Veracruz International Airport (); officially ''Aeropuerto Internacional Heriberto Jara'' (General Heriberto Jara International Airport) is an international airport located in

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, Mexico. It handles national and international air traffic for the Metropolitan Area of Veracruz and a significant portion of the

State of Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in east ...

, including the metropolitan areas of

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

Orizaba Orizaba (, Otomi: ) is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a ...

, and

Xalapa Xalapa or Jalapa (, ), officially Xalapa-Enríquez (), is the capital city of the Mexico, Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In 2020 census the city reported a population of 443,063 ...

. The airport is named in honor of General Heriberto Jara, a Constituent Deputy and former

Governor of Veracruz The governor, according to the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave in Mexico, the Executive Power is invested in one individual, called "''Constitutional Governor of the Free and Sov ...

. It is operated by the Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR). The airport provides flight services to numerous cities within

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Additionally, it accommodates military facilities for the

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy () is one of the components of the Mexican Armed Forces. The Secretariat of the Navy is in charge of administration of the navy. The commander of the navy is the Secretary of the Navy, who is both a cabinet minister and a career ...

and supports various tourism, flight training, and general aviation activities. According to ASUR's data, in 2023, it served 1,665,694 passengers, and in 2024, this number increased to 1,712,821 passengers. It ranked as the fourth-busiest airport in southern Mexico and the 18th-busiest in the country.

History

Veracruz Airport was constructed in 1942 in an area known as ''"Las Bajadas."'' The construction was carried out by Compañía Mexicana de Aviación. However, the financial resources for this project were provided by the

United States government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

through

Pan American Airlines Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...

, with funding authorized by special allocations from the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Naval Aviation School was established in 1943 at ''Las Bajadas,'' using aircraft that had previously belonged to the

Mexican Air Force The Mexican Air Force (FAM; ) is the air service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and as such overseen by the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of the FAM is to defend the integrity, in ...

. Subsequent improvements were made in 1956, which included the construction of fuel storage facilities at the airport. In 1964, on the brink of bankruptcy, Mexicana de Aviación sold the airport to the

Mexican government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republ ...

. Between 1965 and 1970, the airport was completely reconstructed on the site of the previous one. Adjacent lands were acquired to meet the requirements of a new airport project, which included runways, taxiways, commercial and general aviation platforms, a

control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled a ...

, a passenger terminal, parking lots, an access road, a machinery room, and a fuel station. Additionally, air conditioning equipment, high-intensity lights, and visual aids were installed. For the pavement of both runways, a mixed-type experiment was conducted, using hydraulic concrete in the longitudinal center section and flexible pavement in the immediate lateral areas. In 1974 the Naval Air Station of Veracruz was established, taking over the old airport facilities. During the 1990s, the airport became a part of

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V., known as ASUR, is a Mexican airport operator headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. It operates 9 airports in the southeastern states of Mexico, including that of Cancún. It is the third largest ai ...

, which marked the first instance of a concession to private initiative within this group. This consortium includes airports in

Cancún Cancún is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat of the municipality of Benito J ...

Cozumel Cozumel (; ) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The ...

Huatulco Huatulco (; ''wah-TOOL-coh''), formally Bahías de Huatulco, centered on the town of La Crucecita, is a tourist development in Mexico. It is located on the Pacific coast in the state of Oaxaca. Huatulco's tourism industry is centered on its ni ...

, Mérida, Minatitlán,

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

Tapachula Tapachula de Córdova y Ordóñez, simply known as Tapachula, is a city and municipality located in the far southeast of the state of Chiapas, Mexico, near the Guatemalan border and the Pacific Ocean. Economically, it is one of the most importan ...

Villahermosa Villahermosa ( , ; "Beautiful Town") is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Tabasco, and serves as the municipal seat (governing county) of the state. Located in Southeast Mexico, Villahermosa is an important city because of its ...

, and Veracruz. In 1999 the

started a program to build kit planes and light helicopters at the Naval Air Base. Between 2014 and 2016 the passenger terminal underwent a complete modernization and expansion. Gates in Concourse A were equipped with

jetbridges A jet bridge is an enclosed connector which most commonly extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, and in some instances from a port to a boat or ship, allowing passengers to board and disembark without heading outside and being exp ...

and Concourse B was built to accommodate more passengers.

