Southwest Airlines is taking off with two new nonstop international flights to Mexico this week.

The flights from Phoenix to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta started on Thursday.

“Southwest Airlines is an important community partner,” said chair of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee and city Councilwoman Thelda Williams. “We are excited that they are committed to Phoenix and have launched their first international service from Sky Harbor. These flights will not only provide more choices for travelers, but they will continue to boost our local economy.”

The Phoenix to Cabo flight departs Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 10:50 a.m. and arrives at 2 p.m. It then departs Cabo at 3 p.m. and arrives in Phoenix at 4:05 p.m.

The Puerto Vallarta flight leaves Phoenix at 11 a.m. and arrives at 3:45 p.m. It returns at 4:40 p.m. and arrives back in Phoenix at 5:15 p.m. Both flights will operate year-round.

Sky Harbor has been hobbled by the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing traffic plunge during the past six months as airlines have cut back on flights amid flagging customer demand.

In August, Sky Harbor traffic saw about 1.4 million passengers, a decline of 61.4% from the previous year. From January to August, the airport has seen 2.76 million passengers, a decline of 63.1% over 2019.

Southwest is Sky Harbor’s second-largest carrier behind American Airlines. In August, Dallas-based Southwest saw 564,947 total passengers, a 54.9% decline over 2019.