El Dorado International Airport
El Dorado International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional El Dorado | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:El Dorado International Airport.jpg | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | OPAIN S.A. | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Bogotá D.C. | ||||||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,628 m / 8,361 ft | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 04°42′05″N 74°08′49″W / 4.70139°N 74.14694°W | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www.elnuevodorado.com | ||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Statistics (2009) | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Source:[1] | |||||||||||||||
El Dorado International Airport (IATA: BOG, ICAO: SKBO) is an international airport located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the largest Latin American airport in terms of cargo movements with 512.844 tons (2009) and the third in terms of passenger traffic, only behind Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport and São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, transporting 14,899,199 passengers in 2009; as well as the largest airport in Colombia and the main international and domestic air gateway in the country, serving as an important hub for Avianca (the national flag carrier of Colombia), Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires, Satena, EasyFly and other cargo companies. It is managed by Operadora Aeroportuaria Internacional (OPAIN), a consortium composed of Colombian construction and engineering firms and the Swiss Flughafen Zürich AG.
El Dorado is, politically and economically, the most important airport in Colombia and serves as the nation's primary international gateway, accounting for 49% of the total air traffic in the country. It handles all domestic and international flights into Bogotá and boasts the world's third largest landing field 6.9 square kilometres (1,700 acres) of land. El Dorado is located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of the city center; Avenida El Dorado (26 street), one of the fastest highways in Bogotá, provides passengers access to downtown. At the end of the year 2008 construction of a new TransMilenio line started, which will connect the airport with the mass transportation system of the city.
History
El Dorado Passenger Terminal was designed during the government of General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. Its construction began in 1955 and entered in service at the end of 1959, replacing the interim terminal and joining other portions of the then brand new airport. The new terminal consisted of several taxiways, maintenance platforms, parking areas, a cellar, passenger halls, Mezzanine areas and other amenities. Its second floor consisted of the departures area with executive waiting rooms and restaurants. The third floor consisted mainly of offices for the airlines and of other airport related services.
The fourth floor held the management offices and its dependencies which accounted through to the fifth floor. The sixth floor contained mainly the dependencies of meteorology and power station of air navigation aids of the ECA. The seventh floor held the route control facilities for the runways and taxiways and the eighth floor contained air traffic radar controllers. The ninth floor contained the airport's electrical maintenance and offices, and the tenth floor held the control tower and air traffic controllers.
In 1973, the airport hit a milestone by serving nearly three million passengers and processing nearly 5 million pieces of luggage. That year turned out to be one of most prosperous for the industry of aviation, registering high passenger growth in both domestic and international loads. In that time the necessity for a second runway at El Dorado was expressed under concerns that the explosive growth would lead to over congestion in the future. In 1981, Avianca undertook the construction of the Puente Aéreo Terminal inaugurated by President Julio César Turbay Ayala, to serve its high density flights from Bogotá to Cali, Medellín, Miami and New York City. In 1990, the Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) moved to the third floor in the main building. During this same year, the Centro de Estudios Aeronáuticos and at the east part of the airport the building for the National Center for Aeronavigation were constructed. In 1998, the second runway was officially opened.
Over the past few years, the baggage claim areas has been extended on both the northern and southern portions of the airport, and the departure lounges towards the west have also been greatly expanded, adding more restaurants and shops.
Avianca's main hub
On December 10, 1998, Avianca officially opened its hub in Bogotá, offering an estimated 6,000 possible connections per week, including greater numbers of frequencies, schedules and destinations served. Connections between domestic and international destinations are currently operated directly and through codesharing agreements with airlines such as Delta Air Lines, Mexicana, Lacsa (part of Grupo Taca), Iberia and Air Canada.
Operations out of the Bogotá hub allow travelers to easily connect between domestic destinations (such as Medellín to San Andres), from a domestic destination to an international destination (Such as Cali to Los Angeles), from an international destination to a domestic city (Such as Ft. Lauderdale to Baranquilla), between two international destinations (Such as Paris to Guayaquil) and allows for simpler codeshare connections (such as Atlanta to Cartagena with Delta Air Lines and Avianca).
The hub also features facilities for easier transits, such as exclusive check-in counters for travelers in transit, buses for internal transportation between Puente Aéreo and El Dorado terminals, and a special lounge for international transit passengers to avoid having to go through Colombian customs and immigration between transits. Apart from being Avianca's main local hub, the airport is also set to be the biggest connection center in South America owing to Avianca's recent entry to Star Alliance. Together with São Paulo, Bogotá is now and will still be one of the most important airports in Latin America.
