Cap. FAP Víctor Montes Arias Airport

Cap. FAP Víctor Montes Arias International Airport (IATA: TYL, ICAO: SPYL) is an airport serving Talara, Peru. It is run by CORPAC S.A. (Corporacion Peruana De Aeropuertos Y Aviación Comercial S.A.) a government run organization that oversees the management of Peruvian airports. It is an important airport in the Piura Region. It is used both as a relief airport for Cap. FAP Guillermo Concha Iberico International Airport and for faster access to the famous Máncora resort.

History

During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Sixth Air Force defending the South American coastline against Axis powers submarines. The first American forces arrived on March 8, 1942 and construction of barracks and other facilities began during August. The station complement was the 336th Service Group which provided the necessary support resources for the personnel assigned.

American flying units assigned to the airport were:

• 397th Bombardment Squadron (6th Bombardment Group) August 18, 1942-May 4, 1943 (LB-30 (B-24A) Liberator) (Northrup A-17A Nomad)
• 51st Fighter Squadron (32d Fighter Group) Dec, 1942-March 9, 1943 (P-40 Warhawk)
• 3d Bombardment Squadron (6th Bombardment Group) Apr, 1-May 23, 1943 (LB-30 (B-24A) Liberator)
• 91st Reconnaissance Squadron (1st Photographic Group) 1943-1944 (B-25/F-10 Mitchell)

In July 1944, the last aircraft departed from the airport, and most Americans departed. A few remained manning a communications station operated by the Army Communications Service 153d Communications Squadron. The communications facility remained open until January 31, 1947, largely training Peruvian military personnel in communications.

Airlines and destinations

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links

• Airport information for SPYL at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.