Augusto C. Sandino International Airport

Augusto C. Sandino International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino
IATA: MGA – ICAO: MNMG MGA Location of airport in Nicaragua
Summary
Airport type	Military/Public
Owner	Republica de Nicaragua
Operator	EAAI (Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales)
Serves	Managua
Location	Managua, Nicaragua
Hub for	Avianca Nicaragua La Costeña
Elevation AMSL	59 m / 194 ft
Coordinates	12°08′29″N 086°10′05″W / 12.14139°N 86.16806°W / 12.14139; -86.16806
Website	http://www.eaai.com.ni
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 2,442 8,012 Asphalt

Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino) (IATA: MGA, ICAO: MNMG) or ACS is the main airport in Managua, Nicaragua. Named as Las Mercedes Airport in 1968 it was later renamed Augusto C. Sandino International Airport during the Sandinista regime in the 1980s and again in 2001 to Managua International Airport by then president Arnoldo Alemán. Its name was changed once more in February 2007 to its current name by President Daniel Ortega to honor one of Nicaragua's national heroes, Augusto Cesar Sandino.^[1]

The runway at the airport is 8,012 ft long, and it is located at an elevation of 194 feet. With 1.4 million passengers in 2013, ACS is currently the fifth busiest airport by passenger traffic in Central America and it also serves as a focus city for the Panamanian airline Copa Airlines. Augusto C. Sandino International Airport has direct scheduled service to destinations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and South America.

History

Before ACS, there was the old Xolotlan Airport, about 2 miles east of Managua, built in 1915 which very soon became too small for Managua's airline service growth. Thus, on January 22, 1942, the Nicaraguan Government and Pan American Airways signed a contract to construct an airport by Las Mercedes Country Estate which inspired the name for Las Mercedes Airport.^[2] Las Mercedes was further upgraded, re-designed to handle Boeing 707 aircraft, and re-inaugurated on July 4, 1968 by Anastasio Somoza Debayle.^[3]

In the early 1970s, Las Mercedes was expanded to more modern standards, such as four health inspectors, eight immigration officers and ten customs inspectors.^[4] It was considered fully equipped, having air conditioning, background music, loudspeakers and conveyor belts for baggage handling.^[5] It also had a restaurant on its upper floor where visitors and travelers could see airport movement.

Lockheed L-188 Electra of TAN Airlines (Transportes Aéreos Nacionales S.A.) operating at Las Mercedes Airport, Managua, Nicaragua in 1970s

The expanded airport could serve three aircraft at once and by 1975 LANICA, the National Airline of Nicaragua, as well as many well known carriers Pan Am, KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), Taca Airlines, Sahsa, Avianca, Iberia, SAM, TAN, Varig, and smaller local carriers, flew into Las Mercedes. When the Sandinistas took power, the airport was named after Augusto César Sandino, a Nicaraguan revolutionary and guerrilla leader, after whom the Sandinista movement is named. The Sandinistas however did not maintain the airport, and it began to deteriorate until it was expanded and remodeled in 1996, when, among other things, two new boarding bridges were installed.^[4] The airport was renamed "Managua International Airport" in 2001 by then President Arnoldo Alemán and renamed again in 2007 to its current name by President Daniel Ortega In mid 2007, President Daniel Ortega renamed the airport in honor of Sandino. Nicaraguan artist Róger Pérez de la Rocha has created many two large portraits of Augusto César Sandino, and Rubén Darío which they lay at the airports lobby.^[6] .

Sculptures in the center of the waiting lobby.

Las Mercedes served for a very long time as a hub for Nicaragua's flag carriers Lanica (until 1978), Aeronica from 1979 to the 80's and NICA afterwards. When NICA became a member of Grupo TACA during the 1990s, the number of important connections to the rest of Latin America from which ACS grew considerably.

According to EAAI (Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales) ACS is the most modern airport in Central America and the 4th safest in the world. It is located just 11 km (7 mi) from Managua's downtown, has a runway which measures 8,015 ft (2,443 m) in length and is at an elevation of 194 ft (59 m).^[7]

Embraer 190s, Airbus A300, Airbus A310, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus 340 Boeing 737s, Boeing 747s, Boeing 757s, Boeing 767s, Lockheed L-1011 TriStars and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s can land at the airport.

Expansion

American Airlines Boeing 737-800. The aircraft arrived from Miami International Airport, one of Managua's most busiest routes. American Airlines operates 23 flights per week to 2 destinations in the United States.

A large expansion programme was underway by 2003 and as of July 2006 the final phase was completed with 7 gates equipped with jetways, and room for 20 airplanes to park. It had been reported in the recent past that the runway would be lengthened by 800 m (2,625 ft), but to date this projected has not begun, despite the government's great achievements in building new airports elsewhere in Nicaragua, or greatly overhauling existing airport/airfield infrastructure in other locations as well.^[8]

About 360 individuals are employed at the airport. Facilities within the airport include a tourist information desk, bank, restaurants, bars, post office, souvenir shops, duty-free shops, lounges and more. To make use of the VIP lounge there are five rate options: Normal, Corporate, Affiliated Credit Cards, Minors and Infants. The types of services in the VIP lounge include checking baggage and documents with customs and immigration plus the airline; a bar service; snacks etc.^[9]

Airlines and destinations

United Airlines Boeing 737-900 arriving from Houston-Intercontinental Airport.

