How to get to Cancún

Cancún's airport handled about 29.3 million passengers in 2025, and about 19.5 million of them were on international flights, according to ASUR, the company that runs it. That was 3.5 percent fewer than in 2024, when the airport passed 30 million.

From Canada and the United States

Toronto to Cancún was the busiest international route into the city in the first nine months of 2025, with about 884,000 passengers and growth of about a quarter on the year before. The figures come from the STAR research center at Universidad Anáhuac Cancún, using data from Mexico's civil aviation agency. Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and Houston were among the busiest routes from the United States.

From Europe

KAYAK lists nonstop flights to Cancún from Madrid, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt, among other European cities, with airlines such as Air France, KLM, Condor, and Air Europa. Schedules change by season, so check the airline for your dates.

From South America

LATAM flies nonstop between Lima and Cancún, a flight of about five and a quarter hours, according to Skyscanner.

Tulum's airport

Tulum has had its own international airport since late 2023. It is smaller, and it lost flights in 2026. International passengers fell by about a third in the first quarter, and by May its connections to the United States were down to Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Miami, according to UnoTV. For most trips, Cancún is the airport with the wider choice of flights.

From the airport

Use an official taxi booth inside the terminal or a pre-booked transfer. The ADO bus runs to Punta Cancún in about 45 minutes. Ride apps work in the city, but airport pickups follow different rules. We wrote the whole ride out in How to get from Cancún airport to the Hotel Zone.

The Tren Maya has a station at the airport as well. In August 2026 it put its route to Playa del Carmen back into service, by way of Puerto Morelos, with a ride of about 49 minutes and only a few trips a day. Check the timetable before you plan around it.

Set your watch on landing. Cancún keeps its own hour.

The time zone

Cancún keeps UTC minus 5 all year, one hour ahead of Mexico City. That matches New York in winter and runs an hour behind it in summer. Chichén Itzá, across the state line in Yucatán, runs an hour behind Cancún, which matters when a tour gives a start time at the site.

For what comes next, read How many days in Cancún? and Hotel Zone or downtown? Where to stay in Cancún.