Business leaders looking forward to tourism boost from Mexico - Tucson News Now

For the first time in eight years, the Tucson International Airport will offer direct flights from Tucson to four Mexican destinations.

Those cities include the capital of Sonora, Hermosillo, Los Mochis, Mazatlán and Guadalajara.

The airline "Aeromar" will operate 46 passenger planes, four days a week.

A weekend getaway to Hermosillo will cost you around $335.

“The flights in and of themselves are about an hour long, so that saves you 3 or 4 hours on the road, so I think this is a great new addition to the Tucson airport,” said Lea Márquez Peterson, president and CEO of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

But it's the trips to Tucson that have the potential for a big boost in tourism.

Right now, more than 2 million people visit from Mexico each year.

According to Visit Tucson, these new flights will allow about 200 people to come to Tucson each week.

Business leaders are also looking forward to the opportunities this expansion can bring.

"Our Tucson Hispanic Chamber hosts regular trade mission trips to head to Sonora and other places in Mexico to learn about making supply chain connections, so this is big news for us,” Peterson said.

The flights will begin on Oct. 3.

The airline says it plans to keep a close eye on traffic and may add more flights if there is a need for it.

Here are the currently scheduled flights:

Flights operate on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday

Aeromar (VW) Flight 109

Depart:

Tucson (TUS) 1:20 p.m.*

Arrive:

Hermosillo (HMO) 2:25 p.m.*

Los Mochis (LMM) 4:40 p.m.

Mazatlán (MZT) 7:25 p.m.

Guadalajara (GDL) 10:10 p.m.

Aeromar (VW) Flight 108

Depart:

Guadalajara (GDL) 8:00 a.m.

Mazatlán (MZT) 8:45 a.m.

Los Mochis (LMM) 10:30 a.m.

Hermosillo (HMO) 11:25 a.m.*

Arrive:

Tucson (TUS) 12:30 p.m.*

*Effective October 30, flight arrival and departure times at Tucson and Hermosillo are one hour later.

Book a flight: http://tucsonne.ws/2bHFT3F

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