Silvio Pettirossi International Airport

Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional Silvio Pettirossi
Front view of ASU Terminal
Summary
Airport type Public
Serves Asunción
Location Luque, Paraguay
Hub for LATAM Paraguay
Elevation AMSL 89 m / 291 ft
Coordinates 25°14′23″S 057°31′09″W / 25.23972°S 57.51917°W / -25.23972; -57.51917Coordinates: 25°14′23″S 057°31′09″W / 25.23972°S 57.51917°W / -25.23972; -57.51917
Website DINAC
Map
ASU
Location of airport in Paraguay
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
02/20 3,353 11,000 Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2017)
Passengers Increase 1,180,111
Aircraft Operations Increase 50,485
Cargo (tn) Increase 14,357
Statistics: DINAC[1]

Silvio Pettirossi International Airport (IATA: ASU, ICAO: SGAS) is Paraguay's main national and international gateway, located at Luque, serving the capital city, Asunción. It is named after the Paraguayan aviator Silvio Pettirossi and was formerly known as President Stroessner International Airport, after Paraguay's former head of state General Alfredo Stroessner.
In 2017, Pettirossi handled a record 1.2 million passengers, making it the busiest airport in the country. It is the main international hub for Amaszonas Paraguay and LATAM Paraguay.

History

The airport serves as hub for LATAM Paraguay, formerly known as TAM Paraguay, TAM Mercosur and LAP (Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas).

The terminal building splits into two international concourses, the north concourse with 2 gates (5 and 6) and the south concourse with 4 gates (1 to 4).

Iberia provided direct flights to Asunción from Madrid from 1966 (or perhaps 1968) till the mid-nineties.[2] Lufthansa flew once a week from Frankfurt to Asunción from 1971 to 1980, with DC-10 service starting in 1974.[3] For both airlines, the flights included multiple destinations in South America.

On 17 December 2015, the first Air Europa flight arrived from Madrid, Spain to the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Luque and provided the first direct connection between Paraguay and Europe in 21 years.[4] The airplane arrived with the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Marcela Bacigalupo and more than 200 invited guests.[5][6] The flight had 98% of its seats occupied and before the airplane departed Madrid, there was an inauguration ceremony of the new route which was attended by the president of the airline, Juan José Hidalgo, the ambassador of Paraguay in Spain, Antonio Rivas, and the vice-minister of Paraguayan Industry, Oscar Stark. Mr. Hidalgo highlighted "the high seat occupancy of the inaugural flight," which, in his opinion, shows "success" is expected for this route.[7]

Accessibility and location

The airport, located within Luque, may be reached from the city of Asuncion via the Aviadores del Chaco Avenue, which runs adjacent to nearby Ñu Guasú Park. Asuncion's local bus line 30-A links the city center with the airport's terminal. The airport is also near the headquarters of CONMEBOL, the continental governing body of association football in South America.

Visas on arrival

The Silvio Pettirossi Airport offers tourist visas on arrival with a maximum duration of 90 days for a reciprocity fee[8][9] to citizens of:

  • Australia Australia – US$135[10]
  • Canada Canada – US$150[10]
  • United States United States of America – US$160[10]
  • New Zealand New Zealand – US$140[10]
  • Taiwan Taiwan – free[10]
  • Russia Russia – US$160[10]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aerolíneas Argentinas Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza
Air Europa Córdoba, Madrid
Amaszonas Santa Cruz-Viru Viru
Amaszonas Paraguay Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Ciudad del Este, Curitiba, Iquique, Lima, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Salta, Santiago, São Paulo-Guarulhos
seasonal: Florianópolis, Punta del Este [11]
Amaszonas Uruguay Montevideo, Santa Cruz-Viru Viru [11]
Avianca Peru Lima
Copa Airlines Panama City
Gol Airlines São Paulo-Guarulhos
LATAM Paraguay Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Lima, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo-Guarulhos

Statistics

These data show number of passengers movements into the airport, according to the Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil's Aviation Sector Summary Reports.

Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Passengers733,810823,207868,534835,323915,425910,5541,033,1681,180,111
Growth (%)Increase 23.29%Increase 12.2%Increase 5.51%Decrease 3.82%Increase 9.59%Decrease 0.53%Increase 13.47%Increase 14.22%
Source: Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil (DINAC). Aviation Sector Reports (2010-2016)[12]

Top routes

Busiest routes from Asunción[13]
Rank City Flights/week Carriers
1 Brazil São Paulo–Guarulhos, Brazil 45 Gol, LATAM Paraguay
2 Argentina Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Argentina 24 Aerolíneas Argentinas, LATAM Paraguay
3 Argentina Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, Argentina 20 Aerolíneas Argentinas, Amaszonas Paraguay
4 Panama Panama City-Tocumen, Panama 20 Copa Airlines
5 Uruguay Montevideo, Uruguay 17 Amaszonas Paraguay, Amaszonas Uruguay
6 Chile Santiago, Chile 16 LATAM Paraguay
7 Peru Lima, Peru 16 Avianca Peru, LATAM Paraguay
8 Paraguay Ciudad del Este, Paraguay 15 Amaszonas Paraguay
9 Bolivia Santa Cruz-Viru Viru, Bolivia 11 Amaszonas
10 Brazil São Paulo-Campinas 8 Amaszonas Paraguay

Accidents and incidents

  • 16 June 1955: a Panair do Brasil Lockheed L-049/149 Constellation registration PP-PDJ operating flight 263 from São Paulo-Congonhas to Asunción hit a 12m tree while on final approach to land at Asunción. Part of the wing broke off, the aircraft crashed and caught fire. Of the 24 passengers and crew aboard, 16 died.[14][15]
  • 27 August 1980: Transporte Aéreo Militar – TAM Paraguayo, a Douglas C-47B registration FAP2016 crashed on approach to Silvio Pettirossi International Airport. The aircraft was on a flight to Ayolas when an engine failed shortly after take-off and the decision was made to land back at Asunción. One person was killed[16]
  • 4 February 1996: a LAC Colombia cargo Douglas DC-8-55F registration HK-3979X flying from Asunción to Campinas on an empty positioning flight from Asunción. At VR power was reduced on no. 1 engine and, after rotation, also on the no. 2 engine. With the gear still down and flaps at 15° the aircraft lost control and crashed on a playing field 2 km past the runway. The crew possibly used the positioning flight as an opportunity for crew training. All four occupants of the aircraft and 20 persons on the ground died.[17]

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. ↑ "Aeropuerto Internacional "Silvio Pettirossi"" (PDF) (in Spanish). Departamento de Estadística de la Aviación Civil. Retrieved 18 Jan 2018.
  2. ↑ "A 50 años del primer vuelo de Iberia a Asunción". 1 July 2016.
  3. ↑ "Un día como hoy de 1974 Lufthansa llegaba a Asunción con DC10". 5 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Color, ABC. "Llegó a Paraguay primer vuelo de Air Europa - Nacionales - ABC Color".
  5. ↑ "HOY / Llegó el primer vuelo directo desde Madrid".
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  7. ↑ S.L., Titania Cía. Editorial,. "El primer vuelo de Air Europa a Paraguay despega con el 98 % de ocupación - Jueves, 17 Diciembre 2015 14:45".
  8. ↑ "Embassy of Paraguay in Australia". www.mre.gov.py.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 passportvisasexpress.com. "Paraguay Visa On Arrival". www.passportvisasexpress.com.
  11. 1 2 User, Super. "Amaszonas". www.amaszonas.com.
  12. ↑ "Datos Estadísticos mensuales del Transporte Aéreo Comercial en Paraguay". www.dinac.gov.py.
  13. ↑ "Asuncion Silvio Pettirossi International Airport". flightradar24. January 2018. Retrieved Feb 5, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Accident description PP-PDJ". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  15. ↑ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Noite do Paraguai". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928–1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 145–149. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.
  16. ↑ "FAP2016 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  17. ↑ "Accident description HK-3979X". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 July 2011.

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