Asur traffic up 16% in July

Mexican airport concessionaire Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (Asur; BMV: ASUR) reported a 16.0% increase in total passenger traffic to 1.4 million in July 2004 from 1.2 million year-on-year, Asur told Mexico City's bourse. Cozumel airport showed the greatest percentage increase in the July period, with 24.1% to 73,000 passengers, followed by Oaxaca's 23.8% increase to 50,000 passengers. Villahermosa came next with 21.6% growth (63,000), followed by Huatulco with 20.2% (33,000) and Veracruz with 17.9% (54,000). Cancún, Asur's busiest airport, reported a 15.8% increase in passenger traffic during July to one million travelers. Minatitlán was the only airport to post a decline in passenger traffic, with a 9.1% drop to 10,000 travelers. Inversiones y Técnicas Aeroportuarias (ITA) controls Asur, which operates the airports serving Cancún, Mérida, Cozumel, Villahermosa, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Huatulco, Tapachula and Minatitlán.