Norfolk International Airport will soon be living up to the international part of its name.

For the first time since 2001, the airport will be getting an international direct route with a once-a-week flight to Cancun, Mexico.

Breeze Airways, which selected Norfolk as one of its inaugural cities when it launched in 2021, will begin operating a nonstop flight between Cancun and Norfolk each week beginning Jan. 10, pending final government approvals. One-way flights will begin at $139.

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“This is now the right time,” said Norfolk Airport Authority CEO Mark Perryman. “It’s the right airline and the right locality in terms of where we’re connecting to.”

The new flight is both Breeze’s first international route and the first international destination for the airport since 2001. Perryman said the airport used to fly to Canada but Air Canada pulled the service following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“We’ve literally been working for the better part of 25 years to get international service back here,” Perryman said.

In a news release, Breeze founder and CEO David Neeleman said Breeze currently offers more destinations from Norfolk than any other carrier.

“Instead of having to connect through a major hub, our guests in Norfolk will now be able to fly internationally nonstop more conveniently than ever,” Neeleman said.

The route is seasonal and will run from January through the summer, said Breeze Airways Chief Commercial Officer Lukas Johnson.

Perryman said it strategically made sense for Breeze to begin operating the new route, because Norfolk is also a crew and maintenance base for the airline, which tends to operate in medium-sized cities not normally served by major air carriers.

“We are a key city for them,” Perryman said.

Breeze will operate the flights on an Airbus A220, which can hold around 135 people, Perryman said. It makes the route cost-effective for Breeze, he said, since a wide-body flight with 300-plus seats would unlikely be filled.

Johnson said the airline recently completed its Federal Aviation Administration international flight certification process, a grueling multi-year endeavor.

In the future, Perryman anticipates more international flights to Caribbean destinations. He said the airport is also working with European airlines to bring trans-Atlantic flights to the area.

The airport is in the midst of several expansion projects as record numbers of passengers continue to fly through the facility. A new U.S. Customs facility should be open just in time for the Mexico flights, Perryman said, and a new moving walkway connecting baggage claim and the departure gates recently opened. Other projects include a Concourse A expansion and a new rental car garage.

However, a deal to construct an airport hotel recently fell apart, which could set the project back several years.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/09/25/norfolk-airport-cancun-flights/