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Mariscal Sucre International Airport
Mariscal Sucre International Airport is an airport in Quito, Ecuador, named after Antonio Jose de Sucre, a hero of Ecuadorian and Latin American independence. It began operations in 1960, and currently handles about 3.9 million passengers and 125,000 metric tons of freight per year. The airport, one of the highest located in the world (at 2800 meters AMSL) is located in the northern part of the city, in the Chaupicruz parish, within 5 minutes of Quito's financial center; the terminals are located at the intersection of Amazonas and La Prensa avenues.
Due to its location (in the middle of a city surrounded by mountains), the current airport cannot be expanded to accommodate any larger aircraft or an increase in air traffic. Its operation poses higher risks, too; six serious accidents and several incidents have taken place in recent years. A new airport is being built in the Tababela parish, about 90 km to the east of the city, which is slated to begin operations by 2010.
The airport charges a departure tax of US $40.80 as of August 1st, 2007.
Facilities
The existing airport consists of one terminal split into a national and international area. It is equipped with five swing gates capable of directing arriving passengers to either Immigration or to baggage claim. In addition, there are numerous ground slots where passengers walk to the aircraft from the terminal.
Future airport
As the existing airport is slated to be replaced in 2010, the new facility will be comprised of 12 swing gates built into an international terminal and six gates in a national terminal. It will also be served by a new expressway and the aircraft will use two new parallel runways.
Concerns with the new airport have been raised, since there is a cliff at the end of the runways; in the event of an aircraft sliding, results would be catastrophic. Although the new airport isn't located in as high altitude as the current airport, it is in a valley that is still considerably high above sea level. Studies have been mounted in which a video is taken for 24 hours in the planned location of the site for many days, and the results conclude that there are low cloudbase over the area as well, raising even more safety concerns that could jeopordize that airports approval by agencies such as the FAA, in the event that the FAA does not approve the airport, no U.S. airlines would be able to fly here, and other airlines would likely follow.
The airport is currently one of the most important aeronautic endeavours in South America and is being built in the 1,500 hectares Tababela plateau.
The airport was designed by the Canadian firm MARSHALL MACKLIN MONAGHAN (MMM).
Once the first stage of this mega project is completed, the terminal building will provide all necessary services both to airlines as well as to passengers. The New Airport in Quito has a total construction area of 38.900 m2.
The airport will have a capacity to serve 4 million 300 thousand passengers per year, with 76.715 air operations.
It has 6 ports or telescopic walkways and 15 remote systems.
250.000 metric tons can be comfortably moved in cargo operations.
There are 12,400 m2 for free space, 2,200 m2 for offices, refrigerated areas, and access points to simultaneously receive different types of airplanes.
Entrance to these facilities is direct both, from the outside as well as from the runway.
The new airport will be the center of a 150 hectares duty free zone that will incorporate the country into a competitive, global, and cost efficient production system.
There is a direct access for Boeing 747 and similar aircraft.
A great variety of industrial and commercial activities have been established here, together with assembly plants, and services which free of duties, promote the development of the Ecuadorian economy.
1.500 hectares have been reserved for future extensions of the duty free zone.
More constructions works have been planned and calculated, airport is planned to serve an average of 12 million passengers per year for the next thirty years.
This airport has been planned to process a cargo of around 440.000 metric tons annually.
Characteristics of the new airport
The new airport will begin operating in 2009 and will have a capacity to receive more than four million
passengers per year and a loading capacity of 270.000 tons.
The upgrades required to meet future demand will be implemented in stages throughout the years 2020
and 2030.
It will be located in the Tababela and Puembo areas, at approximately 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) east of
Quito.
It will extend over an area of 3700 acres, from which 1330 correspond directly to construction area
It will have a runway 4100 meters and 45 m. (49 yds.) wide, with an average capacity of 44 operations per hour.
Runways associated to two taxiways
Passengers terminal area of 38 000 square meters, with the corresponding services established by IATA
regulations.
Seven boarding gates for passengers. A capacity for 20 aircraft taxing spaces.
50 airline counters for passenger dispatch service.
Modules that will allow for expansions when needed.
Extensive, modern, and secure parking areas for vehicles.
Airport operations services with the most updated technology.
Security standards with closed circuits television, according to OACI regulations.
Intelligent building as far as energy, lighting and communication is concerned.
Airport geography
The airport is in the middle of Quito. In certain times of the year landing at the airport can be very dangerous, due to winds and poor visibility that makes for less than ideal conditions at best. Landing from the north is generally much more dangerous than landing from the south, especially with bigger aircraft such as Boeing 747, Boeing 767, Airbus A340-600, and MD-11.
Airlines and Destinations
Domestic Concourse
Aerogal
* Cuenca, Guayaquil, Manta, San Cristobal, Santa Cruz/Baltra
Icaro
* Coca, Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Manta
TAME
* Coca, Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayaquil, Lago Agrio, Loja, Macas, Machala, Manta, Portoviejo, San Cristobal, Tulcan
Avianca
* VIP
** Coca, Guayaquil, Nueva Loja, Salinas
International Concourse
Aerogal
*Bogota / El Dorado International Airport
*Medellin / Jose Maria Cordova International Airport
Air Comet
*Madrid / Madrid-Barajas International Airport
American Airlines
*Miami / Miami International Airport
Avianca
*Bogota / El Dorado International Airport
Continental Airlines
*Houston / George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Copa Airlines
*Panama City / Tocumen International Airport
Delta Air Lines
*Atlanta / Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Iberia
*Madrid / Madrid Barajas International Airport
KLM
*Amsterdam / Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
*Bonaire / Flamingo International Airport
LAN Airlines
*Buenos Aires / Ministro Pistarini International Airport
*Guayaquil / Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport
*Santiago de Chile / Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport
* LAN Ecuador
**Buenos Aires / Ministro Pistarini International Airport
**Guayaquil / Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport
**Madrid / Madrid-Barajas International Airport
**Miami / Miami International Airport
**New York / John F. Kennedy International Airport
**Santiago de Chile / Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport
* LAN Peru
**Lima / Jorge Chavez International Airport
Santa Barbara Airlines
*Caracas / Simon Bolivar International Airport
*Guayaquil / Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport
TACA
* Lacsa
**Guayaquil / Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport
**San Jose / Juan Santamaria International Airport
TACA Peru
*Lima / Jorge Chavez International Airport
TAME
*Panama City / Tocumen International Airport[seasonal charters]
*San Andres / Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport [seasonal charters]
Cargo Airlines and destination
Aerosucre (Bogota)
Arrow Air (Miami)
Florida West (Miami)
Cielos del Peru (Lima)
Southern AIR (Miami)
Atlas AIR (New york)
Lineas Aereas Sudamericanas (Bogota)
Martinair
TAMPA Cargo
UPS (Miami)
Previous airlines
AECA
Aces
Alitalia
Aerocontinente
Aeroflot
Aerolineas Argentinas
Aeroperu
Aeropostal
Air France
Air Madrid
Avensa
Braniff International
British Caledonian
British Airways
Cubana de Aviacion
Ecuatoriana
Eastern Airlines
Icelandair
Japan Airlines
Korean Air
Ladeco
Lufthansa
Mexicana
Panagra
Pan Am
SAETA
San
Scandinavian Airlines
Servivensa
Varig
Viasa
External links
Aeropuerto Mariscal Sucre homepage
Information about the new airport
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Mariscal Sucre International Airport
