Juárez International Airport still working on improvements amid holiday rush

JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) -- The Juárez International Airport started a five-year improvement plan in 2019 to improve service for Borderland residents.

More gates and better facilities are the main goals at the airport in 2024.

According to the Mexican National Chamber of Industry, a total of $1 billion Mexican pesos was the total investment for the airport.

Thor Salayandía, the National Vice President, told ABC-7 that in the previous years, the number of bi-national travelers has increased and the airport has seen more activity.

In 2022, the Juárez Airport saw around 1,800,000 travelers.

This year, the airport had over 2,080,000 travelers, a trend that is going up every year, according to Salayandía.

A year from now, the airport is expected to see an increase of more than 300,000 travelers, that's a 16% increase.

That's positive for the airport, but business leaders in the Borderland think it will not help the economic growth that Juárez has had recently within the maquiladora industry.

During the airport's improvements, local residents have complained about several airport service, including bathrooms and electrical outlets.

More residents from El Paso and the other places in the U.S. have been seen crossing the border to travel through the Juárez airport.

ABC-7 reached out to local travel agencies to learn more about this trend and how many residents from the U.S. have been using the Juarez airport as a more economical means to travel to Mexico.