The International Airport of Puerto Vallarta, "Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz," played host to no less than 2,758,825 passengers in 2005; of which 579,612 were national visitors, while international vacationers numbered 2,179,213 according to the airport operator: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP).

The airport lies 10 kms. to the north of the city of Puerto Vallarta,. which is located in the State of Jalisco and has a population of around 350,000; the area forms part of what is known as the Mexican Costa Dorado.

The port lies in the central part of Mexico's largest natural bay, Bahía de Banderas, and is bathed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. To the north of the bay lies the border between the states of Jalisco and Nayarit, the site of the newly developed Nuevo Vallarta, which also shares the natural beauty of the region.

A little history

On the 11th of November, 1954, the Mexican airline ' Mexicana de Aviación' initiated its newly developed route between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. The airline's main rival: Aeronaves de México (Aeroméxico) had up to this point enjoyed a monopoly on the Mexico City - Acapulco route, but Mexicana discovered that Puerto Vallarta was a location that could compete with the already famous bay of Acapulco.

As a result, visitors from all over the country, and even foreigners from north of the border in the United States, soon began arriving to Puerto Vallarta; among the foreigners to arrive here was the famous US film director, John Houston, who fell in love with the place and lived out the remainder of his life here.