Mataveri International Airport

Mataveri International Airport
Isla de Pascua Airport
Summary
Airport type Military/Public
Operator FACH – Fuerza Aérea de Chile (Chilean Air Force)
Location Mataveri
Elevation AMSL 69 m / 227 ft
Coordinates 27°09′53″S 109°25′18″W / 27.16472°S 109.42167°W / -27.16472; -109.42167Coordinates: 27°09′53″S 109°25′18″W / 27.16472°S 109.42167°W / -27.16472; -109.42167
Website mataverinternational.com
Map
IPC

Location of airport in Pacific Ocean

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10/28 10,885 3,318 Asphalt

Mataveri International Airport or Isla de Pascua Airport (IATA: IPC, ICAO: SCIP) is located at Hanga Roa on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) (Isla de Pascua in Spanish). The most remote airport in the world,[1] Mataveri International Airport is 3,759 kilometres (2,336 mi) from Santiago, Chile (SCL) which has scheduled flights to it on the Chilean carrier LATAM Chile. The runway starts just inland from the island's southeast coast at Mataveri and nearly reaches the west coast, almost separating the mountain of Rano Kau from the rest of the island.

The airport is the main point of entry for thousands of tourists who come to Easter Island to see its Moai statues. The airport also has a transit lounge used by passengers who are continuing onwards to or returning from Papeete, Tahiti, which is also serviced by LATAM Airlines.

History

Scheduled services from the Chilean mainland started in 1967 with a monthly Douglas DC-6B propliner flight operated by LAN-Chile that took nine hours, using a runway extended and paved for the use as a U.S. base. In 1970, services were upgraded with weekly Boeing 707-320 nonstop jet service to Santiago, Chile. Nonstop service to Papeete, Tahiti was also added during the late 1960s and the frequency doubled to twice-weekly with LAN-Chile providing direct connecting 707 service once a week between Easter Island and Frankfurt, Paris and Madrid in Europe via its Santiago hub.[2][3] LAN-Chile then replaced its Boeing 707 flights with Boeing 767-200ER jet service and in 1993 was operating twice weekly round trip flights on a routing of Santiago (SCL) – Easter Island (IPC) – Papeete (PPT).[4] The airline later operated Airbus A340 and Boeing 767-300ER wide body jetliners into the airport.[5]

The airport's single runway is 3,318 m (10,885 ft) long. The airport was once designated as an abort site for the U.S. Space Shuttle when polar orbital flights from Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California were planned with this space launch activity then subsequently being cancelled. The project undertaken by NASA to lengthen the runway was completed in 1987 and enabled wide-bodied jets to use the airport, which further boosted tourism to the island.

LATAM Chile, the successor to LAN-Chile, currently operates Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to the island on its scheduled services.

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
LATAM Chile Papeete, Santiago de Chile

See also

References

  1. ↑ Davies, Jason (3 October 2014). "World Airports Voronoi". Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Airline Timetable Images, Oct. 25, 1970 LAN-Chile system timetable
  3. ↑ Steven R Fischer The island at the end of the world. Reaktion Books 2005 ISBN 1-86189-282-9 Page 220
  4. ↑ Airline Timetable Images, April 1993 LANChile system timetable
  5. ↑ Airliners.net | Aviation Photography, Discussion Forums & News, photos of LAN Airlines Airbus A430 and Boeing 767-300ER aircraft at Easter Island.
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