Mariscal Sucre International Airport

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Mariscal Sucre International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre
IATA: UIO - ICAO: SEQU
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Quiport
Serves Quito
Elevation AMSL 9,214 ft (2,808 m)
Coordinates 00°08′28″S, 78°29′19″W
Website www.quitoairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17/35 10,236 3,120 Paved

Mariscal Sucre International Airport (IATA: UIO, ICAO: SEQU) is an airport in Quito, Ecuador, named after Antonio José de Sucre, a hero of Ecuadorian and Latin American independence. It began operations in 1960, and currently handles about 3.9 million passengers and 125,000 metric tons of freight per year. The airport, one of the highest located in the world (at 2800 meters AMSL) is located in the northern part of the city, in the Chaupicruz parish, within 5 minutes of Quito's financial center; the terminals are located at the intersection of Amazonas and La Prensa avenues.

Due to its location (in the middle of a city surrounded by mountains), the current airport cannot be expanded to accommodate any larger aircraft or an increase in air traffic. Its operation poses higher risks, too; six serious accidents and several incidents have taken place in recent years.[1][2] A new airport is being built in the Tababela parish, about 18 km to the east of the city, which is slated to begin operations by 2010. [3]

The airport charges a departure tax of US $40.80 as of August 1, 2007.

Contents

[edit] Facilities

The existing airport consists of one terminal split into a national and international area. It is equipped with five swing gates capable of directing arriving passengers to either Immigration or to baggage claim. In addition, there are numerous ground slots where passengers walk to the aircraft from the terminal.

[edit] Airport geography

The airport is in the middle of Quito. In certain times of the year landing at the airport can be very dangerous, due to winds and poor visibility that makes for less than ideal conditions at best. Landing from the north is generally much more dangerous than landing from the south, especially with bigger aircraft such as Boeing 747, Boeing 767, Airbus A340-600, and MD-11.

[edit] Airlines and Destinations

[edit] Domestic Concourse

  • Aerogal (Cuenca, Guayaquil, Manta, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz/Baltra)
  • Icaro (Coca, Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Manta)
  • TAME (Coca, Cuenca, Esmeraldas, Galápagos, Guayaquil, Lago Agrio, Loja, Macas, Machala, Manta, Portoviejo, San Cristóbal, Tulcán)
  • VIP (Coca, Guayaquil, Nueva Loja, Salinas)

[edit] International Concourse

[edit] Cargo Airlines and destination

[edit] Accidents and Incidents

  • November 9, 2007 - An Iberia Airlines A340-600 was badly damaged after sliding off the runway at Ecuador’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport. The landing gear collapsed and two engines were dislodged. All 333 passengers and crew were evacuated via inflatable slides, but no serious injuries were reported.
  • In 1998,an Cubana de Aviacion Tupolev Tu-154 overshot the runway killing 56 of the 77 passengers.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Report on the conditions of the current airport and the benefits of a new airport (Inter-American Development Bank)
  2. ^ Cubana Flight 389, the most serious accident in recent years (Aviation Safety Network)
  3. ^ Report on the conditions of the current airport and the benefits of a new airport (Inter-American Development Bank)

[edit] External links