Camilo Daza International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional Camilo Daza, ) is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

located in

Cúcuta Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the Eastern ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. It serves the

Norte de Santander Department North Santander (Spanish: Norte de Santander) () is a departments of Colombia, department of Northeastern Colombia. It is in the north of the country, bordering Venezuela. Its capital is Cúcuta, one of the country's major cities. North Santan ...

. The airport is from the center of Cúcuta. It has international facilities and is able to operate general aviation flights to international destinations. It is named after Colombian aviation pioneer

Camilo Daza Camilo Daza Álvarez (June 25, 1898 – March 18, 1975) was a Colombian aviator. He was born in Pamplona, Colombia. In 1919, he became the first Colombian to pilot an airplane, and is considered to be the founder of Colombian aviation. He held t ...

History

Camilo Daza International Airport was inaugurated on October 10, 1971, by the then President of the Republic,

Misael Pastrana Borrero Misael Eduardo Pastrana Borrero (14 November 1923 – 21 August 1997) was a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the List of Presidents of Colombia, 23rd President of Colombia from 1970 to 1974. He was also the father of the 30th Presid ...

, and his Minister of Public Works, Argerino Duran Quintero. At the initiative of then President of the Society of Public Improvements, Juan Agustín Ramírez Calderón, the airport was given the name of Camilo Daza as a tribute to the aviation pioneer and founder of the Colombian Air Force. On March 17, 1988,

Avianca Flight 410 Avianca Flight 410 was a flight that crashed at 13:17 on March 17, 1988, near Cúcuta, Colombia, which occurred shortly after takeoff when it flew into a mountain. All 143 people on board were killed. It was the deadliest aviation accident to oc ...

, a Boeing 727 crashed on low mountains after takeoff to Cartagena's

Rafael Núñez International Airport Rafael Núñez International Airport is an international airport serving the Caribbean port city of Cartagena, Colombia. It is the largest airport in the country's northern Caribbean region in terms of passenger movement. It is located betwee ...

. All 143 people on board died. This was the only air accident in the history of the city. In 2005, the Civil Aeronautics of Colombia Agency announced a renovation of the airport, seeking to transform it into one of the most modern in the nation. This renovation improved the air terminal infrastructure, provided a more contemporary design, and made air traffic safer with a powerful light at night. The airport was renovated and expanded again from 2018 to 2019. A new facade was built, along with a new food plaza and offices for Aerocivil. The terminal was extended, the parking lot expanded to a capacity of 300 vehicles, and the check-in and baggage claim areas were renovated. The newly renovated and expanded airport was inaugurated on 26 April 2019.

2021 attack

At around 5:00 A.M., on December 14, 2021, explosive substances being carried by a man trying to climb an airport fence detonated. One hour later, a suitcase exploded again on the runway, resulting in the deaths of two police officers. The airport was evacuated as authorities suspended all upcoming flights. Colombian Defence Minister Diego Molano denounced the incident as a

terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

by left-wing guerillas based in Venezuela.

Structure and capacity

Avianca Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A.'', "Airways of the American Continent") is a Colombian airline. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it was initially registered under ...

has its own lounge with different services such as Wi-Fi, different environments, satellite television, bar meals, air conditioning and various entertainment materials.

Airlines and destinations

References

External links