Guadalajara International (MMGL), JAL
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Guadalajara International Airport (MMGL / GDL) is a Level 1 facility serving the Guadalajara metropolitan area from a field roughly 7.93 nautical miles out, with two long paved runways capable of handling wide-body and business jet traffic at a field elevation of 5,016 feet. Cross-border traffic data from the FAA shows a business aviation segment operating alongside a substantially larger total operations count, positioning GDL as a significant node for operators working routes into western Mexico.
Runways
Guadalajara International has two paved runways. The longest, 11R/29L, is 13,123 ft long and 197 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Business aviation traffic
Guadalajara International recorded 12,684 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in November. Business aviation traffic at MMGL is concentrated in the fall and spring months, with November as the peak and a noticeable dip during June and July.
Cross-border movements to the United States, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month November, 1,277 movements in 2025.
FAA TFMSC records a movement outside the United States only when the flight enters US airspace. This is cross-border traffic, not total activity at the airfield.
Source: FAA TFMSC, cross-border movements, 2025.
Climate
May is the warmest month, with average highs of 91.4°F, and January the coldest, at 76.1°F.
Weather station is 12.7 NM from the field. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional.
Nearby airfields
Guadalajara International has one airfield within 16 NM. The closest is Zapopan Air Force Base (MMZP), 15.98 NM northwest.
Part of the Guadalajara area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at MMGL
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at MMGL.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What runways are available at MMGL / Guadalajara International Airport?
Guadalajara International Airport (MMGL) operates two paved asphalt runways. Runway 11R/29L is the longer of the pair at 13,123 feet, with a width of 197 feet. Runway 11L/29R measures 11,608 feet long and 148 feet wide. Both runways can accommodate large business and commercial jets without a length constraint. The airport sits at a field elevation of 5,016 feet, which operators should factor into performance planning.
How much business aviation traffic does GDL see compared to total operations?
Guadalajara International Airport (GDL) logged 12,684 business aviation operations against 136,384 total operations in 2025, according to FAA TFMSC data. Since Mexico traffic is tracked from the FAA cross-border perspective, this figure reflects cross-border activity rather than the airport's full operational count. Business aviation represents a modest share of the mix at GDL relative to overall movements. Dispatchers should treat this as a cross-border traffic signal rather than a complete picture of local operations.
Is there seasonal variation in business aviation traffic at MMGL?
Yes, MMGL shows a seasonal pattern in business aviation operations across the year. November posts the highest monthly count at 1,277 operations, while July is the slowest month at 875 operations. The data shows a general softening in the mid-summer months of June and July compared to the spring and fall shoulders. Dispatchers planning trips into Guadalajara International Airport during summer may see comparatively lighter bizav traffic than in the fall.
What is the field elevation at Guadalajara International Airport, and how does it affect operations?
Guadalajara International Airport sits at an elevation of 5,016 feet above sea level. This is a meaningful factor for turbine aircraft performance planning, particularly for takeoff distance and climb gradient calculations at higher outside air temperatures. Crews operating into MMGL should account for density altitude effects given both the elevation and the warm shoulder-season high temperatures recorded at the field. The runway lengths available, up to 13,123 feet, provide margin to offset elevation-driven performance penalties.
What is the nearest military airfield to MMGL, and how far is it?
Zapopan Air Force Base is the nearest neighboring airfield to Guadalajara International Airport (MMGL), located 15.98 nautical miles away on a bearing of 328 degrees. This places it to the northwest of GDL. Dispatchers should note this facility is a military airfield and treat it as distinct from Guadalajara's civil operation. Any reference to Zapopan for alternate planning purposes should account for its military status rather than treating it as a general civil alternate.