LOS CABOS — The Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) officially welcomed its first commercial, international flights from the United States and Canada last week following Hurricane Odile.

Tourism officials, airport employees, tour operators, local performers and mariachis enthusiastically greeted passengers as they deplaned.

The official airport authority, El Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), states that by Oct. 18, there will be approximately 30 flights in operation (both domestic and international) with the number of daily flights expected to increased based on consumer demand.

The Los Cabos International Airport is expected to return to normal operation in early December, just in time for the winter travel season. Airlines are operating with the disclaimer that itineraries are subject to change during this time.

“For us, welcoming our international flights back to Los Cabos is great news for two reasons; the first is that being connected to the U.S. and Canada is incredibly important to the destination as they are our top international markets. The second reason is that the airport re-opening occurred much faster than originally anticipated, thanks to the incredible efforts and support of the federal and state government, tourism community and airport authority,” said Ruben Reachi, Secretary of Tourism for the State of Baja California Sur.

Reachi went on to mention that the destination is reporting that 2,992 guest rooms are open and available for guests; 10,000 rooms are expected to be available by the end of December.

Furthermore, 70% of the restaurants located in or around the marina in Cabo San Lucas are operating normally, along with 90% of all recreational destination activities and excursions.