| José María Córdova International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional José María Córdova |
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|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: MDE – ICAO: SKRG
MDE
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Commercial | ||
| Operator | AirPlan | ||
| Serves | Medellín | ||
| Location | Rionegro | ||
| Hub for | Tampa Cargo | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,142 m / 7,027 ft | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| m | ft | ||
| 18/36 | 3,557 | 11,483 | Paved |
| Statistics (2010) | |||
| Passengers movement | 3.541.020 | ||
| Cargo movement | 105.264 T | ||
| Air operations | 49.891 | ||
| Sources: | |||
José María Córdova International Airport (IATA: MDE, ICAO: SKRG) is the main airport serving the Colombian city of Medellín and its surrounding metropolitan area. The airport is located about 30 minutes from the urban area by the new Las Palmas express way, in the municipality of Rionegro. It is the second largest airport in Colombia after the El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá in terms of infrastructure and passenger service.
It's the most important airport in the department of Antioquia, which serves the metropolitan area and Valle de Aburrá. In terms of infrastructure, it is the most important in western Colombia. It is one of the most important airports in the country, currently serving several international destinations, one of the busiest being the route to Miami International Airport. The airport also serves the most flown route within Colombia (Medellin-Bogota), which is currently served by main airlines, mainly Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, and AIRES. In the recent years, some significant upgrades have been made regarding its technology and infrastructure, making it one of the most recognized airports in Colombia. LCD Screens have been added, as well as service to European Destinations and new ones in South America.
International traffic departs from JMC towards destinations in the United States, Panama, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Spain, The airport also serves domestic flights to most major Colombian cities such as Bogota, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Santa Marta and San Andres Island. Freight transport is also one of the strengths of the terminal, providing air transportation to most of the flower output (and other products) from eastern Antioquia bound to South, Central and North America, and Europe.
Since its inauguration in 1985 until 1990, the terminal had heavy passenger and cargo movement, in part because the Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport, which is located in Medellín, was closed. When it reopened, traffic reduced. However, since 1993, there has been a steady increase in traffic, due to an increase in the number of airlines flying into the airport, including American Airlines, LAN, Taca, Aerogal. As for cargo airlines, Martinair, Centurion Air Cargo, ABSA, and Florida West International Airways and national freight airlines such as Tampa Cargo, LANCO, AeroSucre have increased their flights to the terminal. The airport is currently undergoing a comprehensive renovation.
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The airport serves all major international and domestic routes in contrast to Olaya Herrera Airport which also serves the Medellín area with regional flights and airlines. José María Córdova is set for a major expansion which will include new international terminals and an expansion on the cargo terminal this is set to start next year according to the Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics. The airport is named after José María Córdova, a Colombian army general who was a native of Ríonegro City.
The José María Córdova International Airport is the second in Colombia in total passenger and cargo also international, national and international after the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota. The runway is also used by the nearby military base in the Air Force of Colombia located in Rio Negro, named Air Combat Command No. 5 (CACOM 5), where all types of military and national police aircraft arrive and depart.
The airport has air navigation aids such as VOR, NDB, ILS, which allows greater ease of operation for pilots making navigation and landings safer in bad weather. In January 2006, the Airbus A380, landed at the air terminal (first time on American soil) to conduct technical tests of the engines. Antioquia's exports, most which are flowers, and other products from the region depart enroute to international destinations from these terminals. The main Cargo operater TAMPA, has its main base at the airport which operates flights to a variety of countries in South, Central and North America. Tampa cargo has a ramp that can accommodate up to ten aircraft. All types of aircraft, including Boeing 747, Douglas DC-10, Boeing 767 are among the most common arrivals at the terminal. In addition, the terminal is near the customs area and Airline hangars Tampa Cargo.
The airport has three restaurants and a shopping area, where are banks, ATMs, money exchange and car rental. Also the airline Avianca has a VIP room inside the facilities serving domestic and international flights. Outside the main building with a parking lot with a capacity for 250 cars and an area for motorcycles. You can arrive to your final destinations in a variety of manners such as taxis which you can rent for yourself or share with other passangers, and busses known as collectivos.
