Bluefields International Airport is an airport serving
Bluefields, a harbor city in the
South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
The South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua. It covers an area of and has a population of 420,935 (2021 estimate). The capital is Bluefields. Bordering the Caribbean Sea, it contains part of the reg ...
of
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
. It is the busiest airport in the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
coast of Nicaragua.
A new terminal was opened recently and extension of the runway is planned. Currently, the airport serves only domestic and small international destinations, but plans are to make it international in the future.
Taxicab
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
and
bus service are available.
The airport is just south of the city on the Bluefields Bay shore. North approach and departure are over the water. The runway length includes a
displaced threshold A displaced threshold or DTHR is a runway threshold located at a point other than the physical beginning or end of the runway.
The portion of the runway behind a displaced threshold may be used for takeoff in either direction and landings from the ...
on Runway 23.
The Bluefields
VOR/DME
In radio navigation, a VOR/DME is a radio beacon that combines a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) with a distance-measuring equipment (DME). The VOR allows the receiver to measure its bearing to or from the beacon, while the DME provides the slan ...
(ident: BLU) is located on the airfield.
Airlines and destinations
Accidents and incidents
*On 10 May 1982, two hijackers demanded a
Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando
The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...
of
Aeronica
Aerolíneas Nicaragüenses S.A., operating as Aeronica, was an airline based in Nicaragua. Headquartered in the capital Managua, it operated scheduled passenger flights within Central America, as well as to Mexico City and the United States from ...
to leave its Bluefields-Corn Island route and land in Costa Rica instead. The pilots obeyed and landed at
Limón International Airport
Limón International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional de Limón) in Limón, Costa Rica, is one of the four international airports in that country.
Puerto Limón and the southern Caribbean area towns of Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo an ...
in
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
, where the perpetrators surrendered.
*On July 20, 1999, a
Cessna Grand Caravan
The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna.
The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982.
The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...
operating as
La Costeña flight 046 from Managua to Bluefields crashed into a remote hillside 50 km west of Bluefields when it descended prematurely, killing all 16 on board.
*On December 19, 2007 a
Short 360 of
La Costeña Airlines struck a tire when attempting takeoff from Bluefields Airport. No-one was hurt.
See also
*
*
*
List of airports in Nicaragua
This is a list of airports in Nicaragua, sorted by location.
__TOC__
List
See also
*
*
* Transport in Nicaragua
* List of airports by ICAO code: M#MN - Nicaragua
* Wikipedia: WikiProject Aviation/Airline destination lists: North America ...
*
Transport in Nicaragua
References
External links
OpenStreetMap - BluefieldsSkyVector - Bluefields AirportEAAI Profile
*
Airports in Nicaragua
South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Region
{{CentralAmerica-airport-stub