Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport

Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport
Summary
Airport type Public and Military
Operator Nuevo Pudahuel
Serves Santiago
Location Pudahuel, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 474 m / 1,555 ft
Coordinates 33°23′34″S 70°47′08″W / 33.39278°S 70.78556°W / -33.39278; -70.78556Coordinates: 33°23′34″S 70°47′08″W / 33.39278°S 70.78556°W / -33.39278; -70.78556
Website NUEVO PUDAHUEL
Map
SCL

Location of airport in Chile

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
17R/35L 3,800 12,467 Asphalt
17L/35R 3,748 12,298 Asphalt
Statistics (2016)
Passenger Numbers 19.189.845
ILS Category/Runway CAT II & IIIb / 17L[1]
Passenger Statistics from Junta de Aeronautica Civil de Chile

Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez) (IATA: SCL, ICAO: SCEL), also known as Santiago International Airport and Pudahuel Airport, located in Pudahuel, 15 km (9.3 mi) north-west of downtown Santiago, is Chile's largest aviation facility and the busiest international airport in the country.

Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport has domestic and international services to destinations in Europe, Oceania and the Americas. In 2011 it was the ninth busiest airport in Latin America and the sixth busiest in South America by passenger traffic. It was the seventh busiest airport in Latin America by aircraft movements, serving 124,799 operations.[2] Its location in Chile's most populated area, as well as in the central part of the country makes of it an ideal main hub and maintenance center for most local airlines such as LATAM and Sky Airline. LATAM Airlines accounts for approximately 82% of the airport's total commercial operations.[3]

The airport is owned by the Chilean government and has been operated since October 2015 by Nuevo Pudahuel, a consortium of companies formed by Aéroports de Paris (France), Vinci (France) and Astaldi (Italy). Air traffic control is handled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Chile).

Its ICAO category is 4E. The airport functions as a joint civil-military facility. It is the headquarters of the Chilean Air Force 2nd Air Brigade and where its 10th Aviation Group is based.

Santiago International is the longest non-stop destination for most European carriers including Iberia, Air France, Alitalia and British Airways from their respective hubs in Madrid-Barajas Airport, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport and London-Heathrow Airport.

The airport is also South America's main gateway to Oceania, with scheduled flights to Sydney, Auckland, Easter Island, Papeete and Melbourne. The Sydney–Santiago non-stop flight operated by Qantas on a Boeing 747-400ER covers the world's longest over-the-sea distance flown by a commercial airline.

History

Early years

The demands of the growing metropolitan area of Santiago and the need for modern, jet-era airport facilities, which could safely accommodate both domestic and intercontinental flights, drove the need to relocate the Chilean capital's principal airport from Los Cerrillos Airport (ICAO: SCTI; IATA: ULC) in the denser southwest metropolitan region of Santiago to the more rural northwest metropolitan area.

Construction of the original terminal building, the eastern runway (17L/35R), control tower, east apron and cargo facilities commenced in 1961. On February 2, 1967, the airport was commissioned Aeropuerto Internacional de Pudahuel, due to its location in the municipality of Pudahuel. On March 19, 1980, the airport was rechristened Air Commodore Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in honour of the founder of the Chilean Air Force and Chilean carrier LATAM Chile.

1994 expansion

The facility was expanded in 1994 with a new international terminal that covered 90,000 square meters, inspired by the architecture of Marseille Provence Airport in France. The building is located between the two parallel runways. This expansion added a new control tower, jetways, a duty-free zone, hotel, and greater parking area. The old terminal was used for domestic flights until 2001, when all passenger operations were merged into the same building.

In 2000, Lan Chile joined Oneworld, making of Arturo Merino Benitez Airport a main hub for the alliance, its first one in Latin America and its second in the Southern Hemisphere (after Qantas' Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport in Australia). As of April 2014, 71% of international and 75% of domestic passengers were carried by Oneworld member airlines.

During the 2010 Chile earthquake, the passenger terminal building suffered internal damages and the collapse of a pedestrian bridge between the vehicle ramp and the departures area. Nevertheless, both runways and control tower were unharmed, allowing the realization of a massive humanitarian air-bridge held by the Chilean Air Force to Concepción, Chile (Carriel Sur International Airport), close to the most damaged area by this earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The airport authority had closed off all commercial flight operations after around 1200 UTC on February 27, resuming full operations on March 3, 2010.[4][5]

In 2011, IATA recognized the DGAC (Chile’s provider of air navigation services) and SCL (Santiago Airport) with the Exceptional Recognition Award to the cooperative efforts of SCL and DGAC Chile that facilitated a quick recovery from the devastation that followed the Chilean earthquake on 27 February 2010. "Both airport and air navigation services were restored quickly with no impact on rates or charges for passengers or airlines. DGAC Chile and SCL are widely regarded as leaders in Latin America for efficiency, quality, and customer focus.[6]

In June 2011, Santiago International Airport received the Air Cargo Excellence Award, as the best Latin American Cargo Airport.[7]

Second runway

Construction on Runway 17R/35L began in 2004 and opened to traffic in September 2005. However, within months defects were discovered and the runway required repairing, completed in January 2006. Unfortunately further study of the problem discovered that the initial repairs were insufficient, needing additional work. Finally, 17R/35L reopened for traffic in March 2007.

