Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
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Silvio Pettirossi International Airport is an international airport in
Luque Luque () is a city in Central Department of Paraguay, part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. Both 1635 and 1750 have been recorded as dates of its founding. It was temporarily the capital of Paraguay in 1868 during the Paraguayan War b ...
, Paraguay, which serves Paraguay's capital city,
Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
, and indirectly serves the nearby city of
Clorinda, Formosa Clorinda is a city located in the province of Formosa, Argentina. It is the head town of the Pilcomayo Department, and has 47,240 inhabitants as per the . It is located 115 km north-northeast from the provincial capital Formosa, at the easter ...
in Argentina. The airport is named after Paraguayan aviator Silvio Pettirossi. Between 1980 and 1989, it was known as President Stroessner International Airport, after the former head of state,
Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer and politician who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 to 3 February 1989. Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with t ...
. Pettirossi handled 1.24 million passengers in 2019, making it the busiest airport in the country. It is the main international hub for
LATAM Paraguay Transportes Aéreos del Mercosur S.A, d/b/a LATAM Airlines Paraguay (formerly known as TAM Paraguay and previously ''Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas'') is the flag carrier and the national airline of Paraguay with its headquarters in Asunción, Para ...
and Paranair. Some of its facilities are shared with the Ñu-Guazú Air Force Base of the
Paraguayan Air Force The Armed forces of Paraguay ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay) consist of the Paraguayan army, navy (including naval aviation and marine corps) and air force. The constitution of Paraguay establishes the president of Paraguay as the commander- ...
.


History

The airport was inaugurated on 11 June 1938. The airport's runway was constructed in the 1960s, and was resurfaced in 1985. Spanish airline
Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
provided direct flights to Asunción from
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
from around 1968 until the mid-1990s.
Lufthansa Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
flew once a week from Frankfurt to Asunción from 1971 to 1980, with
DC-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long-range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 19 ...
service starting in 1974. For both airlines, the flights included multiple stops in destinations throughout South America. Also, between early 90s and 1996, Lineas Aereas Paraguayas flew nonstop to Frankfurt with its DC-10.


2000s

In November 2004, the director of Direccion Nacional de Aeronautica Civil (DINAC), Eustaquio Ocáriz, told ABC Color that the airport's runway, which had repair work started in 2001, but halted due to lack of funds, would be completed by the early months of 2005. On 31 July 2007, at 05:10am, a group of five men stole from a money exchange on the bottom floor of the airport. One of the robbers, Juan Pablo Ortigoza, was detained, along with others. Another robber was captured in Encarnación. It was later discovered that the robbery was planned in Asunción's Tacumbú prison. One of the arrested stated they received for the robbery. The money was going to be sent on a flight to Uruguay. In May 2008, a report concluded that Paraguay's aeronautic systems were in a critical state and needed to be replaced. In November 2009, new instrument landing systems began operating. The equipment was acquired at a cost of . The previous system that was replaced was installed in 1980. The implementation of the system made Paraguay up to date with the requirements of international security as a member of the OACI.


2010s

In January 2013, various improvements were made to the terminal. By 2015, some airlines ceased operations at the airport, including
American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...
. On 17 December 2015,
Air Europa Air Europa Líneas Aéreas, S.A.U., branded as Air Europa, is the third-largest Spanish airline after Iberia and Vueling. The airline is headquartered in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain; it has its main hub at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport ...
began service between Pettirossi and
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, Spain, creating the first direct connection between Paraguay and Europe in 21 years. In 2017, airport infrastructure specialist Carlos Achucarro estimated that the airport would require expansion before 2024. In January 2018, DINAC reported that the airport has seen a 15 percent raise in travellers from 2013 to 2017. The airport also saw an increase in flights, from 20 daily flights to about 60 flights by 2018.


2020s

Pettirossi Airport ceased operating commercial flights for 7 months due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In October 2020, DINAC announced a ceremony for the resumption of flights. In November 2020, drugs were found by agents of the National Secretary of Antidrugs. They were disguised as parcels and were to be sent to various countries. In February 2021, plans for a second terminal were unveiled, to be started in 2022. In October 2021, a new route, operated by Paranair, was announced between Pettirossi and
Santa Cruz de la Sierra Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; "Holy Cross of the Mountain Range"), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department. Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), P ...
.


