UPDATE 1-Mexico's Asur, OMA, GAP July traffic up

(Adds details from GAP)

MEXICO CITY, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Mexican airport operator Asur said on Wednesday passenger traffic increased 16.9 percent in July as it recovered from the effects of Hurricane Wilma in 2005, while airport operator OMA said its traffic jumped 31 percent.

Passenger traffic at Asur's (ASURB.MX: Quote, Profile, Research) (ASR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Cancun and Cozumel airports took a hit when the hurricane struck the Yucatan peninsula in October 2005. The company said Cozumel has yet to recover fully. "Although there has since been a substantial recovery, passenger traffic at Cozumel airport continues to be affected," Asur said in a statement to the Mexican stock exchange.

Wilma ravaged beaches, damaged hotels and homes, and flooded streets, closing the airports for several days and pushing down passenger traffic for months afterward.

Asur runs nine airports in southeastern Mexico.

OMA (OMAB.MX: Quote, Profile, Research), which operates 13 airports in northern and central Mexico, said surging traffic was helped by new domestic routes opened by low cost airlines.

Rival Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, or GAP (GAPB.MX: Quote, Profile, Research) (PAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research), reported later on Wednesday that its passenger traffic rose 19.5 percent last month, driven by national tourism.

GAP operates 12 airports, including the popular Pacific resorts of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz and Manzanillo.

Asur shares rose 1.74 percent to 56.07 pesos on Wednesday, while OMA gained 3.39 percent to 36.03 pesos and GAP added 2.25 percent to 54.44 pesos.

(Reporting by Jason Lange, Cyntia Barrera Diaz, editing by Tim Dobbyn)
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