José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport (; ) is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

serving

Guayaquil Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital (political), capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is ...

, the capital of the

Guayas Province Guayas (, ) is a coastal Provinces of Ecuador, province in Ecuador. It is bordered to the west by Manabí Province, Manabí, Santa Elena Province, Ecuador, Santa Elena, and the Pacific Ocean (as the Gulf of Guayaquil); to the east by Los Ríos ...

and the most populous city in

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

. It is the second busiest airport in Ecuador. The airport was named after José Joaquín de Olmedo, a notable Ecuadorian poet, first mayor of Guayaquil, and former president of Ecuador. It was changed from Simón Bolívar International Airport, which is currently the name of the airports in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, and

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. The airport is on the Avenida de las Américas, north of Guayaquil's centre. The runway length of 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 t ...

on Runway 21 and a displaced threshold on Runway 03. The runway can accommodate

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and

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A340-600 aircraft. The airport is in the broad delta of the Guayas River, with level terrain in all quadrants. In July 2014, the airport domestic area was enlarged; now the airport is capable of handling up to 7.5 million passengers per year. An exit tax is levied on all international tickets, however, it is no longer required to pay at the window when exiting the country.

History

The airport, which had the newest terminal in Ecuador, was renamed for José Joaquín de Olmedo in 2006, in preparation for the inauguration of the new national and international terminal on 27 July 2006. Although there was an inaugural flight on 28 July 2006, most airlines did not operate completely from the new terminal until August 2006. After that date, the old terminal was closed and it was later turned into a convention center. The construction of the new terminal and expansion of the runway was finally decided in 2003–2004, years after making the decision that the current infrastructure was not sufficient to cover the city's needs, but that it was not yet commercially viable to build an entirely new airport in the Daular area. The original project in 2003–2004 contemplated the construction of a international terminal and the continuing operation of the old terminal, which would be left to handle only domestic flights. However, it was later decided that the newer terminal would handle both national and international traffic, and the older terminal would be closed. The airport is planned to serve the city of Guayaquil for 10 to 15 years starting in 2006. After this, it is expected to reach a capacity of 5 million passengers a year, and when this happens a new airport will be built in the Daular area, some 20 kilometers outside the city, near the highway that connects Guayaquil to Salinas and other coastal towns. José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport was named "Best Airport in Latin America 2008 & 2009" by ''BusinessWeek'' and the second best in 2011. All domestic flights going from the Ecuadorian mainland to the

Galápagos Islands The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...

make a stop in Guayaquil to refuel and pick up passengers due to its location, which is the closest point in Ecuador to the islands.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Statistics

Accolades

* 2011 – 2nd ''Best Airport in Latin America – Caribbean'' of the Airport Service Quality Awards by

Airports Council International Airports Council International (ACI) is an organization of Airport authority, airport authorities, informing members of industry practices and airport standards. Established in 1991, its headquarters (ACI World) are based in Montreal, Quebec, Ca ...

"ASQ Award for Best Airport in Latin America – Caribbean"
''Airports Council International''. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012 and ''Best Airport by Size'' in the 2 to 5 million passenger category.

Accidents and incidents

*On 29 April 1983, SAN Flight 832, a

Sud Aviation Caravelle The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French jet airliner produced by Sud Aviation. It was developed by SNCASE in the early 1950s, and made its maiden flight on May 27, 1955. It included some de Havilland designs and components developed for t ...

(registered HC-BAJ) crashed near the southern end of the airport's runway after attempting to execute an

emergency landing An emergency landing is a premature landing made by an aircraft in response to an emergency involving an imminent or ongoing threat to the safety and operation of the aircraft, or involving a sudden need for a passenger or crew on board to term ...

. The plane had suffered an engine failure shortly after taking off from Guayaquil on a flight to Quito's Mariscal Sucre Airport, and the crew was returning to the airport. However, the second engine failed while overflying the city during the return, and, being barely airborne, the plane stalled just as it approached the airport. Cap. Germán Cruz crash-landed the plane in a muddy

puddle A puddle is a very small accumulation of liquid, usually water, on a surface. It can form either by pooling in a depression on the surface, or by surface tension upon a flat surface. Puddles are often characterized by murky water or mud due to t ...

, produced by recent El Niño rains near the end of the runway, with the fuselage breaking in three parts but without causing a fire. The accident killed 8 of the 100 people on board and injured several others, but the fact that puddle served as a form of cushion helped avoid more fatalities. The pilot had previously reported engine issues and had tested the plane the previous day, after which it was subjected to

maintenance The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installa ...

and was later reported as fit to fly shortly before the ill-fated flight.

References

External links

José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport
at OurAirports * * *
Autoridad Aeroportuaria de Guayaquil

Accommodations near the airport in Guayaquil
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jose Joaquin De Olmedo International Airport Airports in Ecuador Buildings and structures in Guayaquil