Private Colonial Tour — Plaza la Merced
Comayagua is Honduras's former colonial capital — private walking tours through centuries-old plazas, baroque churches and one of Central America's oldest cathedrals.
XPL · MHPR · Honduras
Palmerola International Airport
Comayagua — Comayagua Valley. 20 min to Comayagua / 60 min to Tegucigalpa.
Runway
2700m
Surface
Asphalt
Elevation
615m
Hours
5am-10pm
Book your private flight from Comayagua
Airport at a glance
Comayagua — Honduras
For decades, arriving in Tegucigalpa meant Toncontín — a 2,021-metre runway in a bowl of mountains with an approach that consistently appeared on lists of the world's most demanding. Growth there was physically impossible; the terrain ended the conversation.
Palmerola opened on 15 October 2021, built on what had been Soto Cano Air Base, and from that date Comayagua became the principal airport for the Honduran capital. It is 80 kilometres from Tegucigalpa, roughly an hour by the improved highway, and the terminal at over 39,000 square metres is around four times the size of Toncontín's.
Runway 17/35, 2,441 metres (8,009 ft), asphalt, at 628 metres (2,060 ft) elevation. ICAO: MHPR. Coordinates: 14°22′57″N, 87°37′16″W. Capacity for 20 aircraft on stand. It handled 970,349 passengers in 2025.
The approach and operating profile matter and are worth stating plainly:
That last point is the one that catches operators out. Palmerola is a modern facility with a substantial terminal, and it is easy to assume round-the-clock availability. Any itinerary with a late arrival into XPL needs the after-hours permission secured in advance, not assumed.
At 628 metres of elevation, density altitude is a real performance factor on a warm afternoon, and 2,441 metres is a comfortable but not unlimited runway. It is the third longest in Honduras, after San Pedro Sula and Golosón at La Ceiba.
Getting there
Palmerola International Airport — Getting there
| San Pedro Sula | ~40 min | — |
| Roatán | ~50 min | — |
| La Ceiba | ~45 min | — |
| Toncontín | ~20 min | — |
Nearby
Things to do near Comayagua
The airport's own city is a genuine surprise. Comayagua was the capital of Honduras from the colonial period until 1880, and the historic centre has been carefully restored — a cathedral, a plaza, colonial churches and the ecclesiastical museum.
Its most famous possession is the Reloj Árabe, the Moorish clock in the cathedral tower. Built in Moorish Spain around the twelfth century, it hung in the Alhambra in Granada before being gifted to Comayagua by Philip III, and it is generally described as the oldest working clock in the Americas — and one of the oldest anywhere.
Comayagua's Semana Santa is also the most elaborate in Honduras, with sawdust carpets — alfombras — laid through the streets of the historic centre in the tradition brought from Antigua Guatemala.
Tegucigalpa and the highlands. The capital is an hour east. Beyond it, La Tigra National Park — the first national park declared in Honduras — protects cloud forest twenty minutes from the city, with quetzals and a network of trails through what was once the watershed for the colonial silver mines at El Rosario.
Valle de Ángeles and Santa Lucía, both around 30 to 45 minutes from Tegucigalpa, are restored colonial mining villages in the pine hills, cooler than the city and the standard weekend escape.
The terminal was built with room the country has yet to fill, and it handles cargo alongside passengers — the surrounding Comayagua valley is one of the more productive agricultural districts in Honduras, and export produce moves through here.
Historical Visit — CAXA REAL
The Royal Treasury (Caxa Real) of Comayagua is one of the best-preserved Spanish colonial administrative buildings in Central America.
Montaña de Comayagua National Park
Cloud forest national park above Comayagua — private guided hikes through primary forest with exceptional birdwatching and panoramic highland views.
Private Horseback Riding — Colonial Haciendas
Exclusive horseback riding through Comayagua's historic haciendas — the Spanish colonial countryside at its most authentic, from horseback.
Private Helicopter to Lago Yojoa
Lago Yojoa is Honduras's largest natural lake — a private helicopter excursion from Comayagua for birdwatching, waterfalls and craft beer at D&D Brewery.
Private Summit Trek — Cerro Celaque
Celaque (2,849m) is Honduras's highest peak — a private multi-day expedition through primary cloud forest, with a certified guide, mountain camp and the extraordinary quetzal habitat of the Celaque National Park.
Helicopter — Comayagua to Celaque
Private helicopter circuit from Palmerola — aerial views of the Comayagua Valley colonial churches, the Celaque cloud forest massif and the Valle de Ángeles highlands.
Cloud Forest Birding — Comayagua
Pre-dawn birding in the cloud forest reserves above Comayagua — resplendent quetzals, azure-rumped tanagers and over 400 species in the underbirded highland forests between Comayagua and Celaque.
Where to stay
Hotels near Comayagua
When to fly
When to fly
Comayagua sits in an interior valley at 628 metres and is markedly more temperate than the Caribbean coast. The dry season runs roughly November to April; the wet season May to October, with afternoon convection. Morning operations are the norm, reinforced here by the daylight-only restriction.
FAQ
Palmerola International Airport — Frequently asked questions
What is the runway length at Palmerola (XPL)?
2,441 metres (8,009 ft), runway 17/35, at 628 m elevation. ICAO: MHPR.
Is Palmerola open 24 hours?
No. Despite 24/7 operation being the stated plan, it currently operates 06:00 to 18:00 local. After-hours movements may be arranged in advance with the airport manager.
Does XPL have an ILS?
No. It has RNP approaches to both runway ends with backup VOR procedures, and no approach lighting for night or IMC operations.
How far is Palmerola from Tegucigalpa?
About 80 kilometres, roughly an hour by the improved highway.
Why was Palmerola built?
Toncontín could not expand — its 2,021 m runway sits in a mountain bowl with no room to grow and a demanding approach. Palmerola opened on 15 October 2021 on the former Soto Cano Air Base.
What is the Moorish clock in Comayagua?
A clock built in Moorish Spain around the twelfth century, formerly in the Alhambra, gifted to Comayagua by Philip III — generally described as the oldest working clock in the Americas.