Simón Bolívar International Airport (Colombia)

Simón Bolívar International Airport
Aeropuerto internacional Simón Bolívar
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Aeropuertos de Oriente
Serves Santa Marta, Colombia
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 22 ft / 7 m
Coordinates 11°07′10″N 74°13′50″W / 11.11944°N 74.23056°W / 11.11944; -74.23056Coordinates: 11°07′10″N 74°13′50″W / 11.11944°N 74.23056°W / 11.11944; -74.23056
Website smr.aerooriente.com.co
Map
SMR
Location of airport in Colombia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01/19 1,700 5,577 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Air operations -
Passengers movement 1,722,759
Cargo movement (T) -
Source: Aerocivil[1] Google Maps[2]

The Simón Bolívar International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Simón Bolívar)[1] (IATA: SMR, ICAO: SKSM) is known locally as Santa Marta Airport. The airport is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Santa Marta, the capital of the Magdalena Department, 18 kilometres (11 mi) north of the municipality of Ciénaga in Colombia. The aiport serves domestic flights services only. It is operated by Aeropuertos De Oriente S.A.S, through a concession agreement with Aerocivil. The airport will soon serve as hub for low-cost airline Viva Air Colombia starting from end of October 2018.

The airport was recognized as an international airport in 2007.

It is named in honor of Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), the military and political leader who played a leading role in the establishment of several South American countries as sovereign states, and who was also the president of Gran Colombia. Also currently the name of the airports in Caracas, Venezuela

History

The construction of the Santa Marta airport was inaugurated on December 8, 1949, by the company LANSA (Líneas Aéreas Nacionales S.A.), for the Magdalena Department, a modern airport that will satisfy pressing and urgent regional needs. back those days the airport had exceptional location conditions since it will be used to operate by water and land. The dirt track was located parallel to the sea and is built in two stages: the first with 1,200 meters long and the second with an extension to 1,000. For the operation of seaplanes, there is sufficient depth. These ships can reach about 50 meters from the airport building. The preliminary plans for the terminal building were under study and approval by the Aerocivil and once approved the LANSA Company began its construction to complete it in the shortest possible time. it was also equipped with a modern control tower with all the devices for meteorological observations. At present, the ground movement works at Simón Bolívar Airport was progressing satisfactorily, under the direction of LANSA's engineering chief, Dr. Enrique Pérez Ayala. Santa Marta has, in its airport, a key to its development and progress.

Facilities

The airport has a new medical health care facility for primary services, a new check-in area, airline offices, a new food square, renovated restrooms, and indoor ATMs. Avianca, LATAM Colombia and Viva Colombia are the only commercial carriers that operate passenger flights in this airport. The airport resides at an elevation of 22 feet (7 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 01/19 with an asphalt surface measuring 1,700 by 40 metres (5,577 ft × 131 ft).

The Santa Marta VOR/DME (Ident: STA) is located 9.7 nautical miles (18.0 km) south of the airport.[3]

Renovation and expansion

New Check-In Area

The airport facilities were outdated and insufficient for the recent increase of tourism in Santa Marta, which had between 1.5 million and 1.7 million domestic passengers in the last 2 years. Renovation of the airport facilities began on February 2, 2015. The project investment had an investment of more than 109,500 million COP (USD 37 million, approx) and it took 36 months (3 years) to be completely expanded & renovated.[4]

This renovation comprises the expansion of the new terminal building from 6,271 m2 (67,500 sq ft) to 15,413 m2 (165,900 sq ft) with spacious check-in area with 24 counters and capacity to serve up to 2.6 million passengers per year.

The parking lot was increased from 2,070 m2 (22,300 sq ft) to 5,742 m2 (61,810 sq ft), and has parking for 33 taxis and 7 minibuses. The underground parking lot has space for 170 cars and 44 motorcycles, five baggage carousels, and new air-conditioning systems.[5]

The apron area went from 19,396 m2 (208,780 sq ft) to 30,702 m2 (330,470 sq ft), with five glass-walled jet bridges capable of taking Airbus A318, A319, A320, Embraer 170, Embraer 190, Boeing B737 and B767 aircraft.[6]

The new control tower is 22.6 metres (74 ft) high with eight floors and independent access. It has operated since May 31, 2016.[7]

The renovation and expansion of the airport completed in February 2018.

