Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport

Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport, also known as La Mesa International Airport, is located 11km east of the city of San Pedro Sula, in the Cortés Department in Honduras. The airport is named after Ramón Villeda Morales, who served as President of Honduras from 1957 to 1963.It is the major and busiest airport in Honduras, handling about 742,000 passengers in 2010. The airport also handles about 150 flights internationally and domestically. The airport provides short connections to tourist attractions such as La Ceiba, the Mayan Ruins of Copán, and the Caribbean beaches of Roatán and Tela.A new terminal is expected to be completed by 2015, in line with the airport expansion program launched by InterAirports. There is currently a departure tax of $37.85 to help with expansion of the airport.The airport is very easy to manoeuvre. All flights leave and arrive on the second level, which is also where the main security area is located. The main level consists of a few stores and restaurants, the ticket counters, the bank where you pay the departure tax, ATMs and money exchange booths. Customs is also located on the main floor. Upon arrival in Honduras, you will go through customs—there are lines for residents and immigrants . The lines are long and most of the time it takes a 30–45 minutes to get through the customs desk and scanning area. When leaving the country you must first pay the departure tax. A receipt is attached to your boarding pass. As of 2015 the Honduran departure tax is in most cases included in the price of your ticket