Tulum, Quintana Roo state airport project

Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Monday announced the coming tender for the Riviera Maya airport project, saying it would be the first in Mexico to be built completely with private funds.

Calderon, who did not give dates for the bidding process, put the estimated cost for the airport project at 3.2 billion pesos ($255 million).

Calderon made the announcement in Tulum, Quintana Roo state, on one side of a large tourist zone that runs from Cancun to the site of Mayan ruins in Tulum.

The Mexican president, according to a version of his speech provided by his office, said the airport would be the first airport in Mexico to have every aspect of its construction concessioned and funded by private investment.

Calderon said the airport in its “initial phases” would be able to handle as many as 3 million passengers per year and would be able to accommodate intercontinental flights.