Miami has new flights to Cancun, Paris and DR. Take a look at the airlines and schedules

The 305 will soon have a new link with Latin America’s second largest economy, one that gets little attention in South Florida.

Mexico’s flagship carrier, Aeromexico, will add daily non-stop service between Cancun and Miami International Airport, a move that reflects the country’s growing importance to South Florida’s tourism economy and vice-versa.

The flights will take off starting Dec. 19.

Other new flights at MIA include routes to Italy, France and the Dominican Republic.

Here’s what to know:

Cancun-Miami flights

Aeromexico’s Boeing 737 MAX-8 airplanes will fly between MIA and Cancun with the following schedule:

▪ Miami to Cancun

Departure:: 7:55 a.m.

Arrival: 9:55 a.m.

▪ Cancun to Miami

Departure: 11:10 a.m.

Arrival: 1:05 a.m.

▪ The plane

The airplane’s capacity is 166 passengers: 16 in Premier Cabin, 18 in AM Plus (akin to premium economy) and 132 in the main cabin. In-flight entertainment and high-speed Wi-Fi will be provided to all travelers.

Don’t overlook Mexico

The new flight comes as MIA continues to grow as a global hub. It served about 52 million passengers in 2023, a record for a second-straight year. In the past 12 months, it has added or increased service to Stockholm, Doha and Bogota.

Mexico’s importance to Miami may come as a surprise to many in South Florida, especially those who only view the country through the lens of the border. It’s historically been overlooked in the region while Argentines, Venezuelans and other South Americans have gained economic and political power.

Yet, in 2023, Mexico was the second largest source of travelers for MIA, with about 1.6 million passengers. Although that was slightly less than the 1.7 million travelers in 2022, Mexico still finished in second place both years.

Moreover, its’ 2022 figure exceeded 22 of MIA’s top 25 markets in the United States. Other Mexican carriers that fly in and out of MIA are Viva Aerobus and Volaris. In March, American Airlines started daily flights between MIA and Tulum, Mexico.

The new route will give Aeromexico 10 daily flights between Florida and Mexico. The airline also operates between Mexico City and Tampa, Mexico City and Orlando and Mexico City and MIA.

Aeromexico is owned by Mexico’s Grupo Aeromexico and private investors including Fondos Banamex, a Citigroup subsidiary.

In 2015, the airline and Delta Air Lines formed a partnership. That set the stage for the new service between Cancun and MIA, Aeromexico said in a statement. The carrier has long been part of the SkyTeam alliance.

Italy and France

Travelers looking to Europe are also in luck.

American Airlines says it’s adding new service between MIA and Rome next year and extending its service between MIA and Paris.

The daily flight between MIA and Rome’s Fiumicino Airport will start July 5 and use a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

Daily flights between MIA and Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris will continue through August on a Boeing 787-8 airplane.

American’s customers appeared to demand both.

“We heard them loud and clear — they want more opportunities to enjoy the rich culture and cuisine of Europe,” Carlos Liscano, the carrier’s vice president of MIA operations, said in a statement.

American just experienced its biggest summer ever at MIA. On Sept. 5, the carrier announced three other new flights in the United States:

▪ Daily service between Charlotte and Athens begins June 5

▪ Daily service between Chicago O’Hare and Madrid starts March

▪ Daily service between Philadelphia to Edinburgh starts May 23

▪ Daily service connecting Philadelphia and Milan begins May 23

American said that tickets will be available to purchase on the carrier’s website and its mobile app starting Sept, 9.

Dominican Republic

Closer to home, American Airlines will also launch direct non-stop daily flights between MIA and La Romana, a resort town on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, starting Dec. 5. La Romana is also home to the five-star hotel Casa de Campo.

The Dominican Republic was MIA’s third largest overseas market in 2023, producing 1.5 million passengers, behind only Colombia and Mexico.