Forty new electronic kiosks have been set up at the airport’s crowded Terminal 2 to handle the growing flow of passengers.
With the airport struggling with a staff shortage, the expansion is expected to speed up traveler processing.
This year, long lines at check-in and immigration clearance queues have been a problem for travelers flying to and from Cancun International Airport.
Passengers and tourism organizations have both expressed strong disapproval of the situation, and the airport is currently experiencing record-breaking traffic as the number of foreign trips has increased this year.
The installation of the new self-check-in kiosks coincides with a staffing shortage at Cancun International Airport as officials struggle to staff the airport’s immigration and customs checkpoints. Officials remain confident that a new record will be set this year, as they expect more than 25 million people to travel through the airport this year.
Administrators are trying to make sure the airport runs as smoothly as possible, as many travelers have booked fall and winter flights to Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean. Electronic kiosks are a new feature in Terminal 2, which is used mainly for domestic flights.
This year, long wait times have been a recurring problem at all of the airport’s terminals. The airport has seen particularly difficult times during peak travel periods such as Easter and the busy summer months, forcing it to take further measures to reduce queues.
In August, authorities hired more than 100 border agents to cut through immigration red tape and deal with the surge in demand. While this measure has likely helped somewhat, there are still difficulties in finding enough workers to handle the incoming influx of passengers. Recently, the Mexican Travel Association called on authorities to increase their efforts to reduce the long lines at customs checkpoints.
Following the elimination of the FFM form in August, which allowed Americans to enter the country quickly through the airport, travel demand is expected to continue to increase.
Thanks to the new simplified entry procedure, tourists no longer have to deal with so much red tape, but this also leads to delays at customs checkpoints.