Runway extension

The airport's runway is surrounded by the beach and sea, which restricted its length. In March 2017, when Germán Vargas Lleras was the Vice President of Colombia, he stated that extension of the runway will be extended over the sea and would cost 350,000 million COP (USD 70 million, approx). The National Government would invest 200,000 million COP in the runway, with the rest invested by the Magdalena Department.[8]

The runway will meet the minimum length requirements for the operation of wide-body aircraft and also international destinations. The runway would go over the sea from Category C3 1,700 by 40 metres (5,577 ft × 131 ft) to Category D4 2,200 by 45 metres (7,218 ft × 148 ft).

Airlines and destinations

Viva Colombia A320 in Santa Marta
Latam Colombia A320 in Santa Marta

Passenger

  • On August 2018, Viva Air Colombia interested to open an international route to Miami from Santa Marta airport in December 2018.[10]
AirlinesDestinations
Avianca Bogotá, Medellín-Córdova, Cali
LATAM Colombia Bogotá, Medellín-Córdova [11]
Viva Air Colombia Bogotá, Bucaramanga (begins 29 October, 2018), Medellín-Córdova, Miami (begins 18 December, 2018) [12], Pereira (begins 2 November, 2018), San Andrés (begins 6 November, 2018)

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas Bogotá
Aerosucre Bogotá

Statistics

Movements201720162015201420132012201120102009
Passengers 1,722,7591,528,1881,457,0781,222,7091,265,0301,014,985866,260843,919555,532

Incidents and accidents

  • On August 4, 1982, Aerotal, flight HK-2559, an Boeing 727 aircraft, landed several meters before reaching the head of the runway, bounced off the runway and lost the left main train, causing the aircraft to leave Of the track and finish in the safety zone.
  • On November 29, 1982, Aerotal, flight HK-2560, an Boeing 727 aircraft, suffered a hydraulic fault and when landing, the left main train was retracted and left the runway.
  • On July 17, 2007, AeroRepública flight 7330, an Embraer ERJ-190 aircraft, overshot the runway, went down an embankment, and ended up with the front end of the aircraft in the ocean.[13]
  • The airport appears in the movie American Made, starring Tom Cruise, about an American pilot recruited by the CIA for covert operations of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and then was a DEA informant. The movie was released on September 29, 2017

See also

References

  1. 1 2 (in Spanish) Archived 7 July 2011 at aerocivil.gov.co [Error: unknown archive URL]. Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil (UAEAC). Accessed 16 October 2009.
  2. ↑ Google Maps - Simón Bolívar
  3. ↑ Santa Marta VOR
  4. ↑ "Get to know the renewed Simón Bolívar airport in Santa Marta (In Spanish)". Hoy Diario Del Magdalena. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "the santa marta airport is already changing (In Spanish)". Agencia Nacional de Infrastructura (ANI). 22 February 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  6. ↑ "This is the new face of Simón Bolívar International Airport in Santa Marta (In Spanish)". Hoy Diario Del Magdalena. 25 December 2017. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "New control tower at Simón Bolívar airport in Santa Marta (In Spanish)". Agencia Nacional de Infrastructura (ANI). 22 February 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "They will allocate $ 300 million for new airport runway (In Spanish)". Hoy Diario del Magdalena. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  9. ↑ "Viva Air Colombia will open a base in Santa Marta". Aviator-Newsroom. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  10. ↑ "Viva Air inaugurará la ruta Santa Marta-Miami". Hoy Diario Del Magdalena. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "LATAM Colombia adds new domestic routes from Mar 2017". Routesonline. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  12. ↑ https://seguimiento.co/la-samaria/desde-diciembre-santa-marta-tendria-vuelos-directos-miami-16697
  13. ↑ "AeroRepública flight 7330". Aviation Safety Network. 23 May 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.