Mexico's Asur April passenger traffic off 2.1 pct

MEXICO CITY, May 7 (Reuters) - Mexico's Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, which operates the Cancun airport, reported a 2.1 percent decline on Thursday in April passenger traffic compared with a year before.

The company, better known as Asur ASUR.MX (ASR.N), said international traffic rose 1.4 percent to 963,982 passengers while domestic travel declined 7.6 percent to 571,509 passengers.

The decline in domestic travel came despite the fact that the Easter holiday, a traditional vacation time in Mexico, fell in April this year and in March last year.

Asur operates a total of nine airports, but aside from Cancun most are small facilities.

Leading Mexican airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacific GAPB.N (PAC.N) reported a 10.4 percent decline in passenger traffic in April on Wednesday. The company blamed the outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus in Mexico for a sharp fall in international arrivals as tourists canceled trips.

The flu outbreak is expected to hit the Mexican tourism industry hard in the short term. The government announced a 17.4 billion peso ($1.3 billion) aid package for the sector on Tuesday. (Reporting by Robert Campbell, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)