OMA Reports a 14.5% Increase in December 2016 Passenger

• 2016 marks the third consecutive year of record passenger traffic
• 10 airports also reached record passenger levels
• 8 airports had double digit traffic growth in the year
• The Monterrey airport served 9.2 million passengers in 2016

MONTERREY, Mexico, Jan. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mexican airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V., known as OMA (NASDAQ: OMAB ) (BMV: OMA ), reports that terminal passenger traffic at its 13 airports increased 14.5% in December 2016, as compared to December 2015. Domestic traffic increased 15.9%, and international traffic increased 6.7%.

Of total December traffic, 98.3% was commercial aviation and 1.7% was general aviation.

For the full year 2016 , total passenger traffic grew 10.9% to 18.8 million passengers, a new record for the third consecutive year.  Domestic passenger traffic grew 12.6% and international traffic rose 0.2% in the year. Ten of OMA’s airports – Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Culiacán, Durango, Mazatlán, Monterrey, Reynosa, San Luis Potosí, Torreón, and Zacatecas – also set records for passenger traffic for the full year, and eight airports recorded double-digit traffic growth. 

In addition, to Monterrey with 9.2 million passengers, three other OMA airports – Culiacán, Chihuahua, and Ciudad Juárez – surpassed 1 million passengers in 2016 as a result of the sustained growth of traffic.

OMA’s airports recorded a total of 41 route openings in the year, 32 domestic and nine international.  The airports with the route openings were Monterrey (+11 routes), Torreón (+7 routes), and Chihuahua (+5 routes).  There were 29 net route openings in 2016.

For the full year 2016, flight operations grew 3.9% compared to 2015. Domestic operations increased 4.9% and international operations decreased 2.9%.

Domestic traffic increased in eleven airports in December. The most noteworthy increases were Monterrey (+14.1%; +84,070 passengers), Culiacán (+23.9%; +32,677), Chihuahua (+33.5%; +28,520), and Ciudad Juárez (+25.3%; +20,695). Monterrey traffic increased principally because of higher traffic volumes on the Mexico City, Cancún, and Guadalajara routes.  Culiacán traffic increased because of higher volumes on its Tijuana, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Mexicali routes. Chihuahua and Ciudad Juárez increased traffic principally on their Mexico City routes.

During December, VivaAerobus opened the Monterrey-Tijuana route.

International traffic increased in nine airports in December. The largest increases were in Mazatlán (+16.3%; +5,105 passengers) principally as a result of growth in Minneapolis traffic; Culiacán (+264.3%; +2,762) as a result of growth in Phoenix traffic; San Luis Potosí (+20.3%; +2,392) as a result of Houston traffic; and Durango (+67.2%; +2,310) principally as a result of growth in Los Angeles traffic.  

During December, Sunwing opened the Mazatlán – Winnipeg route; VivaAerobus opened the Monterrey – Las Vegas route, and Volaris and Aeroméxico Connect each started flights on the Monterrey – Denver route.

The number of flight operations (takeoffs and landings) in December increased 2.4%.  The number of domestic operations increased 2.8%, and international operations were practically unchanged compared to the prior year period.

OMA’s complete traffic report is available at http://ir.oma.aero .

This report may contain forward-looking information and statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are only predictions based on our current information and expectations and projections about future events. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “estimate,” or similar expressions. While OMA's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the control of OMA, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our most recent annual report filed on Form 20-F under the caption “Risk Factors.” OMA undertakes no obligation to update publicly its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise .                                           

                                 About OMA Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V., known as OMA, operates 13 international airports in nine states of central and northern Mexico. OMA’s airports serve Monterrey, Mexico’s third largest metropolitan area, the tourist destinations of Acapulco, Mazatlán, and Zihuatanejo, and nine other regional centers and border cities. OMA also operates the NH Collection Hotel inside Terminal 2 of the Mexico City airport and the Hilton Garden Inn at the Monterrey airport. OMA employs over 1,000 persons in order to offer passengers and clients airport and commercial services in facilities that comply with all applicable international safety, security, and ISO 9001:2008 environmental standards.  OMA is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange (OMA) and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (OMAB). For more information, visit:

•              Webpage http://ir.oma.aero •              Twitter http://twitter.com/OMAeropuertos •              Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OMAeropuertos

CONTACT: Chief Financial Officer Vicsaly Torres Ruiz +52 (81) 8625 4300 vtorres@oma.aero Investor Relations: Emmanuel Camacho +52 (81) 8625 4308 ecamacho@oma.aero Laury Franco Castillo +52 (81) 8625 4377 lfranco@oma.aero Paul Rivero Zavala +52 (81) 8625 4334 mdeleon@oma.aero In the US: Daniel Wilson /Zemi Communications +1 (212) 689 9560 dbmwilson@zemi.com Media Relations: Paola Fernández +52 (81) 8625 4300 pfernandez@oma.aero