Puente Aéreo
In 1981,Avianca undertook the construction of a new satellite terminal to be called the Puente Aéreo (Air Bridge), which was eventually inaugurated by President Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala Avianca´s original purpose for the terminal was to attend flights to Cali, Medellín, Miami and New York. During the first years of operation and until 2005 Avianca gradually moved all of its domestic operations to the Puente Aéreo and shifted the Miami and New York operations to the main terminal. This allowed them to streamline their operations by using space previously assigned to customs and immigration for passenger gates and lounges. The culmination of this process came in 2006 when the airline undertook extensive renovations on the building, adding shopping areas, a food court, new waiting lounges, a large VIP lounge, and greatly increasing the number of gates from 4 to 11, all this with the express aim of showcasing the new image of Avianca´s improved service, new aircraft and ground service. However, the airline was mindful of the then impending and current reconstruction of El Dorado International Airport which contemplates demolishing the Puente Aéreo along with the main terminal and old cargo buildings to be replaced with a new mega terminal. Many of the reforms made to the terminal in 2006 were obviously temporary and designed to be cheap but effective. For example, the walkways for the new gates are simply floor tiles placed over the old tarmac and the structure is made of aluminum with plastic sheets instead of glass windows. Passengers must cross the lanes used by buses, baggage carts and other vehicles in order to reach the aircraft. Once at the gate travellers must climb stairs to access the plane, much as was the norm in the 1950's and 60's but has for many years been surpassed by enclosed, level boarding ramps.
In February 2008 Avianca opened a pioneer store called Aviancastore which sells different products including: toy airplanes, hats, umbrellas, clothing, stuffed toys, pens, mugs and other such products, all embossed with the company logo. The store was an instant success and the airline extended the concept to various other cities in Colombia.
CATAM Military Airport
On 3 September 1932, launched the Military Transport Service in Colombia, when a Junkers F-13 carried for the first time, to the south of the country, Colonel Luis Acevedo and his party, who served as general director aviation in the country. Although the military air transport infrastructure was not formed yet, that mission was accomplished during the conflict with Peru in a rudimentary but effective, with aircraft like the Junkers W-34, Ju-52 and BT-32 Condor.
In 1954 he created a "Liaison Squadron" operating on the direct orders of the President of the Republic, at the time, Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla Airport and located in the Roof. The success led to create the Military Airlift Group, which reached Category Transport Base in 1959. By then, finished the construction of the El Dorado International Airport, so that the command of the Colombian Air Force ordered the transfer of the Unit to the site, using the airport facilities, while finishing the construction of the base, which ended on May 28, 1963. For FAC Directive No. 4429 of 8 July of that year, provided that the base unit to acquire the status of Operations and Logistics Support, starting operations on 25 October of that year. In 1968 the first two Hercules C-130B, FAC-1001 and 1002. These aircraft, clearly designed for missions and troop transport war materials led the landing on short runways and unpaved requirements at the time approaching to the needs of the Colombian Air Force.
In 1977, the Military Transport Aviation Command was named after the Colombian aviation pioneer, Brigadier General Honorary Camilo Daza Alvarez. In order to expand capacity troop transport and cargo in support of surface forces in their fight against subversion and drug trafficking, the Air Force acquired new C-130 Hercules aircraft that have supported, not only missions public policy, but also humanitarian assistance. Between 1990 and 1991, received U.S. government, six C-130B aircraft to support operations to combat drug trafficking and guerrillas.
In 1996 began to take shape breakthroughs in the area of infrastructure Military Transport Aviation Command, the narrow street that impeded the entrance and exit of vehicles destined for the office, was replaced by a dual carriageway and a tunnel that allows access vehicular traffic below the access ramp to the track N ° 2 El Dorado International Airport. In addition, increased parking capacity of the Unit, from 120 vehicles to 260 or so. The museum there is allowed to inform the public part of the institutional history, see planes that have been in service over the 85 year history of the Colombian Air Force and establish a closer bond between the community and the Air Force. With the advent of night vision air operations since 2003, the Military Transport Aviation Command acquired the ability to operate on computers NVG Hercules C-130 and CN-235 Nurtanio, in order to increase the operational and support capacity to surface forces, through the implementation of transport missions, parachuting and aeromedical evacuation on unprepared runways and without illumination. In this way the Air Force increased its operating capacity by 100% since props are made of all kinds 24 hours a day.
