The role that the International Airport and Bus Station of Aguascalientes play is fundamental to the state’s business ecosystem. The transport of people and goods is a major driver for the economic activation, therefore it is vitally important that the operations of companies in the sector are carried out uninterruptedly.

However, although these two places were greatly affected by the Covid-19 health emergency, they have managed to overcome the crisis.

With the reopening of routes, airport activities have been increasing quickly. According to Miguel Cravioto, public relations manager and spokesman for the Pacific Airport Group (GAP), 40,500 travelers were tended to in September. This number represents a 900 percent rise since April. However, if compared to September last year, the amount of travelers barely constitutes 53 percent of the usual passenger quota.

The cumulative passenger count from January to September 2020 totaled 323,200 passengers, which represents a 51.3 percent compared to the same time period in 2019. Airport operations and international passengers were the areas more affected, accounting for 48 percent of usual traffic. 

“These are extraordinary times we are living in the world, in our country, that affect the airport industry and our city. The business as we know it has changed, which is why we, the aviation industry, our commercial partners, and the governments must guarantee the safety and protect the health of our passengers. This way we will be able to safeguard our industry’s future health,” said Alejandro Rojas Vieyra, Director of the International Airport of Aguascalientes.

Passenger Traffic:

January: 74,900

February: 64,600

March: 46,500

April: 4,500

May: 6,300

June: 16,100

July: 31,500

August: 38,400

September: 40,500

Main Destinations

Mexico City, Tijuana, Puerto Vallarta, Monterrey and Cancun.

The bus station, for its part, has also successfully recovered. Carlos Cruz Reyes, General Manager of the Bus Station of Aguascalientes, explained that between February and June, trips went down by 85 percent (from 9,000 to 150 per day), causing an economic loss of 80 percent.

To tackle the decrease in trips, they devised a strategic plan that generated savings of as much as 35 percent to help overcome the economic loss.

These and other internal strategies resulted in a slight increase (15 percent) in bus trips beginning in June. 

According to Cruz Reyes, during the pandemic, the bus station continued to operate with a 95 percent compliance of health standards, offering services mainly to the business sector. This has allowed the station’s staff and most employees of the five operating bus companies (Omnibus de México, Primera Plus, Grupo Estrella Blanca, ETN, and Unicen) to keep their jobs.

Bus trips are expected to reach 630 per day by December, accounting for 90 percent of the total trips made before the health contingency. 

Before February 2020, the bus station of Aguascalientes transported around 9,500 people every day. 

Main destinations: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, León, Michoacán.