NORTH CHARLESTON — Charleston-area travelers will soon have a nonstop ticket to paradise with a new seasonal route to Cancún.
As the Holy City was Breeze Airways’ first domestic destination, it’s only fitting it will be the launching point for the carrier’s first international route.
The once-weekly Saturday flight will take off on Jan. 17, 2026 from Charleston International Airport. The city in Mexico is about 900 miles from North Charleston, which would translate to a 2-hour-and-40-minute nonstop flight on the airline’s new Airbus A220 aircraft.
Breeze’s Chief Commercial Officer Lukas Johnson said Cancún is a strong Latin getaway market and a “natural fit” to launch from Charleston. If there is demand for more frequency and destinations, he said those could follow in time.
From the white sandy beaches and turquoise waters to the dense jungles of the Yucatán, the tropical destination sees more than 10 million visitors per year, according to the area’s tourism site Go Visit Cancún. It’s known for its immersive Mayan culture, historical sites and natural attractions.
While in town for a groundbreaking event at CHS in July, Breeze Airways founder and CEO David Neeleman said he was proud that Breeze calls Charleston “home,” and hinted that it was “very likely” the airport would be one of the carrier’s first hubs to go international.
Leading up to the launch of the Cancún connection, Charleston has been the company’s testing ground to launch international service. Private “proving runs” were held here in August to test routes to Mexico and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Now in its fourth year of service, the Utah-based airline started by Neeleman, who previously founded JetBlue Airways, was built on entering mid-sized U.S. cities that are typically underserved. Cancún is the airline’s 26th nonstop flight out of CHS.
“Charleston has been with us from the start — our first destination, the first flight on the first day,” Breeze’s CCO Johnson said.
Charleston, being a place that attracts a high volume of visitors per year and has robust demand within the community to travel, is “what makes service there so successful,” he added.
Johnson said the launch of international service was a response to feedback from travelers wanting more options.
“We’ve had really strong support from the community in Charleston, both inbound and outbound,” he said. “And we wanted to reward the communities that have supported us the longest.”
Following Breeze’s new Charleston route, five other U.S. cities will add international flights, spaced out in phases next year. Cities include Norfolk, Va.; New Orleans, La.; Providence, R.I.; Tampa Fla. and Raleigh-Durham N.C. Not all will be going to Cancún; some will be heading to Punta Cana or Montego Bay in Jamaica.
For Norfolk International and Rhode Island T.F. Green International airports, the Breeze flights will be their only overseas routes when they kick off.
“We are providing something that has either never existed or a new option for travelers to fly nonstop. And that’s our whole DNA,” Johnson said.
Right now, the only direct international flights from Charleston are Air Canada’s seasonal Toronto route and BermudAir’s service to the pink sandy shores of Bermuda that launched in April.
The routes will not only make tropical beach getaways easier, but also underscore the growing demand for international service at Charleston’s airport, according to CHS airport CEO Elliott Summey.
“This new international route not only strengthens Charleston’s connectivity to one of the most popular leisure destinations but also supports our local economy by creating new opportunities for tourism, hospitality and business travel,” Summey said.