Month: October 2025

Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport will once again offer direct flights to Mexico City with the resumption of Aeromexico operations beginning March 23, 2026. The route will have four weekly frequencies, and tickets are now available on the airline’s official website.

The flights will be operated with Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with capacity for 166 passengers.

With the return of Aeromexico, Quito Airport expands its international connectivity options on a high-demand route that also facilitates connections to multiple destinations in North America, Europe, and Asia. Through the Aeroméxico network, passengers will be able to access cities such as Monterrey, Guadalajara, Cancún, Mérida, Querétaro, Huatulco, and Oaxaca, as well as international destinations such as Montreal, Toronto, Amsterdam, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and Seoul.

Quiport’s President and CEO, Ramón Miró, highlighted the importance of this announcement: “We are very pleased that Aeromexico flights are resuming to this attractive and highly in-demand destination, both for leisure and business travelers. This return consolidates Quito as a key point in the regional airline network and allows us to continue expanding our offerings for those traveling to and from our country.”

For his part, José Zapata, Aeromexico’s Vice President of Sales for the United States, Canada, and Latin America, emphasized: “We are very happy to be able to return to Quito, a destination where we first landed in 2013. We are confident that the reactivation of flights between Mexico and Ecuador will be very beneficial for our customers in both countries. Thanks to a schedule on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays departing from Quito, they will be able to connect to any of the 100 destinations Aeroméxico offers on its domestic and international network.

Flights will have the following operating schedule:

• Instead of keeping wildlife away, Quito Airport coexists with it — transforming part of its land into a wildlife sanctuary. 

 
• The “UIO Natural Laboratory” project converts 150 hectares of airport land into a living space for conservation, ecological restoration, and science. 

 
• Over 72 hectares reforested, 12,000 native trees planted, 400 tons of CO₂ captured annually, and more than 160 wild animals released. 

Quito, October 7, 2025. – Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport received the Green Airport Recognition 2025, awarded by the Airports Council International for Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC), thanks to an innovative project developed by Corporación Quiport, titled Laboratorio Natural UIO (UIO Natural Laboratory), which transforms part of the airport premises into a living space for conservation, restoration, and science. 

A natural laboratory inside the airport 

The Laboratorio Natural UIO spans 150 hectares within the airport’s concession area, where biodiversity is protected, restored, and studied in harmony with air operations. Quiport has developed this pioneering model at Mariscal Sucre — the first of its kind in Ecuador and one of the few in the world to achieve safe coexistence between wildlife and aviation. 

Unlike the traditional airport approach — which seeks to keep animals away for safety reasons — Quito has demonstrated that nature can coexist harmoniously with air operations when there is proper planning, scientific monitoring, and responsible environmental management. 

What happens inside the Laboratorio Natural UIO? 

• Ecological restoration: Over the past decade, 72 hectares of Andean dry forest have been restored with native species, capturing around 400 tons of CO₂ per year and regenerating essential ecosystem services. 
 

• Biodiversity: More than 100 species have been recorded, including endemic and threatened ones such as the Quito marsupial frog, the Andean rabbit, and Soderstrom’s harvest mouse. 
• Applied research: Camera trap and satellite monitoring studies confirmed the presence of the Andean fox, with home ranges of up to 7.8 km², showing that the airport serves as a safe refuge for native species. 
 

• Operational safety: The presence of raptors, such as owls, contributes to the natural control of rodents, reducing runway risks and demonstrating that surrounding wildlife can safely coexist with aviation. 
 

• Rehabilitation and release: In coordination with the environmental authority, over 160 rescued wild animals — including birds, mustelids, and snakes — have been released in this area over the past two years. 
 

• Education and participation: Airport staff and nearby communities participate in citizen science and wildlife observation programs, strengthening the link between conservation and air operations. 

Quiport’s leadership in airport sustainability 

Under the leadership of Corporación Quiport, responsible for the comprehensive management of Mariscal Sucre International Airport and the implementation of its environmental strategy, the airport has consolidated a management model that combines operational safety, sustainability, and environmental commitment. 

This recognition adds to a history of regional leadership: it is the third environmental project by Quiport recognized with the Green Airport Recognition by ACI-LAC, reinforcing its position as a benchmark for airport sustainability in Latin America. 

“The Laboratorio Natural UIO is a source of pride for Quito and for the Latin American airport sector. Since the construction and start of operations, Quiport has worked to understand the ecosystem in which we operate and to design projects that restore and conserve it. I thank ACI-LAC for recognizing the initiatives that airports across Latin America and the Caribbean are implementing to protect the environment,” said Ramón Miró, President and CEO of Quiport. 

Rafael Echevarne, Director General of ACI-LAC, added: “Quiport has shown that an airport can be both a driver of connectivity and an ally of the environment. At ACI-LAC, through the Green Airport Recognition program, we celebrate its commitment to biodiversity integration and the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions, reflecting the purpose of our initiative — to promote a more sustainable and environmentally conscious aviation sector in Latin America and the Caribbean.” 

A model for sustainable aviation 

The recognition was presented during the ACI-LAC Annual Assembly, Conference, and Exhibition 2025, held in Trinidad and Tobago, which brought together airport industry leaders from across the region. 

This achievement reaffirms Mariscal Sucre International Airport as one of the few in the world to successfully integrate biodiversity conservation with air operations, establishing itself as a benchmark for sustainable aviation and Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) in airport management. 

More information about the award: 
https://aci-lac.aero/horus/news/aci-lac-destaca-el-compromiso-de-aeropuertos-y-jovenes-profesionales-con-la-biodiversidad-y-la-seguridad-digital&lang=es 

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