Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Intercontinental de Querétaro) (IATA: QRO, ICAO: MMQT) is an international airport located in the municipalities of Colón and El Marqués, Querétaro, Mexico. It handles the national and international air traffic of the Querétaro Metropolitan area and can function as an alternate airport to Mexico City International Airport. It replaced the Ing. Fernando Espinoza Gutiérrez International Airport, which is no longer operational. Querétaro Airport serves as the main hub for the regional airline TAR Aerolíneas and provides passenger flights to various cities in Mexico, as well as international services to the United States. Additionally, the airport plays a significant role as a hub for cargo flights, offering services to Mexico, the United States, and Europe. Previously, the now-defunct cargo airline Regional Cargo was headquartered on the airport premises. Moreover, Querétaro Airport is home to the Querétaro Aerospace Cluster, which has rapidly grown into a major hub for aerospace activities in Mexico. Querétaro Intercontinental Airport has experienced significant growth, rising from 41st to 11th position among Mexico's busiest airports in the space of fifteen years. In 2024, it handled 2,074,950 passengers, surpassing the two million threshold for the first time. This figure increased to 2,409,429 in 2025. Furthermore, the airport ranks among the top ten in Mexico for international passenger traffic, and it is the fifth-largest in the country for cargo operations.
History
Background Querétaro's previous airport, Ing. Fernando Espinosa Gutiérrez Airport, had its beginnings in 1955 as a civilian aerodrome. In 1986, the State Government decided to expand and modernize it, granting operational rights to the state-owned entity "Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares" (ASA). Scheduled commercial flights began in 1992, with airlines like Aerolitoral and TAESA offering flights, and by 1993, Aeromar initiated regular flights. It received the official designation as an International Airport in 1997, serving 110,000 passengers and accommodating 11,000 operations by 2003.In the 1990s, there were efforts to establish Querétaro, alongside Toluca, Cuernavaca, and Puebla airports, as alternatives to alleviate air traffic congestion in the Mexico City Area. In 1999, preparations started for the construction of a new airport, situated 12 minutes (19 km) to the east of the old facilities. The construction process kicked off on July 12, 2002, and the new Querétaro Intercontinental Airport commenced operations on November 28, 2004. After its inauguration, several airlines, including Aeromar and Continental Express, introduced flight services at the airport. Querétaro Airport had the advantage of being the closest airport to the metropolis capable of handling large aircraft while situated at a lower elevation than other alternatives. This attribute made the airport an attractive location for developing a cargo hub that could efficiently serve the entire Central Mexico region, which encompasses a population of 30 million inhabitants.
Cargo operations In 2006, construction began on the Air Cargo Terminal at Querétaro Airport, making it unique in Mexico as it incorporates a specialized area for national cargo, offering services such as a Specialized Enclosure and Customs. This development led to a 50.5% increase in cargo movement at the airport compared to 2005. In October 2007, two cargo airlines, Regional Cargo based in Querétaro, and BAX Global, a subsidiary of the cargo consolidator Schenker, initiated operations. This marked a significant rise in pure cargo movement, with the first airline operating an ATR 42 and a Boeing 737-200C. BAX Global's cargo route extended to Toledo, Ohio, making it the first international cargo airline to operate from the airport.
FedEx began operations in October 2011, introducing regular flights to its World Hub in Memphis, Tennessee, using a Boeing 727 with a 22-ton capacity, later upgrading to a larger-capacity Boeing 757. In 2012, DHL initiated operations using a Boeing 767 from ABX Air, equipped with a 42-ton capacity, on the route Querétaro-Guadalajara-Cincinnati. Furthermore, Aeronaves TSM, an aviation company based in Saltillo, established its maintenance hangar at the airport's facilities.
Other operations In 2012, Aeromexico and Delta Air Lines jointly announced their plans to establish a maintenance base at Querétaro International Airport. Subsequently, in 2015, American Eagle introduced flights to Dallas-Fort Worth. Initially, these flights were operated by Mesa Airlines, utilizing Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft. However, in 2017, Envoy took over operations from Mesa Airlines, employing a new fleet of Embraer 175 aircraft. Later in the same year, American Airlines assumed operations from Envoy and introduced two daily flights using Boeing 737 aircraft. In November 2016, Torreón and Chihuahua were added as additional destinations due to flights operated by TAR. In June 2017, Viva commenced flights to Cancún and Monterrey. During the same year, Volaris introduced flights to Los Angeles and Chicago-Midway. Nevertheless, the Los Angeles route concluded on March 28, 2018, and Chicago-Midway was replaced by Chicago-O'Hare in June 2019.The airport has consistently experienced growth. However, due to the increasing centralization of air traffic in Mexico City, many travelers heading to Querétaro still prefer to use Mexico City International Airport, which is approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) southeast of the city and well-connected through highways and bus services. Despite its potential to serve a region with nearly 5,000,000 people within a 100 kilometres (62 mi) radius, Querétaro Airport's capacities are not fully utilized. Additionally, the opening of the Mexico City-Felipe Angeles Airport (Mexico City-AIFA) in 2022 poses potential challenges for Querétaro in attracting new commercial flights. Nevertheless, in 2023, Aeromexico announced plans for a flight to Detroit, and Viva revealed flights to Houston-Intercontinental and San Antonio.
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