Terminals

The original passenger terminal, located near threshold 02, is now instead used by Grupo Aerotáctico (GAT) of the
Paraguayan Air Force The Armed forces of Paraguay ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay) consist of the Paraguayan army, navy (including naval aviation and marine corps) and air force. The constitution of Paraguay establishes the president of Paraguay as the commander- ...
. The current terminal began service on 20 March 1980. The terminal building is split into two international concourses: the south concourse having gates 1 to 4, and the north concourse having gates 5 and 6. The airport is being expanded to accommodate more gates.


Access

The airport, located within the municipality of
Luque Luque () is a city in Central Department of Paraguay, part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. Both 1635 and 1750 have been recorded as dates of its founding. It was temporarily the capital of Paraguay in 1868 during the Paraguayan War b ...
, is located from downtown
Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
. It may be reached via the Aviadores del Chaco Avenue, which runs adjacent to nearby
Ñu Guasú Park The Ñu Guasú Park (Spanish: ''Parque Ñu Guasú'') is an urban park located in Luque, in the Greater Asuncion area, in Paraguay, near the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport. It was turned into a recreational park covering 25 hectares. It i ...
. Bus line 30-A links Asunción's downtown with the airport terminal.


Airlines and destinations


Passenger


Cargo


Statistics

The following is the number of passengers movements into the airport, according to the Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil's Aviation Sector Summary Reports.


Top routes in 2018


Accidents and incidents

*16 June 1955: a
Panair do Brasil Panair do Brasil was an airline of Brazil. Between 1945 and 1965 it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America. It ceased operations in 1965. History NYRBA do Brasil (1929–1930) ''Panair do Bras ...
–owned Lockheed L-149 Constellation, with registration PP-PDJ, was operating flight 263 from São Paulo-Congonhas to Asunción. It hit a 12m tree while on its final approach to land at Asunción. Part of the wing broke off, the aircraft crashed and caught fire. Of the 24 passengers and crew aboard, 16 died. *27 August 1959: an
Aerolíneas Argentinas Aerolíneas Argentinas, formally Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A., is Argentina's largest airline and the country flag carrier. The airline was created in 1949 from the merger of four companies and started operations in . A consortium led by Iberia ...
–owned
de Havilland DH-106 Comet 4 The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four d ...
, with registration LV-AHP, was operating a flight from
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
to Asunción. While on approach to Asunción, bad weather caused a forced landing close to the airport. A crew member and a passenger died. *29 August 1980: a Transporte Aéreo Militar–owned
Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
B, with registration FAP2016, crashed on approach to Asunción. The aircraft was on a flight to Ayolas when an engine failed shortly after take-off and the decision was made to land back at Asunción. One person died. *4 February 1996: a cargo LAC Colombia–owned
Douglas DC-8-55F The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is a long-range narrow-body airliner built by the American Douglas Aircraft Company. After losing the May 1954 US Air Force tanker competition to the Boeing KC-135, Douglas announced in July ...
, with registration HK-3979X, was on an empty positioning flight around Asunción prior to a flight from Asunción to
Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...
. At VR power was reduced on no. 1 engine and, after rotation, also on the no. 2 engine. With the gear still down and flaps at 15° the aircraft lost control and crashed on a playing field 2 km past the runway. The crew possibly used the positioning flight as an opportunity for crew training. All four occupants of the aircraft and 20 persons on the ground died.


Gallery

File:Lateral del Aeropuerto Silvio Pettirossi.jpg, File:Aeropuerto de Asunción Paraguay by Felipe Méndez.jpg, File:Passport Control Asuncion Airport.jpg, File:Interior del Aeropuerto Silvio Pettirossi003.JPG, A vintage aircraft on display in the main concourse


See also

*
List of airports in Paraguay This is a list of airports in Paraguay, sorted by location. __TOC__ Airports Airport names shown in bold indicate the airport has scheduled service on commercial airlines. Transport in Paraguay Paraguay's transportation system ranges from adequate to poor, largely depending on the region of the country. The country has a network of roads, railroads, rivers, and airports, but significant infrastructure and regulation improvements are needed ...
* List of airports by ICAO code: S#SG - Paraguay


References


External links

* * * {{authority control 1938 establishments in Paraguay Airports established in 1938 Airports in Paraguay Transport in Asunción Central Department Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in South America