Honduras has ruled out the return of regular international flights to Toncontín Airport in Tegucigalpa, ending months of speculation over the future of the capital’s former international gateway. The Secretariat of Infrastructure and Transport confirmed that Toncontín cannot recover its international status because of the concession contract tied to Palmerola International Airport in Comayagua. The agreement blocks another international airport from operating within 100 kilometers of Palmerola, and Toncontín falls inside that protected area.
SIT head Aníbal Ehrler said the restriction is part of the current legal framework and is not open to a simple administrative change. Toncontín will remain focused on domestic flights, while technical teams review runway improvements and a possible transfer of operations toward the Empresa Hondureña de Infraestructura y Servicios Aeroportuarios, known as EHISA.
The decision confirms the lasting shift that began in late 2021, when Palmerola opened as the new international airport serving Tegucigalpa and Honduras’ central region. Palmerola is located in the Comayagua Valley, about 70 kilometers north of the capital along the CA-5 highway, and was built to replace Toncontín for expanded international commercial service.
Toncontín had long been known as one of the most difficult commercial airports in the Americas because of its short runway, mountain terrain and demanding approach into Tegucigalpa. Those concerns shaped years of safety reviews and became sharper after the 2008 crash of TACA Flight 390, which overran the runway while landing at Toncontín and killed five people, including three on board and two on the ground.
The last regular international commercial flight from Toncontín was recorded on December 15, 2021. Since then, the airport has continued operating domestic routes to La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula, Roatán and Gracias a Dios, along with private flights and charter activity.
The government is now looking at a narrower option that could give Toncontín some limited regional reach without formally restoring its international category. SIT has held talks with airlines from the CA-4 region, especially Guatemala and El Salvador, about handling some short regional routes under a domestic-style fare structure.
The CA-4 free mobility agreement covers El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, allowing nationals of those countries to move within the bloc without using a passport and with expedited migration procedures. Officials are studying if that regional framework could support flights treated more like local services, though no launch date has been set.
For travelers, the practical rule remains simple: international flights for Tegucigalpa use Palmerola, while domestic flights continue at Toncontín. That means passengers arriving from the United States or other countries must still plan for the ground transfer from Comayagua to the capital.
The arrangement has improved operating margins for larger aircraft but added travel time for passengers whose final destination is Tegucigalpa. Many now land at Palmerola and continue by bus, shuttle or taxi along the CA-5 highway.
Toncontín still matters for domestic travel. Business travelers and residents who need quick connections to San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, Roatán or eastern Honduras can continue using the airport’s location inside the capital. Tourists heading onward to the Bay Islands can also connect through domestic flights, while visitors bound for Copán Ruinas will still rely mainly on road travel through western Honduras.
The government has not announced any legal effort to renegotiate Palmerola’s exclusivity clause. For now, officials are concentrating on runway work, operational changes and the CA-4 regional proposal.
This is all to say and confirm that Toncontín is not coming back as the capital’s international airport. Its future is domestic, with a possible limited regional role still under review.
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