Terminals, airlines and destinations
The airport has two passenger terminals, the main terminal, El Dorado, named after the famed legend of El Dorado handles all international and domestic arrivals, except Avianca's domestic flights. Check-in counters, ticket counters, immigration office and customs are located on the lower level while information boards, information office, waiting rooms and emigration are located on the upper level.
The main building has two concourses; the domestic concourse and the international concourse. The domestic concourse contains 11 gates and 5 additional for regional flights. The international concourse contains 9 gates. This main building has a passenger area of 54,000 square feet (5,000 m2) and provides different services such as travel agencies, restaurants, book stores and craft shops, ATM machines, duty free shops, communication services and complimentary Wi-fi throughout the terminal. At the domestic and international arrivals level, passengers can find tourist information offices and ground transportation services within the city.
The second terminal, known as Puente Aéreo (air bridge) is a privately owned terminal that exclusively serves Avianca's and its subsidiary SAM's domestic and regional flights. Initially, the terminal exclusively served passengers on the Miami, New York-JFK, Cali, Medellín, Pasto, and Montería routes. It was renovated in October 2006, after an investment of USD$7.5 million and handles a total of more than 120 daily flights with capacity to handle 4.4 million passengers annually. The terminal has a passenger area of 4,416 square feet (410.3 m2) and 14 domestic gates and helps reducing connection times between domestic flights. The terminal also provides additional services for travelers and visitors, such as access to shopping facilities, domestic and international calls, taxi services, ATM machines, restaurants and fast food restaurants and numerous book and gift shops.
| Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| AeroGal | Quito | 1 |
| Aerolíneas Argentinas | Buenos Aires-Ezeiza | 1 |
| Aeroméxico | Mexico City | 1 |
| Air Canada | Toronto-Pearson | 1 |
| Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle | 1 |
| Aires | Armenia, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Florencia, Fort Lauderdale, Ibagué, Leticia, Manizales, Medellín-Córdova, Montería, Neiva, New York-JFK, Pereira, Popayán, Puerto Asís, Quibdó, San Andrés Island, Santa Marta, Villavicencio, Valledupar, Yopal | 1,2 |
| American Airlines | Miami | 1 |
| Avianca | Armenia, Aruba, Barcelona, Barrancabermeja, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cali , Caracas, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Curaçao, Fort Lauderdale, Guayaquil, Ibagué, Lima, Los Angeles [ends January 18], Madrid, Manizales, Medellín-Córdova, Mexico City, Miami, Montería, Neiva, New York-JFK, Panama City, Pasto, Pereira, Popayán, Porlamar, Punta Cana, Quito, Riohacha, San José de Costa Rica, San Andrés Island, Santa Marta, Santo Domingo, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo-Guarulhos, San Salvador, Valencia (Venezuela), Valledupar, Washington-Dulles Seasonal: Cancún, San Juan | 1, P.A. |
| Avianca Brazil | São Paulo-Guarulhos | 1 |
| Continental Airlines | Houston-Intercontinental, Newark | 1 |
| Copa Airlines | Panama City | 1 |
| Copa Airlines Colombia | Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cancún, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Havana, Leticia, Medellín-Córdova, Mexico City, Montería, Panama City, Quito, San Andrés Island, San José de Costa Rica, Santa Marta Seasonal: Punta Cana, Santo Domingo | 1,2 |
| Cubana de Aviación | Havana | 1 |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, New York-JFK | 1 |
| Dutch Antilles Express | Curaçao | 1 |
| EasyFly | Armenia, Barrancabermeja, Neiva, Quibdó, Yopal | 2 |
| Gol Airlines | São Paulo-Guarulhos | 1 |
| Iberia | Madrid | 1 |
| JetBlue Airways | Orlando | 1 |
| LAN Airlines | Miami, Santiago de Chile | 1 |
| LAN Perú | Lima | 1 |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt | 1 |
| Satena | Arauca, Buenaventura, Cali, Corozal, Leticia, Medellín-Olaya Herrera, Mitú, Neiva, Pasto, Pereira, Puerto Asís, Puerto Inírida, Puerto Carreño, Quibdó, San José del Guavire, Saravena, San Vicente del Caguan, San Andrés Island, Valledupar, Villavicencio | 1,2 |
| Spirit Airlines | Fort Lauderdale | 1 |
| TACA Airlines operated by Lacsa | San José de Costa Rica | 1 |
| TACA Peru | Lima | 1 |
| TAM Airlines | São Paulo-Guarulhos | 1 |
New Cargo Terminal
Was recently given the new cargo terminal, with an additional area of 5,586 meters square, plus 36,000 square meters for cargo processing, making El Dorado at the airport with higher load capacity in Latin America. The area of the warehouse is 19,757 m2, in which the loading dock levelers are increased by 45 units to improve the loading and unloading the trucks directly to the processing area of the new cargo terminal. As for the Mezzanine this area is 4,471 m2, within which interior spaces were extended for the convenience of the operators and users.
