Meagan Drillinger
When I first started reporting about an international airport opening along Mexico's Costalegre, I was admittedly nervous. Anyone who knows this gorgeous 150-mile stretch of coastline, with its rugged beaches, remote villages and rural lifestyle knows that mass tourism of any kind would threaten to destroy the ethos of the place. The idea of an international airport left me feeling apprehensive that this magical part of Mexico was headed for overdevelopment and overtourism.
However, after a sneak peek visit in early March, I was relieved to learn that while, yes, the airport is opening before October, it will not be the disruptor I was worried that it would become.
The airport has been a conversation for years. However, its scheduled opening has been consistently inconsistent, as development projects and plans surrounding the airport have changed and been redirected over the years. The airstrip, located just north of Punta Perula and Careyes, is on the land owned by the developers in charge of the upcoming Xala master-planned community, which is rolling out in phases over the next few years. The owners gave me a tour last week, including of the airport, and told me that it will be ready to receive private aircraft before October.
The "international" designation of the airport is a bit of a misnomer. While the runway is 2 kilometers long, with the capacity for a 737 to land, the arrivals hall is little more than a small casita. Forget restaurants, duty-free or even multiple gates. The airport is reserved for private aircraft, as well as a shuttle plane that will make the 20-minute hop back and forth from Puerto Vallarta. The shuttle flight will be operated through Aerotron, the private fixed-base operator that runs out of Puerto Vallarta. While the international designation means that passengers of private aircraft will be able to clear customs at the airport, there are no plans for any commercial flights out of the Costalegre airport.
Flying into the Costalegre airport will cut the travel time to the destination dramatically. From Puerto Vallarta, it is roughly a 2.5-hour drive to the center of the coastline. From Manzanillo's airport in Colima, it is a 1.5-hour drive. Those who are flying into the new airport will be able to be at destinations like Xala, Careyes, Cuixmala, Las Rosadas and the surrounding beach pueblos in anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes. But because of the exclusivity of the airport, it will hardly make a difference in the volume of tourism heading to the destination. That is the plan for the moment, anyway, and one that those of us who love this part of Mexico for its tranquility are happy to hear.