Delta Air Lines Airbus A320 taxiing to take off to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Boeing 727 of Amerijet Cargo taxiing at the airport.

Airbus A320 of Spirit Airlines landing in Managua.

An Airbus A320 of TACA Airlines parked at Gate 4.

View of gates 3 and 4 with American Airlines and Spirit Airlines aircraft.

¹ D = Domestic Terminal, I = International Terminal.

Cargo

Airline traffic departures and arrivals

Airline	Percentage of Passengers Transported (2015)
Copa Airlines	30%
Avianca El Salvador	20%
American Airlines	15%
United Airlines	14%
Delta Air Lines	7%
Spirit Airlines	6%
Aeromexico	3%
Aero Caribbean	2%
Avianca Nicaragua	1%
Conviasa	1%
Nature Air	1%
Total	100.0%

Busiest routes

• weekly departing seats.

http://www.anna.aero/2015/03/04/managua-airport-grows-by-8-9-in-2014/

Rank	City	Passengers	Airlines
1	Miami, Florida	4,446	American Airlines, Avianca El Salvador
2	Houston, Texas	2,656	Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
3	San José de Costa Rica	2,595	Avianca Costa Rica, Copa Airlines, Nature Air.
4	Panama City, Panama	1,548	Copa Airlines
5	Guatemala City, Guatemala	1,548	Avianca Guatemala, Copa Airlines
6	San Salvador, El Salvador	1,356	Avianca El Salvaldor
7	Atlanta,Georgia	1,050	Delta Air Lines
8	Fort Lauderdale	890	Spirit Airlines
9	Mexico City, Mexico	456	Aeromexico
10	Los Angeles	TBD	Delta Air Lines

Incidents and accidents

• On March 5, 1959, Vickers Viscount YS-09C of TACA International Airlines crashed shortly after take-off from Managua Airport when both port engines failed. Fifteen of the 19 people on board were killed.^[12]

• On February 15, 1974, a Douglas DC-3 of APSA was damaged beyond economic repair when it crash-landed at Managua Airport.^[13]

• On July Sunday 18, 1993, a Boeing 737-200 of SAHSA, the aircraft landed firmly on runway 09, skidded to the right off the runway. The nosegear collapsed and both engines were torn off. The aircraft came to rest 200 feet right of the runway.^[14]

• On June 5, 2006 a McDonnell Douglas DC10-10F (registered N68047) en route Miami – Managua touched down hard at Managua and was unable to stop before the end of the runway. The aircraft overran by about 300 meters, the nose gear collapsed causing substantial damage to the engines as well as a possible fuel rupture in the wing.^[15]

• On July 24, 2007 a Boeing 737-700, Continental flight 876, with 120 passengers and a crew of 6 flying from Panama City to Houston had to land in the Augusto C. Sandino International Airport because one of the internal security windows suffered a rupture.^[16]

• On September 22, 2012, A TACA Airlines Airbus A321-200 flight TA-396, registration N564TA from Managua (Nicaragua) to Miami International Airport Miami, Florida (US), rejected takeoff from Managua at high speed after an engine (V2533) ingested a bird. The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. A passenger reported they were told a bird strike had disabled one of the engines, resulting in the takeoff being rejected at high speed. The engine needed to be replaced.^[17]

• On October 11, 2013 a TACA Airbus A-320 (registration N492TA) declared an emergency due to smoke in the cockpit. The aircraft was en route from Jorge Chávez International Airport, Lima Peru to El Salvador International Airport San Salvador El Salvador, it made a successful emergency landing.^[18]

Flights departing from or bound for Augusto C. Sandino International Airport

• On 20 April 1985, a problem was encountered with the additional fuel tanks that an Fokker F27 Friendship (registered YN-BZF) had been fitted with for the delivery flight to Aeronica from Europe to Nicaragua. The pilots decided to return to Kulusuk Airport in Greenland, the place of their most recent fuel stop, but failed to do so. The aircraft crashed on a snow-covered strip, killing two of the five occupants.^[19]
• On October 21, 1989: Tan-Sahsa Flight 414, a Boeing 727-200 crashed upon landing on runway 01 at Toncontín International Airport at Tegucigalpa, Honduras on a flight from Managua,killing 127 of 146 people aboard. The cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error by disregarding the prescribed approach procedures.^[20]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency. {{http://www.anna.aero/2015/03/04/managua-airport-grows-by-8-9-in-2014/}}

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Augusto C. Sandino International Airport.

• Official website
• Airport information for MNMG at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.

Airports in Nicaragua Bluefields Bonanza Chinandega Corn Island Los Brasiles León Managua Montelimar Nueva Guinea Ometepe Puerto Cabezas Punta Huete Rosita San Carlos San Juan de Nicaragua Siuna Waspam