 |
United Express |
| 9 |  Quintana Roo, Cancún |
19,409 | |
Volaris |
| 10 | Baja California, Mexicali |
15,447 | |
Volaris |
| 11 |  Nuevo León, Monterrey |
14,629 | |
VivaAerobús |
| 12 |  Mexico City, Mexico City |
12,990 | |
Aeroméxico Connect |
- Notes
- The official statistics include both Midway and O'Hare airports.
Accidents and incidents
- 9 September 1978 - A de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter of Lineas Aéreas del Centro flying scheduled service to the old Morelia Airport from Mexico City, crashed shortly after takeoff from Mexico City International Airport. There were 18 fatalities among the 21 passengers.[4] The aircraft was also damaged beyond repair.[5]
- 20 October 2002 - Aerolíneas Internacionales Flight 888, a Boeing 727-100 scheduled to fly from Morelia to León/Guanajuato, allegedly encountered 9 small, spherical UFOs prior to its 10AM takeoff roll. As reported by the crew and a witness on the ground, the sighting lasted around 10 minutes, with said objects maneuvering simultaneously. After the objects moved away, the flight was able to continue without further incident.[6][7]
- 19 September 2010 - Aeroméxico Flight 6531, bound to Morelia from Las Vegas, suffered a fuel leak. The Boeing 737-700 returned to Las Vegas for an emergency landing. There were no fatalities among the 102 passengers.[8]
Gallery
Check-in
Waiting room
A VivaAerobús A320 parked at the platform.
Front entrance
A Volaris A320neo (N530VL) parked at the platform.
An American Airlines A319 (N833AW) parked at the platform.
A United Express ERJ-175 (N86309) operated by Mesa Airlines at the platform.
References
- "GAP Traffic Report 2022" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- "V de Volaris Magazine May 2019 by HCP Media - Issuu". Archived from the original on 17 June 2019.
- "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- "List of Mexican Disasters". Blogspot. December 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- Valencia, Henry Rivera (4 September 2015). Secretos AlienÃgenas - Gobiernos - Vaticano. ISBN 9781329533455.
- "El Universal - - Avistan Ovnis en aeropuerto de Morelia".
- "Incident: Aeromexico B737 at Las Vegas on Sep 19th 2010, fuel leak". avherald.com. Retrieved 4 March 2020.