Seymour Airport

Seymour Airport
IATA: GPS – ICAO: SEGS
GPS
Location of airport in Ecuador
Summary
Airport type Public / Military
Serves Baltra, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Elevation AMSL 207 ft / 63 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
14/32 2,401 7,876 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Seymour Airport (IATA: GPS, ICAO: SEGS) is an airport serving the island of Baltra[1], one of the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.

Contents

Facilities

The airport resides at an elevation of 207 feet (63 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 14/32 with an asphalt surface measuring 7,876 by 115 feet (2,401 × 35 m).[1]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
AeroGal Guayaquil, Quito
LAN Ecuador Guayaquil, Quito
TAME Guayaquil, Quito, San Cristóbal

History

During World War II, the airport (known as Seymour Island Airfield) was used by the United States Army Air Force Sixth Air Force defending the South American coastline and the Panama Canal against Japanese submarines. The first American personnel arrived on 9 April 1942. Military flying units assigned to the airport were:

Detachments stationed at: Salinas Afld, Ecuador and Talara Afld, Peru, December 1942-March 1943

By 30 September 1945, most personnel were withdrawn and only a housekeeping staff remained. The military facility was inactivated on 30 April 1946, leaving a communications unit which inactivated on 29 February 1948. Today many of the former USAAF aircraft parking hardstands still exist, along with an unused NW/SE runway that was abandoned after the war, but remains in reasonable condition.

References

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

  1. ^ a b c Airport information for SEGS from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
  2. ^ Airport information for GPS at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).

External links