General Rafael Buelna International Airport

General Rafael Buelna International Airport is the main air gateway to Mazatlán, the largest Pacific-coast resort city in Mexico's Sinaloa state and the country's principal Sea of Cortez cruise-and-beach destination. MZT handles 37 scheduled routes to 26 nonstop destinations operated by 14 airlines, a scope that positions it among the busier Mexican resort airports by airline diversity and reflects heavy seasonal demand from the U.S. West and Canadian Prairie markets. The airport operates a single 8,868 ft (2,703 m) lighted asphalt runway 09/27 at 38 ft (12 m) elevation, 18 km (11 mi) southeast of the Mazatlán hotel zone. Named for General Rafael Buelna Tenorio, a Mexican Revolution commander born in the state, the current terminal was expanded by concessionaire OMA (Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte) under a 50-year federal concession. Annual passenger throughput runs in the 1.8–2.2 million range, with traffic heavily asymmetric toward the November–April winter season. Internationally significant as the shortest trans-border flight-time resort airport for many Pacific-coast U.S. departures and a major stop on the 'Mexican Riviera' cruise circuit, which integrates MZT with maritime arrivals at the cruise port. Scheduled service from Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Toronto is operated by Alaska Airlines, American, United, Delta, Frontier, WestJet, Flair, and Sunwing. MZT is also a hub for Sinaloa's agricultural export economy and handles seasonal cargo charters supporting tomato, shrimp, and mango shipments during peak harvest. The airport lies approximately 200 km (124 mi) south of Culiacán and anchors the Sinaloa-Pacific tourism corridor.