San Jeronimo Airport
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San Jeronimo Airport was the old airport of Montería. It is now The Hospital of Saint Jeronimo in the downtown area of the town.
San Jeronimo Airport Aeropuerto de San Jeronimo | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | city of Montería | ||||||||||
| Serves | Montería | ||||||||||
| Opened | 1937 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 1974 | ||||||||||
| Focus city for | Avianca | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 52 ft / 16 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 8°44′49.14″N 75°52′47.75″W / 8.7469833°N 75.8799306°W | ||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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History
The airport was inaugurated in 1937, it was the first airport in Montería. The runway was 1,500 feet when it first opened. Avianca was the first airline to begin operations there. LANSA was founded in 1945, and soon started operations there. Along with the airline Aerotal. However, the only airplanes that could fit on the tarmac and safely take off and land where DC-3s. A second expansion expanded the runway to 2,500 feet and expanded the tarmac. The arrival of DC-4 brought even more problems for the airport. The airport was in the middle of the city, and the tall buildings were on all sides of the airport. This made landing hard for DC-4s. In the 1950s, the airport expanded it's runway to 3,459 feet and expanded the tarmac again. This did not help, because the city realized that jet travel was the future. The little runway could not expand any more. The tiny terminal had aging systems and had a small control tower with very simple radar. The last expansion was in 1965, in which the city expanded the terminal. In the late 1960s, a new airport was planned that was far away from the city. So expansion could be allowed. It was next to the small town of Los Garzones, so it was decided to call it Los Garzones Airport. Construction of the airport started in 1970, and it was inaugurated in 1974. Replacing San Jeronimo Airport and closing it down. The airport sat there for 10 years being abandoned. The city did not know what to do with the old airport. Soon they had decided to demolish the old terminal and replace it with a hospital. The runway was still there and overtime, was replaced and turned into a park. The other section of the runway was turned into a street. Today, the street is still there along with the the outline of a terminal in the hospital's parking lot.
San Jeronimo Master Plan
The neighborhood around the park was named San Jeronimo after the hospital, which was named after the old airport. The road has worn down and has caused many cars accidents since it's completed construction in 1998. It is planned to expand the hospital in 2019 and demolish the street and turn it into a supermarket in 2018. Leaving no evidence that there was any airport there.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations | Time Served |
|---|---|---|
| Avianca | Bogota, Medellin | 1937-1974 |
| Lansa | Bogota | 1945-1954 |
| Aerotal | Bogota | 1970-1974 |
Accidents and Incidents
- On March 15, 1961, a Douglas DC-3 operated by Avianca overshoot the runway due bad weather and the runway being too short. It was landing after a flight from Medellin. There were 2 crew members and 14 passengers, everyone survived, but there were two minor injuries.
- On May 8 1971, flight 706, a Douglas DC-4 operated by Avianca was hijacked on a flight to Barranquila several minutes after taking off from the airport. A young Colombian carried a gun and demanded to be flown to Maracaibo. The plane successfully landed in Maracaibo and the man confessed that he was diagnosed with Skin cancer and could not be treated in Colombia.