Cargo airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| ABSA | Miami, Sao Paulo-Viracopos |
| AeroSucre | Quito |
| AeroSur (Colombia) | |
| Atlas Air | |
| Avianca Cargo | |
| Cargo Express | |
| Cargolux | Luxembourg, Quito |
| Centurion Air Cargo | Miami |
| Cielos del Perú | Manaus, Miami |
| Colombian Air Cargo | Barranquilla, Cali, Medellín-Cordova |
| Cosmos Air Cargo | |
| DHL Express | |
| FedEx Express | Miami |
| Florida West International Airways | Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami |
| LAN Cargo | |
| Lufthansa Cargo | Frankfurt |
| Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas | |
| Martinair Cargo | Amsterdam, London-Stansted, Miami |
| MasAir | Guadalajara, Mexico City |
| Singapore Airlines Cargo | Brussels, São Paulo-Viracopos |
| Tampa Cargo | Asunción, Barbados, Lima, Mexico City, Miami, Montevideo, Quito, San Juan |
| UPS Airlines | Miami |
| World Airways Cargo | Miami |
Statistics
| Movements | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| passengers | 14.899.199 | 13.548.420 | 12.763.979 | 11.771.284 | 10.711.108 | 10.003.434 | 7.281.664 | 7.533.000 | 7.380.052 | 7.212.583 |
| Cargo (TM) | 512.844 | 578.812 | 585.598 | 590.931 | 561.318 | 531.474 | 482.152 | 420.605 | 374.608 | 378.035 |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Top Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Miami, United States
|
506,295 | American Airlines, Avianca, LAN Airlines |
| 2 |  Madrid, Spain
|
451,797 | Avianca, Iberia |
| 3 |  Lima, Peru
|
439,485 | Avianca, LAN Peru, TACA Peru |
| 4 |  Panama City, Panama
|
416,421 | Avianca, Copa Airlines, Copa Airlines Colombia |
| 5 |  Caracas, Venezuela
|
384,102 | Avianca |
| 6 | New York, United States
|
304,948 | Avianca, Delta Air Lines |
| 7 |  Quito, Ecuador
|
233,092 | AeroGal, Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia |
| 8 |  Mexico City, Mexico
|
186,322 | Avianca, Mexicana |
| 9 | Ft. Lauderdale, USA
|
181,120 | Avianca, Spirit Airlines |
| 10 |  Paris, France
|
165,440 | Air France |
| 11 |  São Paulo, Brazil
|
145,876 | Avianca, Gol Airlines |
| 12 | Houston, USA
|
138,689 | Continental Airlines |
| 13 |  Santiago de Chile
|
112,706 | Avianca, LAN Airlines |
| 14 | Guayaquil, Ecuador
|
104,137 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia |
| 15 | Atlanta, USA
|
102,332 | Delta Air Lines |
| 16 |  Buenos Aires, Argentina
|
97,668 | Aerolineas Argentinas, Avianca |
| 17 |  San José de Costa Rica
|
84,021 | Avianca, TACA |
| 18 | Orlando, USA
|
80.381 | JetBlue Airways |
| 19 |  Oranjestad, Aruba
|
64.332 | Avianca |
| 20 | Barcelona, Spain
|
61,475 | Avianca |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Top Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cali, Valle del Cauca | 1,709,505 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires |
| 2 | Medellin, Antioquia | 1,602,121 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires |
| 3 | Cartagena, Bolivar | 1,122,345 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires |
| 4 | Barranquilla, Atlantico | 898,825 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires |
| 5 | Bucaramanga, Santander | 612,498 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires |
| 6 | Santa Marta, Magdalena | 502,560 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires |
| 7 | Pereira, Risaralda | 478,110 | Avianca, Aires, Satena |
| 8 | San Andrés | 407,878 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires, Satena |
| 9 | Cucuta, Norte de Santander | 389,420 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires |
| 10 | Monteria, Cordoba | 250,686 | Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Aires |
Accidents and incidents
- On 7 June 1973, Vickers Viscount HK-1061 of Aerolíneas TAO was damaged beyond economic repair in an accident on landing.[2]
- On 24 January 1980, Douglas C-53D HK-2214 of Aerotal Colombia crashed after an inflight engine failure following which the propellor on the good engine was feathered. The aircraft was on a test flight. All four on board were killed.[3]
- On January 25, 1990, Avianca Flight 52, flying on a Bogotá-Medellín-New York JFK route, crashed on Long Island after running out of fuel.
