Direct Flights to Mexico Arriving; Frontier Airlines will provide service from the Sunport to Puerto Vallarta under deal

Aug. 5, 2007

Albuquerque is about to get a little closer to Mexico.

Mayor Martin Chávez said Thursday that Frontier Airlines intends to launch direct flights between the Duke City and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The service will run three times a week for part of the year during peak tourist seasons, he said.

"It's a tremendous step forward for the city of Albuquerque," Chávez said. "It makes Albuquerque International Sunport international once again for people."

Direct flights to Mexico for regular passengers haven't been offered for many years, a spokesman for the Sunport said.

Chávez said he hopes the service opens up trade between New Mexico and Mexico.

"This is a tremendous potential trading partner. You can't have commerce without the infrastructure that roads and air entail," he said. "Now, it's a reality."

He said the service will be offered for at least a year, starting in mid-December. He hopes that, when successful, it will trigger service to other cities in Mexico, such as Guadalajara and Chihuahua.

Chávez said Albuquerque's chief administrative officer, Bruce Perlman, led negotiations to get it done.

"This has been a tremendously difficult nut to crack," the mayor said. "... It is a culmination of six months of negotiation."

The mayor said international cargo already makes it way to Albuquerque, but the direct flights will make it easier for people - especially tourists - to move back and forth.

An announcement offering details of the direct-flight agreement was expected today.