Departure
98%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Los Cabos International Airport (MMSD) is a large international gateway serving San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. For the simulator pilot it offers a single very long hard-surfaced runway set against the dramatic desert and coastal scenery of Baja California Sur, handling a busy mix of domestic and international airline traffic alongside general aviation.
Los Cabos International Airport, known in Spanish as Aeropuerto Internacional de Los Cabos, lies in San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, and is the principal air gateway to the Los Cabos resort region, which spans San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. It is one of Mexico's busier airports, handling a substantial volume of domestic and international traffic, but for a visiting VFR or GA pilot the appeal lies in its single long runway, its coastal desert setting, and the contrast between heavy airline movements and a dedicated general aviation area at the northern end of the field.
The airport sits in Baja California Sur, Mexico, close to the town of San José del Cabo, and serves the wider Los Cabos area that also includes Cabo San Lucas. As a large international airport handling scheduled airline traffic, it sits within controlled airspace served by its own approach and tower frequencies, and pilots should expect to be worked by San Jose Approach before being handed to San Jose Tower.
The field has one physical runway, 16/34, measuring 9,850 feet with a hard surface and runway lighting. There is no ILS approach available.
Radio services are provided as San Jose Approach on 120.9 MHz, with an ATIS broadcast on 127.6 MHz, and San Jose Tower on 118.9 MHz. No instrument landing system is fitted to the runway.
The airport's control tower was upgraded with advanced technology in 2002 to coincide with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum hosted in Los Cabos that year. Terminal 2 was subsequently added to handle growing international traffic, and a new highway was built to give direct access to the tourist zone. Between 2008 and 2011 Terminal 1 was renovated and Terminal 3 was constructed alongside Terminal 2; during this period the general aviation apron was relocated and a dedicated terminal for general aviation activity was established at the northern end of the airport grounds. In May 2011 the airport became the first in Mexico to use pre-clearance procedures for flights between the United States and Mexico. In September 2014 the airport was closed for eighteen days in the aftermath of Hurricane Odile, reopening on 3 October 2014.
Los Cabos remains a major international airport for the Los Cabos resort region, with continued growth in aviation activity reflected in the construction of a dedicated general aviation terminal area at the northern end of the field and an expanded fixed-base operation offering wider apron space for aircraft, passengers and crews. It handles a significant mix of scheduled domestic and international airline services alongside general aviation movements.