- On 8 February 1986, Douglas DC-3 HK-3031 of SAEP Colombia crashed on approach. The port engine had lost power shortly after take-off on a cargo flight to Rondon Airport and the decision was made to return to Bogotá. Although the aircraft was destroyed in the post-impact fire, all five people on board survived.[4]
- On April 20, 1998, Air France Flight 422 from Eldorado Airport to Quito, Ecuador, using an aircraft leased from TAME and flown with Ecuadorian crew, crashed into a mountain near Bogotá. All 43 passengers and 10 crew died.[5][6]
- On July 7, 2008, a Kalitta Air Boeing 747-209B crashed shortly after departing from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá at 3:55 am. The plane was en route to Miami, Florida, with a shipment of flowers. After reporting a fire in one of the engines, the plane attempted returning to the airport but crashed near the village of Madrid, Colombia. One of the plane's engines hit a farm house, killing an adult and two children who lived there. The crew of eight survived.[7][8]
Future developments
Due to the high demand of passengers, it has now become apparent to build a new airport much more modern and more capable for both commercial and cargo flights. Although the original master plan called for a massive overhaul and expansion of existing terminal, the Colombian government has now realized the need to build a new airport.
The process began with the creation of the new terminal. On February 7, 2007, the airport was given a concession to the consortium Opain. The national government accepted the proposal with Opain (airport operating company), in demolishing the airport on March 14, 2008, after having given its concession. Initially the grant provided for the modernization of existing buildings and the construction of some additional buildings connected to the main terminal,but during the upgrading works (see below, Milestone 1), structural defects were discovered, which were not compromising the integrity of the building today. Opain from the beginning had proposed the demolish the aging terminal and had even submitted a new design to replace it, but the government had strongly opposed due to pressing budget and legal issues (because it would be a big change to the terms of the concession, which could make Opain as well as other competitors who participated in the tender submitted claims), although many sectors of public opinion agreed with Opain. After the structural problems are discovered, the government agreed to the demolition of the airport and compensation for the renovations that Opain had already been reached to perform (Milestone 1). For the airport to handle 16 million passengers annually and 1.5 million tons of cargo, Opain plans to move the cargo terminal to allow the expansion of the passenger terminal, and ensure access for at least an additional avenue to 26th Street.
On September 19, 2007 began the implementation of Milestone 1 of the plan for modernization and expansion of the airport. This consists of expanding the current Central Arrivals Hall of the terminal and installation of CUTE system at the terminal. This was completed in March 2008. Additionally, the construction of the new cargo terminal, a new building for the office of civil aviation, a new fire station, an administrative center and quarantine. All of the above was completed in September, 2009.
The third milestone of the project began in late November 2009. This is Terminal 2, on the north side of the current terminal. This will require the demolition of the domestic cargo terminal, which will start in the new cargo buildings. Is expected to be completed in 2012, when the old terminal will be demolished to build a larger terminal. The new El Dorado International Airport will undoubtedly be the largest infrastructure project in the city, when completed in the Summer of 2014 [9], will be the largest and most modern airport in Latin America and one of the main scales of interconnections and the Americas, which undoubtedly will handle all the passengers and cargo that the city will receive an economic revival.
See also
References
- ^ World Aero Data, OPAIN, Aerocivil
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ "HK-2214 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "HK-3031 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Fatal Events Since 1970 for Air France
- ^ AirDisaster.Com Accident Database
- ^ "US cargo plane crashes into Colombian house, 3 dead". AFP. 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ "US plane crashes into Colombian house". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2008-07-08. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ^ "Eldorado estará listo en 2014 por nuevo retraso | ELESPECTADOR.COM" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2010-03-04.
External links
- Template:Es icon El Dorado International Airport Official Site
- Template:Es icon Authorized itineraries by the Aerocivil (only passenger airlines)