Ilopango International Airport
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| Ilopango International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: -- - ICAO: MSSS | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military and Charter | ||
| Operator | CEPA | ||
| Serves | San Salvador | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 2008 ft (612 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 15/33 | 7,345 | 2,239 | Asphalt |
Ilopango International Airport (IATA:--, ICAO: MSSS) is an airport located on the eastern part of the city of San Salvador, El Salvador, once serving the city as its international airport until it was replaced by the larger and more modern Comalapa International Airport, located about 50 km south of the city. Currently, Ilopango is used for military and charter aviation only. It also holds the annual Ilopango Air Show.
During the civil war it was a perfect target for bombs from the guerrillas, the rebel group that also destroyed El Puente de Oro (The Golden Bridge), a hanging bridge over the Lempa River.
Even though there is a master plan to "internationalize" Ilopango again it has the problem that every airprot in Central America has, it borders on the city and has houses near it, which is why Comalapa grew faster and larger since its opening. CEPA are figuring out in what way they can make the runway longer.
Ilopango was the largest and busiest airport in Central America until the civil war disrupted its operations. It ended its international flight service in the late 1970s, with the building of Comalapa Airport, but there are plans to rehabilitate it as an international airport in 2009. Right now there is a master plan that involves the modernization and enlargement of the airport to accommodate modern aircraft. In 2001, the administration of the airport passed from the military to the Comisión Ejecutiva Portuaria Autónoma (CEPA), which is in charge of planning the modernization project. [1]
The Exedra Group of Italy has plans to build a third international airport near the Salvadoran Pacific beach of Tamarindo, La Unión as part of a project to built a touristic complex on the lines of Cancun, Mexico.
[edit] Some airlines that served Ilopango in the past
- Aviateca [now part of Grupo TACA] (Guatemala)
- Aeronica [now part of Grupo TACA] (Managua)
- Lacsa [now part of Grupo TACA] (San José (CR), Liberia)
- TACA El Salvador [Now part of Grupo TACA] (San Pedro Sula, Tegucigalpa, Guatemala, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Dallas, Washington, D.C.)
- Copa Airlines (Panama City, San Andres Island)
- American Airlines (Miami, Los Angeles)
- Iberia (Madrid, Miami)
- Pan Am (New York, San Francisco, Houston-Intercontinental, Los Angeles)
- Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Miami)
- Sahsa (Tegucigalpa)
- Westjet (Montreal)
