General Ignacio Pesqueira García International Airport
The airport's operations are managed by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, and it is named after Ignacio L. Pesqueira, a former Governor of Sonora. In 2023, it ranked as the busiest airport in Sonora and the thirteenth-largest in Mexico, serving 2,189,800 passengers and surpassing the 2-million threshold for the first time.
History
The current airport was inaugurated in 1982 to replace the former airfield previously located in an area known as La Manga. Hermosillo has a historical significance as a commercial aviation hub, particularly for Aeromexico. Starting in the 1940s, it served as a connecting point for cities in northwestern Mexico and Arizona, including Tijuana, La Paz, Chihuahua, Torreón, Nogales, Ciudad Obregón, Guaymas, Cananea, Tucson, and Phoenix.
During the 1990s and 2000s, Aerolitoral, now known as Aeroméxico Connect, operated a hub out of Hermosillo for many years. This hub connected cities across Mexico and also offered flights to U.S. cities such as Los Angeles and Phoenix. However, it was eventually downsized to a focus city and ultimately closed in 2017.
From 1988 to 1999, the airport served as the headquarters and hub for the regional airline Aviación del Noroeste. In the early 2000s, the airport's runway and taxiways were widened to accommodate wide-body aircraft that might need to divert, such as Aeromexico's Boeing 787 on several occasions.
Facilities
The airport is situated at an elevation of 191 metres (627 ft) above mean sea level. It features a single runway, designated as 05/23, measuring 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) in length and surfaced with asphalt. The commercial apron can accommodate 12 narrow-body aircraft, and there is a general aviation apron for fixed-wing aircraft as well as two heliports for private and occasional third-level commercial aviation use. The airport frequently serves as the primary alternate airport for flights going to Tijuana International Airport in cases of unfavorable weather or technical issues.
The passenger terminal accommodates both arrivals and departures for domestic and international flights. The ground floor houses the arrivals area with customs and immigration facilities, the baggage claim area, and the departures section that includes a check-in area, a security checkpoint, and a departures concourse with gates 1-6 that provide direct access to the apron, enabling passengers to walk to their aircraft. From this departure concourse, access to the upper floor is available, which houses snack bars, souvenir shops, and gates 7 and 8 equipped with jet bridges for boarding. The airport provides taxi services, and ground transportation is offered by four companies with a fleet of 120 vehicles, including cars and Eurovan-type vans.
Hermosillo Airport also hosts cargo facilities and includes a dedicated general aviation terminal situated to the north of the passenger terminal. It supports various activities, such as tourism, flight training, executive aviation, and general aviation. The airport has obtained several certifications, including the Clean Industry certification from PROFEP, ISO-9000, and accessibility for users with special needs. Within its facilities, there is a water treatment plant that processes sewage water for reuse in garden irrigation and various construction processes, including dust control and earthwork.
Air Force Base No. 18 (Spanish: Base Aérea Militar No. 18 Hermosillo, Sonora) (BAM-18) is a facility of the Mexican Air Force located at the Hermosillo Airport. It is the operational base for the 107th Air Squadron, which operates Cessna 182 and Pilatus PC-6 aircraft. Additionally, the 3rd Air Surveillance Squadron operates C-26 Metroliner and Embraer 145 AEW&C aircraft at these facilities, and the 204th Air Squadron operates Beechcraft T-6 Texan II aircraft. The base encompasses a 17,500 square metres (188,000 sq ft) aviation platform, three hangars, and various accommodations for Air Force personnel.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Notes
^1 Viva Aerobus flight to Cancún makes a stopover in Monterrey.
Cargo
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Ameriflight | Phoenix–Sky Harbor |
| Estafeta | Mexico City, San Luis Potosi, Tijuana |
| TUM AeroCarga | Guadalajara, Tijuana, Toluca |
Destinations map
Statistics
Passengers
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Busiest routes
| Rank | City | Passengers | Ranking | Airline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mexico City, Mexico City
|
419,060 | 
|
Aeroméxico, Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 2 |  Jalisco, Guadalajara
|
211,946 |
|
Viva Aerobus, Volaris |
| 3 |  Baja California, Tijuana
|
129,599 |  1
|
Volaris |
| 4 |  Nuevo León, Monterrey
|
120,604 |  1
|
TAR, Viva Aerobus |
| 5 |  United States, Phoenix
|
21,305 |
|
American Eagle |
| 6 |  Baja California Sur, San José del Cabo
|
14,584 |
|
Viva Aerobus |
| 7 |  State of Mexico, Mexico City-AIFA
|
13,587 | 
|
Viva Aerobus |
| 8 | Baja California Sur, La Paz
|
10,518 | 1
|
Calafia Airlines, TAR |
| 9 | Baja California, Mexicali
|
9,934 |
|
Volaris |
| 10 |  Chihuahua, Chihuahua
|
8,046 | 1
|
TAR |
See also
- List of the busiest airports in Mexico
- List of airports in Mexico
- List of airports by ICAO code: M
- List of busiest airports in North America
- List of the busiest airports in Latin America
- Transportation in Mexico
- Tourism in Mexico
- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
- List of beaches in Mexico
- List of Mexican military installations
- Mexican Air Force
References
- ^ "GAP Traffic Report 2023" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "CABALLERO AGUILA. Historia de Aeroméxico" (PDF) (in Spanish). Recursos de Aviación. 1984.
- ^ "Delta, Aeromexico File Antitrust Immunity Application" (Press release). 31 March 2015.
- ^ "Volaris le quita el trono a Aeroméxico" (in Mexican Spanish). El Sol de Hermosillo. 1 December 2019.
- ^ "Flights to Tijuana diverted to Hermosillo due to fog" (in Mexican Spanish). El Imparcial. June 2016.
- ^ "About the airport". Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico.
- ^ "Airbases" (in Mexican Spanish). Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional. 20 November 2023.
- ^ "BAM Número Nueve (Baja California Sur)".
- ^ "Destinos: Hermosillo". senorair.com. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Viva Aerobus launches 4 new routes from Tijuana". EnElAire (in Spanish). August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Sonora has more air connectivity". El imparcial (in Spanish). October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- ^ "Fly through. A new option to reach more destinations quickly and easily". Viva Aerobús.
- ^ "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
External links
Media related to Hermosillo International Airport at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
- Hermosillo Airport information at Great Circle Mapper
- Aeronautical chart and airport information for MMHO at SkyVector
- Current weather for MMHO at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for HMO at Aviation Safety Network
