La Paz International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de La Paz); officially Aeropuerto Internacional Manuel Márquez de León (Manuel Márquez de León International Airport) (IATA: LAP, ICAO: MMLP) is an international airport located in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, situated along the western shore of the Gulf of California. It serves as the primary air traffic gateway to the city of La Paz and is a focus city for the regional airline Calafia Airlines. The airport also accommodates military facilities for the Mexican Army and the Mexican Navy and supports various tourism, flight training, and general aviation activities.

La Paz International Airport

Aeropuerto Internacional de La Paz
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/Public
Owner/OperatorGrupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
ServesLa Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Focus city forCalafia Airlines
Time zoneMST (UTC-07:00)
Elevation AMSL21 m / 69 ft
Coordinates24°04′21″N 110°21′44″W / 24.07250°N 110.36222°W / 24.07250; -110.36222
Websitewww.aeropuertosgap.com.mx/en/la-paz-3.html
Map
LAP is located in Baja California Sur
LAP
LAP
Location of the airport in Baja California Sur
LAP is located in Mexico
LAP
LAP
LAP (Mexico)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
18/36 2,500 8,202 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Total passengers1,115,800
Ranking in Mexico24th Decrease 2
Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico[1]

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico owns and operates the airport, and it is named in honor of Manuel Márquez de León, a Mexican politician, military leader, and intellectual originally from this state.[2] The airport served as the headquarters and hub for Aero California from its foundation in 1960 until its bankruptcy in 2006.[3][4]

The airport offers nonstop flights to many major cities in Mexico and numerous airports in Northwestern Mexico. It plays a significant role in a heavily traveled air corridor connecting the Baja California Peninsula to the mainland Mexico states of Sinaloa and Sonora. In 2022, the airport handled 1,079,600 passengers, marking the first time it reached the milestone of one million passengers in a year. Traffic increased to 1,115,800 passengers in 2023.[1]

Facilities

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La Paz Airport control tower

The airport has a main runway 18/36 which is 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) long. The passenger terminal houses both arrival and departure facilities for domestic and international flights within a building with an area of 5,180 square metres (55,800 sq ft). It provides typical services found at a regional airport, including check-in counters for domestic and international flights, VIP lounges, parking areas, car rental services, taxi stands, and a departure concourse with three gates. The apron has nine stands capable of accommodating narrow-body aircraft. Additionally, the airport supports logistics and courier companies and has a separate terminal dedicated to general and executive aviation.

Air Force Base No. 9 (Spanish: Base Aérea Militar No. 9 La Paz, B.C.S.) (BAM-9) is situated to the west of the runway 18 end. This base includes an apron measuring 140 by 65 metres (459 by 213 ft), two hangars, and facilities for Mexican Air Force personnel. This air base is the home of Squadron 203, which currently operates Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer aircraft.[5][6]

 
Aircraft parking position

La Paz Airport also accommodates La Paz Naval Air Base (Spanish: Base Aeronaval de La Paz), situated to the north of BAM-9. This base includes hangars, aircraft stands, and military facilities owned by the Mexican Navy. These facilities are also home to the School of Naval Aviation, which is part of the Center for Naval Aeronautical Studies.[7]

La Paz Naval Air Base hosts the following units:

  • 2nd Patrol Naval Air Squadron – operating RC695, Lancair IV-P
  • 2nd Air Mobility, Observation and Transport Naval Air Squadron – operating Mi-8
  • 2nd Shipborne Patrol Naval Air Squadron – operating Bo 105CBS-5
  • 2nd Transport Naval Air Squadron – operating An-32B

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Aéreo Servicio Guerrero Ciudad Constitución, Ciudad Obregón, Guerrero Negro, Los Mochis, San José del Cabo
Aeroméxico Mexico City
Aeroméxico Connect Mexico City
Alaska Airlines Los Angeles[8]
TAR Chihuahua, Ciudad Juárez, Hermosillo, Mazatlán, Querétaro
Viva Culiacán, Guadalajara, Mexico City–AIFA (begins May 22, 2025),[9] Monterrey,1 Tijuana (begins May 22, 2025)[10]
Volaris Guadalajara, Mexico City, Mexico City–AIFA, Monterrey, Tijuana

Notes

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^1 Viva flight to Monterrey makes a stopover in Culiacán.

 
Passenger terminal airside
 
Departures concourse
 
Gates area
 
Arrivals hall
 
Arrivals hall
 
Aeromexico Embraer 170 at LAP
 
Defunct airline Alma Airlines Bombardier CRJ200 at LAP
 
La Paz Airport destinations in 2016

Destinations map

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Domestic destinations from La Paz International Airport
Red = Year-round destination
Blue = Future destination
Green = Seasonal destination

Statistics

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Passengers

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Annual passenger traffic at LAP airport. See Wikidata query.

Busiest routes

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Busiest domestic routes from La Paz International Airport (2023)[11]
Rank City Passengers Ranking Airline
1   Jalisco, Guadalajara 164,890   1 Calafia Airlines, Viva Aerobus, Volaris
2   Mexico City, Mexico City 157,679   1 Aeroméxico, Aeroméxico Connect, Viva Aerobus, Volaris
3   Baja California, Tijuana 110,685   Calafia Airlines, Volaris
4   Sinaloa, Culiacán 35,912   Calafia Airlines, TAR, Viva Aerobus
5   Mexico City, Mexico City-AIFA 27,689   Volaris
6   Sinaloa, Mazatlán 11,474   1 Calafia Airlines, TAR, Viva Aerobus
7   Sonora, Hermosillo 10,302   1 Calafia Airlines, TAR
8   Nuevo León, Monterrey 7,136   1 Viva Aerobus, Volaris
9   Guanajuato, León/El Bajío 4,817   Volaris
10   Sinaloa, Los Mochis 4,736   3 Calafia Airlines

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "GAP Traffic Report 2023" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  2. ^ "About the airport".
  3. ^ "Aero California website". Archived from the original on 12 February 2008.
  4. ^ "Aero California 1992 Route Map".
  5. ^ "Bases Aéreas. Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional".
  6. ^ "BAM Número Nueve (Baja California Sur)".
  7. ^ "Escuela de Aviación Naval".
  8. ^ "Alaska Airlines launches historic routes to La Paz and Monterrey, Mexico from Los Angeles". Alaska Airlines. July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Flights from La Paz". Viva Aerobus (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Viva Aerobus launches 4 new routes from Tijuana". EnElAire (in Spanish). August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
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