2020 Master plan and expansion

In 2008, the airport terminal reached its maximum design capacity of 9.5 million annual passengers, two years earlier than forecast, and with the repairs needed after the 2010 Chile earthquake, the Ministry of Public Works announced in 2012 that it would call for proposals for the expansion and administration of the airport, two years prior to the end of the contract with the current operator.

The ministry decided to investigate a new airport master plan instead of an expansion of the single passenger terminal building, as initially proposed by the current operator. The feasibility studies for this master plan cost 4,560 million Chilean Pesos (USD 9.4 million) considered in the 2011 Fiscal Budget. For this new master plan, the Government hired the consultancy services of Aéroports de Paris Ingeniérie (ADP-I), the architecture, engineering and technical branch of the French airport corporation.[8]

The master plan took into account a capacity growth to 14 million annual passengers by 2014, 34 million by year 2034 and 50 million passengers by 2045. New detached passenger terminal buildings for international and domestic flights, additional commercial areas and the construction of a light railway connecting the airport with the Santiago Metro network were considered.[9]

In June 2013, the Chilean Ministry of Public Works started Phase 1 of the airport expansion.[10]

On February 4, 2015, the consortium "Nuevo Pudahuel", formed by French companies Aéroports de Paris (45%), Vinci Airports (40%) and Italian infrastructure company Astaldi (15%) won the bidding process to manage and develop the airport for 20 years since October 1, 2015. The main missions of the new administration will be "the renovation of existing installations with the redesign and extension of the current terminal; the funding, design and construction of a new 175,000 sq m terminal which will increase the airport's capacity to 30 million passengers, with potential for expansion beyond 45 million; the operation and commercial development for the duration of the concession (20 years) of the main infrastructures: existing terminal and new terminals, car parks and future property developments. Building works will be executed by Astaldi (50% of conception-construction pool) and Vinci Construction Grands Projets (50%)".[11]

Passenger terminal

View of the Domestic Terminal

The terminal building has four levels:

The terminal building hosts the following services: bank office, Chilean Automobile Club, telecommunication companies (Claro, Movistar and Entel PCS), pharmacy, travel agencies, insurance offices and a police station (Carabineros de Chile).

Shopping

The airport has four tax-free shops. They are handled by the Spanish duty-free operator Aldeasa. One of them is located just after the police border control at departures, while another one is located before the baggage claim area.[12]

Souvenirs, jewellery, Chilean handcrafts and wine shops, music and accessories among others, are available in more than 70 stores.

Restaurants

The airport has 21 restaurants, coffee shops and bars, located in the public area and in the national and international departing lounges.

Airline lounges

In the international terminal, the operators are:

