# Palmerola International Airport / José Enrique Soto Cano Air Base (XPL)

> Palmerola, HN · IATA: XPL · Medium Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `XPL` |
| City | Palmerola |
| Country | HN |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 628 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | 14.38240, -87.62120 |

## Description

Okra bound for U.S. buyers is among the first exports moving through Palmerola (IATA: XPL, ICAO: MHPR), the Comayagua airport that opened in 2021 to replace the cramped Toncontín field as Tegucigalpa's gateway. Cargo airline Amerijet flies agricultural produce from here to the United States, using a roughly 3,000 m² cold-chain cargo terminal aimed at coffee, vegetables and okra; the first sizeable freight flight, above 3,000 kg, arrived in June 2025. The airport is run by concessionaire Grupo EMCO with Munich Airport International and operates 24/7 for aircraft up to category E. Its central highland position links Honduras's north and south coasts, and the CA-5 highway connects directly toward San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. Cargo is still ramping up rather than established, with facilities being expanded to lower freight rates. For forwarders, XPL currently complements the heavyweight at San Pedro Sula rather than rivalling it.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/palmerola-international-airport-jose-enrique-soto-cano-air-base-airport-xpl](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/palmerola-international-airport-jose-enrique-soto-cano-air-base-airport-xpl)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/palmerola-international-airport-jose-enrique-soto-cano-air-base-airport-xpl](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/palmerola-international-airport-jose-enrique-soto-cano-air-base-airport-xpl)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/palmerola-international-airport-jose-enrique-soto-cano-air-base-airport-xpl/llm-summary*