Mazatlán International Airport (), officially Aeropuerto Internacional General Rafael Buelna (General Rafael Buelna International Airport; ), is an international airport located in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. It serves as the primary international gateway to Mazatlán, a popular Mexican tourist destination, offering flights to and from Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The airport also facilitates various tourism-related activities, flight training, and general aviation. Owned by Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte (OMA), it is named after Rafael Buelna, a military figure who played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution.

Mazatlán Airport is the busiest in Sinaloa for international passengers and ranks second to Culiacán International Airport for domestic operations. It serves as a gateway in a heavily traveled air corridor connecting mainland Mexico to the Baja California peninsula. In 2024, the airport handled 1,868,817 passengers, and this number decreased to 1,736,208 in 2024, according to OMA.

Facilities The airport is situated southeast of Mazatlán, with an elevation of above mean sea level. It has a single runway, designated as 08/26, which is long and surfaced with asphalt. The commercial aviation apron features ten parking positions intended for narrow-body aircraft, located around two terminal satellites. Additionally, the general aviation apron provides parking spaces and heliports for private aviation.

Passenger terminal

The passenger terminal accommodates both arrival and departure services for domestic and international flights within a two-story main building and two satellite terminals. The ground floor of the main building includes check-in areas and an arrivals section featuring customs and immigration facilities, a baggage claim area, and an arrivals hall. Here, passengers can access car rental services, taxi stands, snack bars, and souvenir shops. The upper floor of the main building houses the security checkpoint and a departure area equipped with a food court, duty-free shops, a VIP lounge, and a transit zone. The gates are located in two satellite buildings, designated A and B, which are connected to the main terminal via a walkway.

Satellite A serves domestic flights and features waiting areas with shops and food stands. It has four gates: gates 7 and 9 are located on the top floor and are equipped with jet bridges, while gates 6, 8, and 10 are located on the ground floor, where passengers board their aircraft directly from the apron. Airlines operating from this satellite include Aeromexico, Aeromexico Connect, Viva, Volaris, TAR, Magni, Calafia Airlines, and Aero Servicio Guerrero.

Satellite B serves international flights, primarily from U.S. American and Canadian airlines. It features sitting areas, food stands, and duty-free shops. This Satellite also features four gates (gates 1–5), with two of them equipped with jet bridges. Airlines operating from Satellite B include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Eagle, Sun Country Airlines, United Express, and Westjet.

Other facilities

Adjacent to the terminal, other facilities include civil aviation hangars, cargo and logistics and courier companies, and designated spaces for general aviation. The parking facility provides both short-term and long-term parking spaces.

Mazatlán Area Control Center (ACC) is one of four Area Control Centres in Mexico, with the others being the Mexico City ACC, Monterrey ACC, and Mérida ACC. It operates under the Mexican Airspace Navigation Services, (). Mazatlán ACC provides air traffic control services to aircraft within the Mazatlán Flight Data Region (FDRG). This region includes the entire Baja California Peninsula, the Gulf of California, the northern Pacific Coast of Mexico, the states of Sonora and Sinaloa, and western sections of Chihuahua, Durango, and Nayarit. It shares its boundaries with six other Area Control Centers. To the east, it is adjacent to the Monterrey ACC and Mexico ACC, while to the north, it borders the Los Angeles ARTCC and Albuquerque ARTCC. To the west, it borders the Oakland Oceanic ARTCC (KZAK) and Mazatlán Oceanic (MMFO) Flight Information Regions (FIR).

Additionally, the Mazatlan Oceanic Air Control Center (ICAO: MMFO) is located at the Mazatlán Airport. This center is responsible for providing air traffic control services within its Flight Information Region (FIR), which is one of two FIRs in Mexico, covering a significant portion of the North Pacific Ocean and spanning . Its borders include the Oakland Oceanic ARTCC (KZAK) to the West, the Mexico FIR (MMFR) to the east, and the Central American FIR (MHTG) to the south.

Airlines and destinations Passenger

Destinations map

Statistics Annual Traffic + Passenger statistics at MZT Year Total Passengers change % 2008 833,714 2009 743,556 10.82% 2010 756,122 1.69% 2011 722,492 4.45% 2012 669,407 7.35% 2013 731,297 9.25% 2014 789,234 7.92% 2015 853,409 8.13% 2016 973,440 14.07% 2017 994,283 2.14% 2018 1,038,555 4.45% 2019 1,161,155 11.81% 2020 740,306 36.24% 2021 1,106,071 49.42% 2022 1,450,944 31.18% 2023 1,621,740 11.77% 2024 1,868,817 15.24% 2025 1,736,208 7.10%

Busiest routes + Busiest domestic routes from MZT (Jan–Dec 2025) Rank Airport Passengers 1 Mexico City, Mexico City 260,979 2 Tijuana, Baja California 227,289 3 Monterrey, Nuevo León 83,374 4 Mexico City-AIFA, State of Mexico 49,411 5 Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua 30,528 6 Chihuahua, Chihuahua 16,403 7 La Paz, Baja California Sur 11,954 8 Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur 7,649 9 Querétaro, Querétaro 5,969 10 León/Bajío, Guanajuato 801

+ Busiest international routes from MZT (Jan–Dec 2025) Rank Airport Passengers 1 Los Angeles, United States 35,154 2 Phoenix–Sky Harbor, United States 33,244 3 Dallas/Fort Worth, United States 21,200 4 Calgary, Canada 18,638 5 Vancouver, Canada 11,947 6 Edmonton, Canada 11,429 7 Minneapolis/St. Paul, United States 10,470 8 Toronto–Pearson, Canada 3,964 9 Winnipeg, Canada 3,081 10 Montréal–Trudeau, Canada 2,908

See also List of the busiest airports in Mexico List of airports in Mexico List of Mexican military installations List of airports by ICAO code: M List of busiest airports in North America List of the busiest airports in Latin America Area control center List of area control centers Flight information region Transportation in Mexico Tourism in Mexico Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte List of beaches in Mexico Gulf of California Las Labradas

References

External links

Official Website Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte

Mazatlán Airport information at Great Circle Mapper Accident history for MZT at Aviation Safety Network Mexican Air Traffic Control Services Servicios a la Navegación en el Espacio Aéreo Mexicano Tourism in Mazatlán