Hotels

Military functions

The airport is the headquarters of the Chilean Air Force II Air Brigade and hosts the 10th Aviation Group facilities. The 10th Aviation Group is in charge of Strategic Air Transportation, the Airborne Early Warning & Control Squadron, medical air transport emergencies and the air transportation of the President of Chile. Some of its units are C-130 Hercules, Boeing 767-300, Boeing 737 Classic, Gulfstream IV, CASA C-212 Aviocar, F-16 Fighting Falcon, AEW&C Condor. The FIDAE, Latin America's most important air show takes place in the 10th Aviation Group facilities.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Aerolíneas Argentinas Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Córdoba (begins 10 September 2017)
Aeroméxico Mexico City
Air Canada Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Toronto–Pearson
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Alitalia Rome–Fiumicino
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami
Avianca Bogotá
Avianca Brazil São Paulo–Guarulhos
Avianca Costa Rica Lima
British Airways London–Heathrow
Copa Airlines Panama City–Tocumen
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Gol Transportes Aéreos Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Guarulhos
Iberia Madrid
JetSmart Antofagasta, Calama, Concepción (begins 15 August 2017), Copiapó (begins 21 August 2017), La Serena (begins 7 August 2017), Puerto Montt (begins 14 September 2017), Temuco (begins 25 September 2017)
KLM Amsterdam, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza
LATAM Argentina Neuquen (begins 4 October 2017), San Juan (AR) (begins 3 October 2017)
LATAM Brasil Lima, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, São Paulo–Guarulhos
LATAM Chile Antofagasta, Arica, Auckland, Bogotá, Buenos Aires–Aeroparque, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Calama, Cancún, Castro, Concepción, Copiapó, Córdoba, Coyhaique, Easter Island, Frankfurt, Guayaquil, Iquique, La Paz, La Serena, Lima, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne (begins 5 October 2017),[13] Mendoza, Mexico City, Miami, Montevideo, New York–JFK, Osorno, Papeete, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Punta Cana, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Rosario, Santa Cruz de la Sierra–Viru Viru, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Stanley–Mount Pleasant, Sydney, Temuco, Tucumán (begins 2 October 2017), Valdivia
Seasonal: Bariloche (begins 3 January 2018), Florianópolis, Orlando, Puerto Natales, Punta del Este (begins 4 January 2018), Salta
LATAM Ecuador Guayaquil
LATAM Paraguay Asunción
LATAM Perú Lima, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza
Latin American Wings Caracas, Concepción, Lima, Mendoza, Port-au-Prince, Puerto Montt, Punta Cana
Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas Madrid[14][15]
Qantas Sydney
Qatar Airways Doha (begins 30 January 2018),[16] Rio de Janeiro–Galeão (begins 30 January 2018)[17]
Sky Airline Antofagasta, Arica, Balmaceda, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Calama, Concepción, Copiapó, Córdoba, Coyhaique, Iquique, La Serena, Lima, Mendoza, Montevideo, Osorno, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Rosario (begins 3 October 2017), Temuco, Valdivia
Seasonal: Puerto Natales[18]
United Airlines Houston–Intercontinental

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Atlas Air Miami
Avianca Cargo Bogotá
Cargolux Aguadilla, Luxembourg
Centurion Air Cargo Miami
China Cargo Airlines Los Angeles
Korean Air Cargo Seoul-Incheon
LATAM Cargo Chile Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Campinas Viracopos, Miami
Lufthansa Cargo Frankfurt
Martinair Aguadilla, Amsterdam, Bogotá, Guayaquil, Miami, Quito
UPS Airlines Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Campinas Viracopos

Statistics

Santiago domestic nonstop routes (as of July 2015).
Santiago international nonstop routes (as of June 2017).
Busiest international routes (2016)[19]
Rank City Passengers % Change Airlines
1 Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina (Ezeiza and Aeroparque Airports) 1,607,618 Increase 12,7% Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Canada, LATAM, Sky Airline, KLM
2 Peru Lima, Peru 1,259,772 Increase 13,7% Lasca, LATAM, Sky Airline, TACA Perú
3 Brazil São Paulo–Guarulhos, Brazil 1,142,636 Decrease 3,7% LATAM, GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes
4 Colombia Bogotá, Colombia 568,515 Increase 19,5% Avianca, LATAM
5 United States Miami, FL, USA 520,262 Increase 12,4% American Airlines, LATAM
6 Panama Panama City, Panama 462,067 Increase 12,4% Copa Airlines
7 Spain Madrid, Spain 457,105 Increase 11,6% Iberia, LATAM[20]
8 Brazil Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Brazil 378,475 Increase 25,9% LATAM
9 Uruguay Montevideo, Uruguay 244,736 Increase 13,7% LATAM, Sky Airline
10 Mexico Mexico City, Mexico 235,605 Increase 7,8% AeroMéxico, LATAM
11 France Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France 226,908 Increase 8,5% Air France
12 Argentina Mendoza, Argentina 219,507 Decrease 7,0% LATAM
13 United States New York-JFK, NY, USA 207,400 Increase 16,8% LATAM
14 Australia Sydney, Australia 205,863 Increase 13,6% Qantas, LATAM
15 Argentina Córdoba, Argentina 185,546 Increase 38,6% LATAM, Sky Airline
16 United States Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, USA 124,037 Decrease 3,0% American Airlines
17 United States Houston, TX, USA 119,611 Increase 11,0% United Airlines
18 United States Atlanta, GA, USA 118,601 Decrease 5,3% Delta Air Lines
19 New Zealand Auckland, New Zealand 102,868 Increase 10,4% LATAM
20 Ecuador Guayaquil, Ecuador 97,309 Increase 11,6% LATAM
21 Canada Toronto-Pearson, Canada 78,005 Increase 12,2% Air Canada
22 Italy Rome, Italy 73,590 Steady Alitalia
23 United States Los Angeles, CA, USA 69,237 Increase 14,2% LATAM
24 Bolivia La Paz, Bolivia 54,468 Decrease 9,7% LATAM
25 Paraguay Asuncion, Paraguay 48,190 Increase 6,9% LATAM
Busiest domestic routes [2016][19]
Rank City Passengers % Change Airlines
1 Antofagasta 1,685,815 Decrease 1,3% LATAM, Sky Airline
2 Calama 1,412,864 Increase 7,4% LATAM, Sky Airline
3 Iquique 1,091,494 Increase 13,2% LATAM, Sky Airline
4 Puerto Montt 1,026,976 Increase 18,6% LATAM, Sky Airline
5 Concepción 964,732 Increase 7,9% LATAM, Sky Airline
6 Punta Arenas 701,952 Increase 25,0% LATAM, Sky Airline
7 Arica 682,271 Increase 29,7% LATAM, Sky Airline
8 Temuco 674,488 Increase 17,3% LATAM, Sky Airline
9 La Serena 596,263 Increase 7,4% LATAM, Sky Airline
10 Copiapó 471,761 Increase 10,9% LATAM, Sky Airline
11 Balmaceda 291,959 Increase 26,9% LATAM, Sky Airline
12 Easter Island 215,557 Increase 14,1% LATAM
13 Valdivia 146,267 Increase 19,7% LATAM, Sky Airline
14 Castro 58,933 Increase 11,4% LATAM
15 Osorno 49,261 Decrease 17,0% LATAM
16 El Salvador 12,447 Increase 3,1% Aerovias DAP
17 Pica 3,614 Increase 87,1% Aerovias DAP
18 Puerto Natales 3,418 Steady LATAM, Sky Airline

