Viru Viru International Airport in
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.
Situated on the Pirai River in the eastern Tropical Lowlands of Bolivia ...
is
Bolivia's largest international airport. Viru Viru handles domestic, regional, and international flights from Bolivia, North America, South America and Europe and is the hub for Bolivia's biggest airline
Boliviana de Aviación. The airport is able to handle aircraft up to the
Boeing 747-400.
History
The airport was opened in 1983, to replace the obsolete
El Trompillo Airport
El Trompillo Airport is located in the south part of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, about 2 km (1.25 miles) away from the central plaza.
Creation
It was created in 1920 with a lane that measured no more than 800 meters (2,624 feet). The airport wa ...
. Upon its inauguration, Viru Viru became a main gateway for international flights.
Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano used Viru Viru as a hub before ceasing operations in 2008. On 1 March 1997 the government of Bolivia entered into a 25-year contract with Airport Group International to operate the three largest airports in Bolivia —
El Alto International Airport in La Paz,
Jorge Wilstermann International Airport in
Cochabamba
Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630 ...
and Viru Viru International Airport. Servicios de Aeropuertos Bolivianos Sociedad Anonima (SABSA) was created to operate the concession. In 1999 Airport Group International was purchased by
TBI plc. In 2004, Spain's
Abertis
Abertis Infraestructuras, S.A. () is a Spanish worldwide corporation engaged in toll road management. Even though most of the toll roads it operates in Spain are in Catalonia, the company is headquartered in Madrid. The company runs over 8,600 k ...
/AENA purchased TBI.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Top destinations
References
{{authority control
Airports in Bolivia
Buildings and structures in Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Airports in Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia)
Airports established in 1983
1983 establishments in Bolivia