Las Américas International Airport

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Las Américas International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional de Las Américas
IATA: SDQ – ICAO: MDSD
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Government
Operator Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI S.A. (Aerodom)with their international airport Operator, Vancouver Airport Services, Ltd. (YVRAS)
Serves Santo Domingo
Location Boca Chica in Santo Domingo City, Dominican Republic
Elevation AMSL 59 ft / 18 m
Coordinates 18°25′46.79″N 69°40′08.13″W / 18.4296639, -69.668925
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17/35 11,000 3,353 Asphalt
Statistics (2007 Jan-Jun)
Aircraft operations 21,467
Passengers 1,375,076
Based Aircraft 28
Departamento Aeropuertuario
"SDQ" redirects here. SDQ is also the former callsign of a TV station in Warwick, Queensland, Australia.

Las Américas International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas-JFPG) (IATA: SDQ, ICAO: MDSD) is an international airport located in Punta Caucedo, near Santo Domingo and Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic. The airport is run by Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (AERODOM), a Dominican Republic-based private corporation, with a 25-year concession to build, operate, and transfer (BOT) 6 airports in the Dominican Republic.

Recently, the expressway leading from Santo Domingo to the airport (roughly 20 km east of the city center) was expanded and modernised. The new expressway crosses a new suspension bridge which spans the Ozama River, connecting traffic into the city's Elevated Freeway and Tunnel system onto the city's main street, Av. 27 de Febrero. A more scenic route following the coastal shore provides beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea and of the city. This secondary road crosses the Ozama River by means of a floating bridge, connecting traffic onto the Av. George Washington (el Malecón) which leads into the heart of the colonial city.

The airport is the largest in the Dominican Republic and one of the largest in the Caribbean, handling over 3 million passengers per year through its air terminal.

Contents

[edit] History

Las Américas Airport is the first International Airport created in Dominican Republic, opened in the 1950s or 60's.

The official name of the airport was changed in 2002 to "Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas- José Francisco Peña Gómez (AIJFPG)" but is most commonly referred to as "Las Américas International Airport", or locally, "Las Américas".

On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de Aviación's DC-9 that was flying to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed, killing all 102 persons on board (see: Dominicana DC-9 air disaster).

Las Américas was the hub for Dominicana de Aviacion, APA Dominicana International, and a number of other, smaller airlines. Currently, a few airlines use Las Américas as a hub. Some of these are Caribair, PAWA Dominicana, and SAP Air. Las Américas Airport will serve as hub for the new Dominican flag carrier Air Dominicana, who intends to enter into service in June 2008.

Las Américas also has served as a hub for airlines such as Aeromar Lineas Aereas Dominicanas, Air Santo Domingo, Aero Continente Dominicana, and Queen Air.

[edit] The new Northern terminal

This new terminal is complete and open for operations. It can accommodate four Boeing 747s simultaneously. This new terminal has four gates with boarding bridges, an air-conditioning system, and maintenance facilities for aircraft.

Las Américas Airport Terminal A
Las Américas Airport Terminal A

[edit] Runway

Las Américas' runway direction is 17/35. This runway is the largest in the country, with a length of 3,353 m. It can support an Airbus A380 without problems. The runway of SDQ is currently under reconstruction and will be in use again in June 2008.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Terminals

Las Américas has 6 gates on the main satellite concourse (A), A1 through A6, which have a shared use. In the same concourse there is an American Eagle gate, A7. Other gate facilities are for the flights departing from a parking in the taxiway.

The Concourse B has 4 gates, B1 through B4, and an American Eagle's gate B1A. This Terminal B is the most modern terminal in all the country and one of the best of the Caribbean.

American Airlines is the major airline operating in Las Américas. It has 3 daily flights to New York (inbound / outbound), 6 flights to San Juan, and 4 to Miami. Delta has one daily flight to / from JFK and a daily flight to/from Atlanta. Iberia has a daily flight from Madrid, and Spirit Airlines has a daily one from Fort Lauderdale. Continental has during the week 1 daily flight to / from Newark and two on Sundays. US Airways has a flight on Saturday to / from Philadelphia. Air France also operates nonstop service to their Paris-Charles De Gaulle (CDG) hub several times each week. Jetblue Flies one daily flight from New York/JFK and Orlando starting March 2008. In 2008, New airlines and routes are expected to start flights as demand increases. The average of daily flights that SDQ provides is about 26 to 40 flights a day, higher than other airports in the country.

[edit] Terminal A

Gates A1 through A6 and American Eagle's Gate A7

[edit] Terminal B

Gates B1 through B4 and American Eagle's gate B1A

[edit] Domestic Terminal

This Terminal is located next to the Cargo Terminal and is used for flights into the Dominican Republic and some private flights.

[edit] Domestic destinations

  • Aerolineas Mas (Samana-Arroyo Barril)
  • Aeronaves Dominicanas (Samaná, Santo Domingo-La Isabela)
  • Air Century (Constanza, Santiago)
  • Caribair (Montecristi [charter service]), Santiago, Punta Cana, Cabo Rojo, Aruba, Curazao, Aguadilla [Charter], San Juan, Varadero, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, Havana[Charter Service], Port of Spain [Seasonal], Fort Lauderdale [charter], Miami [charter], Nassau [Charter], St. Maarten, Bermuda [Charter])
  • Pan Am World Airways Dominicana (Santiago, Punta Cana [Charter service], Samana-El Catey [begins 2008], Santo Domingo-La Isabela [Charter service])
Las Américas Airport Terminals view. Copa, Air Pullmantur in Terminal A, and American in Terminal B
Las Américas Airport Terminals view. Copa, Air Pullmantur in Terminal A, and American in Terminal B

[edit] Accidents and incidents

  • On April 20th, 2008 Cubana de Aviacion flight 201, bound for La Havana, had to return to Las Americas, after reporting two of four engines were out of service, and one was on fire. The IL-62 landed without secondary problems into runway 17R. All 117 passengers were without any injuries. The plane was in the air next day and landed La Habana with no problems as CUB201D.
  • On February 7th, 2008 American Eagle flight 5111 had to make an emergency landing in La Romana International Airport after departing from Las Américas International Airport to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport at 11:30 am. The captain said that he had some problems with the right engine, and as they were approaching the La Romana zone smoke began to spray into the cabin. The captain spoke to La Romana's control tower and obtained permission to make an emergency landing there. The aircraft was an ATR-72-500.

[edit] Cargo Carriers

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ El Caribe (March 24, 2008). Air Dominicana to open Routes to JFK from three airports in DR. Periodico El Caribe. Retrieved on 2008-03-25.
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