Mexico’s Newest Airport Will Welcome First Ever US Flight This Year

New flights are one thing. New airports, though? Those are travel unicorns.

That’s the case for Tepic, a highly underrated inland city being touted as Mexico’s next hotspot.

This 500-year old city is an awesome starting point to a grand adventure along 200 miles of Pacific coastline in Riviera Nayarit, a sprawling paradise overshadowed by Puerto Vallarta.

Tepic is set to serve as not only an alternative airport to PV, but also as the top entry point into a plethora of Mexico’s best up-and-coming beach towns, such as Sayulita, as well as numerous pueblo magicos for a sense of real Mexico.

History is already set to be made with the first-ever US-based flight July 16th.

But…United is saying hold my cerveza, one-upping Mexico-based Volaris’s groundbreaking flight as the first US carrier to fly direct to Tepic (TPQ) and we at Travel Off Path couldn’t be more stoked about it!

United’s New Flight To Tepic: Vast History & Lesser-Known Shores

No matter if you’re ready to deep dive into a fascinating historical city or ready to do your best starfish impression on a crowd-free beach, United is making the trek to this side of Mexico much easier this winter.

Tepic boasts charming boutique stays rather than cookie-cutter name brands and an authentic taste (literally) of Mexico’s renowned cuisine, plus awesome natural attractions like gleaming lagoons, such as Santa Maria del Oro, set at the foothills of Tepic’s scenic mountain backdrop.

Set to launch December 20, 2025, United will be the first US airline to fly to Tepic just in time for a Feliz Navidad south of the border.

You can avoid the hustle and bustle of Puerto Vallarta by flying directly here to Mexico’s newest airport, as Tepic added a completely new international terminal.

United’s new flight will operate out of Houston, offering two weekly flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays, on a 76-seat aircraft.

Volaris’s New Flight

As mentioned, United is shoving its household name in the face of Volaris, Mexico’s most popular airline (for better or worse).

Regardless of the no-frills flight experience (though some flights are equipped with $1 wifi), Volaris’s international monopoly will be short-lived after this week’s inaugural launch from Los Angeles.

Canada’s New Flights

Don’t worry, friendly northern neighbors! Canada is not being left out of escaping notoriously frigid winters across the country.

Set to launch December 13, 2025, WestJet will be launching Canada’s first flight to TPQ with weekly service once per week on Saturdays only.

Air Canada will follow suit on December 17, 2025 from Vancouver with weekly service once per week on Wednesdays only.

Forget Puerto Vallarta! More World-Class Beaches Await

As awesome as a few days in Tepic sound, even more of a draw for more visitors will be the world-class beaches that await, which have yet to be discovered by the masses.

The truth is that a large portion of tourists visiting Puerto Vallarta stay within the city limits, but not me!

I had the fortune of visiting the vibrant beach town of Sayulita on my recent Puerto Vallarta vacation, and I definitely see why it’s an up-and-coming hotspot that will certainly draw in more tourists once Tepic flights kick off.

In an official press release, Sayulita is one of 3 beach towns named in good company with Punta Mita and Nuevo Nayarit.

Often overshadowed by the more visited Riviera Nayarit beach destinations—such as Nuevo Nayarit, Punta Mita, and Sayulita—the interior of the state offers a completely different experience. Tepic, Nayarit’s capital, serves as a launchpad for adventures that blend the historic, the mystical, and the delicious. With these direct connections, travelers can skip the crowds and dive straight into a region teeming with Magical Towns, volcanic lakes, ancient traditions, and pristine coastline”

– Juan Enrique Suarez del Real Tostado, Minister of Tourism of the State of Nayarit

Though one could argue places like the surf town of San Blas, and little-known hideaways like Bacarias and Guayabitos are worthy mentions too.

Is Tepic Ready For A Tourism Boom?

Ever fly into Puerto Vallarta? Not only might you be hounded by taxi drivers, but also by tour guides.

If not at the airport, then you’ll surely see them elsewhere as if they have their gringo goggles (I’m trademarking this) to scope out vacationers.

Long story short, I almost missed my flight to Puerto Vallarta last April and looked into flying from Tijuana to Tepic as a backup plan.

I quickly realized this was a bad idea because transportation to any of the aforementioned beach towns is lacking, where jaw-dropping prices for Ubers or cabs and rickety public transit were the only options.

The good news is that Tepic is largely considered safe, so you could, in theory, rent a car and navigate the region on your own.

However, when people are in “vacation mode”, having a guide do the dirty work, so to speak, is always a nice perk.

Exploring Tepic is easy peasy. TPQ is located just 25 minutes from the city center. As I said, most travelers will be packing swimwear and sunblock, looking to enjoy less-crowded shores.

A quick Google search of “Tepic to San Blas, Mexico excursion” generated zero options, while the same search from Puerto Vallarta filled the whole first page.