Facilities

The airport is located on the outskirts of the city of Veracruz. It has an elevation of above sea level and features a single

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

designated as 01/19, measuring in length with an

asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

surface. A former runway, designated as Runway 09/27, is no longer in operation. The commercial aviation

apron An apron is a garment worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body to protect from liquids. They have several purposes, most commonly as a functional accessory that protects clothes and skin from stains and marks. However, other typ ...

provides nine stands mainly designed for

narrow-body A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast airline seat, seating in a aircraft cabin, cabin less than in width. In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner ...

aircraft. The

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

apron offers parking for fixed-wing aircraft and heliports for private aviation. The airport has the capacity to handle up to 20 operations per hour. The passenger terminal is a two-story building. The ground floor houses the main entrance, a check-in area, and the arrivals section, which includes customs and immigration facilities along with four baggage claim carousels. Additionally, it offers car rental services, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops. The upper floor of the terminal contains the security checkpoint and departure area equipped with a food court, a duty-free shop, a VIP lounge, and Concourse A, featuring four gates equipped with

jet bridges A jet bridge is an enclosed connector which most commonly extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, and in some instances from a port to a boat or ship, allowing passengers to board and disembark without heading outside and being exp ...

. This concourse is primarily utilized by Aeromexico,

Viva Aerobus Aeroenlaces Nacionales, S.A. de C.V., trading as Viva (formerly Viva Aerobus), is a major Mexican low-cost airline headquartered at Monterrey International Airport, in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Measured by passenger numbers, it is Mexico's t ...

, and

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

. Concourse B (Gates B1-8) is situated on the ground floor's northern end of the terminal and is primarily used by

Aerus Aerus LLC, formerly Electrolux Corp. USA, manufactures air and surface purifiers, water filtration and treatment systems, and vacuum cleaners. It is headquartered in Bristol, Virginia and has over 500 independently owned franchises in the U.S. ...

TAR Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...

, and

Volaris Volaris (legally ''Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación S.A.B. de C.V.'') is a Mexican low-cost airline based in Santa Fe, Mexico City, Santa Fe, Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City, Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City with its operating bases in Canc ...

. Adjacent to the terminal, other facilities include civil aviation

hangars A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

, cargo and logistics and courier companies, and designated spaces for general aviation. The terminal does not have public transportation service to the city of Veracruz; however, it does offer ADO bus services to nearby cities like

. The parking facility provides both short-term and long-term parking spaces. Veracruz Airport hosts the following facilities: * Number of gates: 11 * Contact positions: 11 * Number of jetways: 4 * Number of baggage-claiming carousels: 6 (''4 domestic, 2 international'') * Customs (''Arrivals area'') * Taxi & car rentals (''Arrivals area'') *

Duty-Free A duty-free shop or store is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, who will ...

* Caral VIP Lounge * Parking area Veracruz Airport also accommodates the Las Bajadas Naval Air Base, also known as the Naval Air Base of Veracruz (Spanish: ''Base Aeronaval de Veracruz'') (BASANVER). It is the largest and oldest Naval Air Base in Mexico. This base includes hangars, aircraft stands, and military facilities owned by the

. It controls operations on the

Gulf Coast of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

. These facilities are also home to a Flight Crew Training Center. Las Bajadas Air Base hosts the following units: * 1st Maritime Patrol Naval Air Squad – operating CASA C-212PM * 1st Early Warning and Reconnaissance Naval Air Squad – operating E-2C Hawkeye 2000 * Naval Aviation School – operating MD 500,

Robinson R22 The Robinson R22 is a two-seat, two-bladed, single-engined, light utility helicopter manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Company. It was designed in 1973 by Frank D. Robinson, and has been in production since 1979. Development The majority of ...

Schweizer 300 The SchweizerS300 series (formerly the Hughes300, Schweizer300, and SikorskyS-300 series) is a family of light utility helicopters originally produced by Hughes Helicopters, as a development of the Hughes TH-55 Osage, Hughes 269. Later manufactu ...

Zlín Z 42 The Zlín Z 42 is a single-engine two-seat Czechoslovakian trainer aircraft manufactured by Moravan Otrokovice. A developed version, the Z 142, is the most popular aircraft variant in the manufacturer's aircraft line. Design and development ...

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Destinations map

Statistics

Passengers

Busiest routes

Accidents and incidents

On 2 April 1981,

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troo ...

A N258M of Sky Train Air was written off in an accident while taxiing.

References

External links

*
Official website

Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR)

Veracruz Airport information
at Great Circle Mapper * * *
Tourism in Veracruz
Airports in Mexico Airports in Veracruz Transportation in Veracruz Tourist attractions in Veracruz {{authority control Veracruz (city) Mexican Navy Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces

History

Facilities

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Destinations map

Statistics

Passengers

Busiest routes

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

External links