Toncontín International Airport
Toncontín International Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military/Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Military of Honduras | ||||||||||
| Location | Tegucigalpa | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 3,294 ft / 1,004 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 14°03′39″N 087°13′02″W / 14.06083°N 87.21722°W | ||||||||||
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Toncontín International Airport (IATA: TGU, ICAO: MHTG) is a civil and military airport that serves Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It is 6 km away from Tegucigalpa's center.
The airport's single runway is 1,863 m (6,112 feet) in length and is at an altitude of 1,004 m (3,294 feet). Boeing 757s are the largest aircraft that can land at Toncontín, as it is one of the shortest international runways in the world.
During the Football War of 1969, Toncontín was a major target for the Salvadoran Air Force, and it was bombed on several occasions.
Toncontín International Airport has 4 gates (2 in the new terminal), 2 baggage claim belts, 150 short term parking spaces, a post office, a bank, a bureau de change, many restaurants, several airline lounges, a duty free shop, car rental services and a first aid room. The old terminal is undergoing renovation, and will be used for domestic flights in the future. The new terminal is now used for international flights.
Toncontín is also the home of the Aeroclub de Honduras.
The origin of the name Toncontín is unknown. This airport has received much criticism for being one of the most dangerous in the world due to its proximity to the mountains and for years efforts have been made to replace it with Soto Cano airport in Comayagua, currently an airbase. Toncontín has been improved significantly by the work of CAT (the Airport Corporation of Tegucigalpa) and by INTERAIRPORTS, a company hired by the government of Honduras to administer the four airports of the country.
Airlines and Destinations
- American Airlines (Miami)
- Atlantic Airlines de Honduras (Roatan, La Ceiba, Puerto Lempira, San Pedro Sula, Útila, Guanaja, Belize City, Ahuas, Bluefields, Corn Island, Grand Cayman, Managua, Puerto Cabezas)
- Continental Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental)
- Copa Airlines (Panama City, San José (CR))
- TACA (Miami, San Salvador, Guatemala City, San Pedro Sula)
- Islena Airlines (La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula)
- Aerolineas Sosa (San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, Roatan, Puerto Lempira)
Accidents and Incidents
The worst crash associated with the airport came in 1989, when a Honduran airliner hit a nearby hill, killing 133 people.[1]
In 1997, a U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo plane overshot the runway at Toncontin and rolled 200 yards before bursting into flames on a major boulevard, killing three people aboard.[2]
On May 30, 2008 an Airbus A320, Grupo TACA flight 390 from San Salvador, overran the runway in approach to Tegucigalpa Airport.[1][2] The accident was partly blamed on bad weather conditions.[2] At least 7 fatalities have been confirmed.[1] There have been renewed calls to permanently shut down the non-compliant airport. The location of the crash was 14.0702, -87.2141.
References
- ^ a b c "7 dead after airliner overshoots Honduras runway". CNN. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c Cuevas, Freddy (30 May). "Passenger jet overshoots runway in Honduras". Yahoo. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
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