Ground transportation

Roads

Costanera Norte Expressway

Arturo Merino Benitez is about 17 kilometres (11 mi) by car from Santiago's city center. The airport is well served by the 6-lane expressway Costanera Norte (Exit # 31), which crosses through the city from West to East bordering the Mapocho river, while it is also well connected to the West, North and North-East of Santiago by the Vespucio Norte Express Ring motorway (Exit # 18).

Taxi and shuttle services

There are 2 official airport taxi services: Taxi Oficial and Taxi Vip. TransVip shuttle services reach most of Santiago's hotels, business and residential districts.

Bus

Buses at the Departures Level

Centropuerto buses connect the airport with Los Héroes station of Santiago Metro. Their frequency is every 10 minutes during weekdays and 15 minutes during weekends. Turbus offers a similar service to its Alameda terminal. Both these services stop at the Pajaritos metro station/bus terminal on the way.

Rental services

Car rental services are available from the airport.[21]

Accidents and incidents

References

  1. https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afs/afs400/afs410/status_lists/media/Foreign_CAT_II_III_Pub.xlsx
  2. Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil. DGAC (2013-07-15). Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  3. AEROPUERTO INTERNACIONAL DE SANTIAGO - SCL Aeropuerto de Santiago de Chile. Aeropuertosantiago.cl. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  4. "Reuters earthquake report". Reuters. February 27, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  5. (in French) Business Travel, "Aéroport de Santiago au Chili: retour à la normale mercredi", 2 March 2010 (accessed 3 March 2010)
  6. Announces Eagle Awards. IATA. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  7. Air Cargo Excellence / Home. Air Cargo World. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  8. Portal de Registro y Autentificación El Mercurio. Diario.elmercurio.cl. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  9. Portal de Registro y Autentificación El Mercurio. Diario.elmercurio.cl. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  10. . Retrieved on 2013-11-18.
  11. "VINCI : Aeroports de Paris, VINCI Airports and Astaldi presented the best offer for the Santiago de Chile International Airport concession". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  12. "Shopping and services". Aeropuerto de Santiago. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  13. http://www.ausbt.com.au/latam-to-fly-melbourne-santiago
  14. "Plus Ultra volará a Chile a través del hub en Madrid" (in Spanish). Preferente. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  15. "Plus Ultra volará de Barcelona a Santiago de Chile" (in Spanish). Expreso. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  16. "Confirmado: Rota Rio-Doha começa no final de janeiro" (in Portuguese). Panrotas. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  17. "Confirmado: Rota Rio-Doha começa no final de janeiro" (in Portuguese). Panrotas. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  18. "Sky Airline Adds New Domestic Routes in NW16". routesonline. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  19. 1 2 Archived September 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  20. http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1113582476715&pagename=Estadisticas%2FEstadisticas
  21. "LetsGoChile > » Car Rental in Chile". Retrieved 4 June 2015.

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