Playa del Carmen - Jorge Chavez

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ICAO Code /PCM
Last Validated Jul 2007
City Playa del Carmen, Q.Roo
Position 20°37'22.03"N 87°04'56.95"W
Runway(s) 11/29
Elevation 31 ft

General

Playa del Carmen is a small airfield just south of this top tourist destination on the Mayan Coast. It is mainly in use for sightseeing flights and flights to the nearby island of Cozumel. The airfield was badly hit by hurricane Wilma in late 2005, leaving many damaged aircraft scattered around the airfield.

Layout

The layout of the airfield is fairly simple: a single runway 11/29 with all aprons situated near the 29 threshold. Dense vegetation hinders views of the runway from the north and south.

Getting There

Once in Playa del Carmen, the airfield is hard to miss. It is located just south of the village center, between road no.307 and the Caribbean Sea. The east end is just three blocks away from the Cozumel ferry terminal at the end of Avenida 15.

Around the Airport

1South side approach 11

When runway 11 is in use, Avenida 50, which runs parallel to road no.307, is the place to be. Good views can be obtained as the aircraft come in very low here. This spot is best until around 03.00pm.

2North side approach 11

In the early morning, spot 2 might be preferred over spot 1, because of the light conditions.

3South side approach 29 & eastern aprons

Avenida 15, which leads under the 29 approach, divides the airfield in two parts, with the smaller part containing some hangars and platforms only. The area here is fairly open, so you will not have any problems to graph aircraft on the platforms on both sides of the road, as well as on finals for runway 29. Another option may be the passenger terminal building here which offers good views of the aprons from the north, so expect backlight.

4Northern aprons

To make sure you read off all aircraft, head just follow the fence of the airfield when coming from spot 3. You are just one block away from spot 4, from where you can easily read and graph the aircraft parked on the northern aprons.

Platform view from spot 3 (Fabrice Sanchez)

Another view from spot 3 (Geoff Dryden).

Frequencies

122.500Ground
118.100Cozumel radar

Based Operators

AerolamsaBN-2A-III, Ce182, Ce401, Gavilan
Aerosaab AirlinesCe182, Ce206

Preserved

XA-TITDo28, ex-Aero Ferinco, fuselage near spot 3
XA-TAUL-410UVP, Aero Ferinco, stored near spot 3
XA-TFGL-410UVP, Aero Ferinco, stored near spot 3

More Info

Airliners.netAn aerial overview of Playa del Carmen airfield

Other Airfields

Acapulco - Gen. Juan N. Alvarez Intl  
Cancun Intl  
Chilpancingo  
Cozumel Intl  
Mexico City - Lic. Benito Juarez Intl
Oaxaca - Xoxocotlán Intl  
Pie de la Cuesta  
Playa del Carmen - Jorge Chavez
Saliña Cruz
Santa Lucia  
Tulum  

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