Between 1930 and 1932, three wealthy families in the metropolitan area of Medellin, began with the idea of providing the city with an airport, as they were part of the Colombian Air Navigation Company which sought to carry passengers and mail from the city of Medellin to Puerto Berrio, then along the Magdalena River and ultimately connect the cities of Medellin and Bogotá. One of the most important was Gonzalo Mejia, who in a very colloquial decided what would be the only place where you could build an airport, this place was confirmed by the Curtiss Wright firm based in New York.
After several obstacles, the city of Medellín has finally accepted the construction of an unpaved runway about 974 m long. Soon many flights began arriving companies and Saco Scadta from the cities of Barranquilla and Bogotá. Finally the city understood the importance of air transport. Then in the 70s saw the need for a large airport for the city, due to saturation and the limitations of Olaya Herrera, in addition to not being within the city, two sites were defined to build a new airport in the vicinity of the municipality of Barbosa, and another in the valley of San Nicolas in Eastern Antioquia near Rionegro, finally took place in Rionegro, its construction was executed signature CES-DARC-TAMS.
It was opened in 1985. In the same year he tested the Boeing 747 by Avianca in the original runway (Olaya Herrera) to be tested later in the José María Córdova. During this time the airport had a lot of movement of cargo and passengers, as the operations from the Olaya Herrera declined to almost zero (both airports today have a lot of traffic, being more numerous destinations and the operations of Olaya Herrera).
The airport is named Jose Maria Cordova, in honor of this character, besides being a native of Antioquia and the region where the airport was built (born in Concepción, Antioquia), a municipality located in the north eastern Antioquia Rionegro held senior positions in the administration, and played important roles in the history of the nation.
In José María Córdova Airport anticipates the modernisation plan that includes various infrastructure projects, that will make this an airport terminal very attractive for tourists as for airlines. The community will find different and varied services at this terminal as:
Within the works, too modernisation passengers will find security systems, flight information via digital displays, high-tech communication, passenger arrival lounges with shopping, improving health services Airport, improvement in firefighting services, improving baggage handling systems. The objectives of the modernisation and expansion plan are: to ensure aviation safety and comfort of passengers and their companions; meet the requirements of ICAO - International Civil Aviation, the AEROCIVIL - Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, and IATA-International Air Transport Association. Finally, with the transformation of José María Córdova International Airport it also seeks to contribute to the country's competitiveness through: the creation of spaces that enable optimal connectivity with other cities in the world, the development of new areas that are attractive to airlines, the creation of zones that favour the encounter of citizens and, of course, compliance with new policies of quality for passengers to enjoy the best service at time of travel.
| Rank | City | Passengers | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panama, Panama | 144.214 | 21,36% |
| 2 | Miami, United States | 127.537 | 16,84% |
| 3 | Fort Lauderdale, United states | 50.381 | 3,47% |
| 4 | New York, United States | 45.264 | 13,12% |
| 5 | Quito, Ecuador | 55.973 | 9,94% |
| 6 | Madrid, Spain | 28.465 | 278,68% |
| 7 | Caracas, Venezuela | 15.638 | 14,62% |
| 8 | Lima, Peru | 10.875 | 22,97% |
| 9 | Willemstad, Curaçao | 5.328 | New |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| LAN Colombia | Bogotá Seasonal: San Andrés Island |
| American Airlines | Miami |
| Avianca | Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Madrid , Miami Seasonal New York-JFK, San Andrés Island |
| Copa Airlines Colombia | Bogotá, Caracas, Panama City, San Andrés Island |
| Insel Air | Curacao |
| LAN Perú | Lima, Quito |
| Spirit Airlines | Fort Lauderdale |
| TACA Airlines operated by Lacsa | Panama City, San José de Costa Rica |
| TACA Perú | Lima |
| TACA Peru operated by AeroGal | Quito |