Playa de Oro International Airport
Manzanillo International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional de Manzanillo | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico | ||||||||||
| Serves | Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico | ||||||||||
| Opened | October 16, 1973[1] | ||||||||||
| Time zone | CST (UTC-06:00) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 9 m / 30 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 19°08′41″N 104°33′31″W / 19.14472°N 104.55861°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  ZLO Location of the airport in Colima  ZLO ZLO (Mexico) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||
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| Source: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico[2] | |||||||||||
Manzanillo International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Manzanillo); officially Aeropuerto Internacional Playa de Oro (Playa de Oro International Airport) (IATA: ZLO, ICAO: MMZO) is an international airport located in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. It manages domestic and international air traffic for the state of Colima and southern Jalisco, serving as an international gateway to the Mexican tourist destination of Manzanillo. Owned by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, the airport is named after the neighboring Playa de Oro ("Gold Beach"), itself named for the gold lost in the 1862 wreck of the SS Golden Gate. In 2024, it handled 208,400 passengers, increasing to 231,200 in 2025.[2]
History
Planning for a new international airport began in the late 1960s, driven by the development of the Las Hadas resort by Bolivian investor Antenor Patiño and the need for improved air access to the growing port of Manzanillo. The existing airfield at Salagua could only accommodate DC-3 aircraft and was surrounded by hills that posed safety concerns.[1]
The airport was inaugurated on 16 October 1973 by President Luis Echeverría Álvarez, with Governor Pablo Silva García in attendance. Construction cost 70 million pesos, partly financed by Patiño.[1] Commercial service by Aeroméxico began the previous day, initially using Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprops on flights 124 and 125 to Mexico City, with plans to upgrade to Douglas DC-9 jet service.[3]
Facilities
The airport is west of the city of Manzanillo, adjacent to the Pacific coast and near the limits with the state of Jalisco. It is situated at an elevation of 9 metres (30 ft) above mean sea level. The airport has one runway designated as 10/28 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) and the capacity to accommodate narrow-body aircraft. The apron has four stands for narrow-body aircraft.
The passenger terminal, covering an area of 4,700 square metres (51,000 sq ft), houses both arrival and departure facilities for domestic and international flights. The terminal can handle 470 passengers per hour and offers typical services found at a regional airport, including check-in counters for domestic and international flights, car rental services (Alamo, Budget, Sixt, and Thrifty), taxi stands, and a departure concourse with four gates providing direct access to the apron, enabling passengers to board their planes by walking to the aircraft.
Additionally, the airport accommodates logistics and courier companies and features a dedicated general aviation terminal that supports various activities such as tourism, flight training, executive aviation, and general aviation.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aeroméxico | Mexico City–Benito Juárez |
| Aeroméxico Connect | Mexico City–Benito Juárez |
| Alaska Airlines | Los Angeles |
| American Eagle | Seasonal: Dallas/Fort Worth,[4] Phoenix–Sky Harbor[4] |
| United Express | Seasonal: Houston–Intercontinental[5] |
| WestJet | Seasonal: Calgary[6] |
| Destinations map |
|---|
International destinations from Manzanillo International Airport Red = Year-round destination Blue = Future destination Green = Seasonal destination |
Statistics
Annual Traffic
| Year | Total Passengers | change % |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 222,094 | 
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| 2007 | 237,758 |  7.05%
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| 2008 | 207,623 |  12.67%
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| 2009 | 168,449 | 18.86%
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| 2010 | 150,666 | 10.55%
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| 2011 | 141,431 | 6.13%
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| 2012 | 130,259 | 7.90%
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| 2013 | 168,613 | 29.44%
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| 2014 | 196,084 | 16.29%
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| 2015 | 169,485 | 13.56%
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| 2016 | 174,394 | 2.90%
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| 2017 | 176,263 | 1.07%
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| 2018 | 166,053 | 5.79%
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| 2019 | 169,064 | 1.81%
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| 2020 | 79,798 | 52.80%
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| 2021 | 126,175 | 58.12%
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| 2022 | 158,133 | 25.33%
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| 2023 | 172,212 | 8.90%
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| 2024 | 218,400 | 21.0%
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| 2025 | 231,200 | 5.9%
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Busiest routes
| Rank | Airport | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mexico City, Mexico City
|
70,454 |
| 2 |  Los Angeles, United States
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22,788 |
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} Calgary, Canada
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8,922 |
| 4 | Dallas/Fort Worth, United States
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2,223 |
| 5 | Houston–Intercontinental, United States
|
1,999 |
| 6 | Phoenix–Sky Harbor, United States
|
1,686 |
| 7 | Atlanta, United States
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924 |
See also
- List of the busiest airports in Mexico
- List of airports in Mexico
- List of airports by ICAO code: M
- List of busiest airports in North America
- List of the busiest airports in Latin America
- Transportation in Mexico
- Tourism in Mexico
- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
- List of beaches in Mexico
References
- ^ a b c Tello Díaz, Carlos (December 2012). "Antenor Patiño: un magnate boliviano en la costa mexicana del Pacífico". Latinoamérica. Revista de estudios Latinoamericanos (55).
- ^ a b c "GAP Traffic Report 2025" (PDF). Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Opera ya el vuelo regular de Aeromexico en el aeropuerto de Playa de Oro". Diario de Colima. 16 October 1973.
- ^ a b "Latin America and Caribbean Destinations Get a Boost with American Airlines' Major Winter Schedule". AviaciOnline. June 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ "United and its impressive hub in Houston". NLarenas. May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ "WestJet conecta nuevamente a Manzanillo con Canadá". AviaciOnline (in Spanish). May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ "Estadística operacional por origen-destino / Traffic Statistics by City Pairs" (in Spanish). Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil. January 2026. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
External links
Media related to Playa del Oro International Airport, Manzanillo at Wikimedia Commons- Official Website
- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico
- Aeronautical chart and airport information for MMZO at SkyVector
- Current weather for MMZO at NOAA/NWS
- Manzanillo Airport information at Great Circle Mapper
- Accident history for ZLO at Aviation Safety Network
- Tourism in Manzanillo
 State of Colima | ||
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Colima (capital) | ||
| Municipalities (municipal seats) |  | |