El Dorado International Airport

El Dorado International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional El Dorado

IATA: BOG – ICAO: SKBO

BOG
Location of airport in Colombia

Summary
Airport type Public / Military
Operator OPAIN S.A.
Location Bogotá
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 2,548 m / 8,361 ft
Coordinates 04°42′05″N 74°08′49″W / 4.70139°N 74.14694°W / 4.70139; -74.14694Coordinates: 04°42′05″N 74°08′49″W / 4.70139°N 74.14694°W / 4.70139; -74.14694
Website Aeropuerto El Dorado
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13L/31R 3,800 12,467 Asphalt
13R/31L 3,800 12,467 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Passengers 29,956,551
Cargo tonnage 670,222

El Dorado International Airport (IATA: BOG, ICAO: SKBO) is an international airport located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is ranked among the world's 50 busiest airports in terms of: passenger traffic (ranked third in Latin America with 25,009,483 passengers in 2013), cargo traffic (ranked first in Latin America (33rd worldwide) with 622,145 metric tons in 2013) and traffic movements (ranked second in Latin America (45th worldwide) with 304,330 aircraft movements in 2011). As such, it is the largest airport in Colombia and the main international and domestic air gateway in the country, serving as an important hub for Avianca (the national flag carrier of Colombia), Copa Airlines Colombia, LAN Colombia, Satena, EasyFly and other cargo companies. It is managed by Operadora Aeroportuaria Internacional (OPAIN), a consortium composed of Colombian construction and engineering firms and the Swiss Flughafen Zürich AG.

El Dorado is the most important airport in Colombia, accounting for 49% of the total air traffic in the country. It handles all domestic and international flights into Bogotá and has the world's third-largest landing field (6.9 square kilometres (1,700 acres) of land). El Dorado is located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of the city center; Avenida El Dorado (26 street) provides passengers access to downtown. Regular buses, known as "feeders" (alimentadores), transport users from the airport to Portal Eldorado, where they can connect with the TransMilenio system.

The airport has been named the best airport in South America by World Airport Awards.[1] El Dorado received four-star certification and its staff was rated the best in South America by Skytrax,[2] as well as achieving the 46th place in the World's Top 100 Airports in 2016 list.[3]

History

El Dorado International Airport
Old Terminal
Travel display inside El Dorado

El Dorado Passenger Terminal was designed during the government of General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. Its construction began in 1955 and entered in service at the end of 1959, replacing the interim terminal and joining other portions of the then brand new airport. The new terminal consisted of several taxiways, maintenance platforms, parking areas, a cellar, passenger halls, Mezzanine areas and other amenities. Its second floor consisted of the departures area with executive waiting rooms and restaurants. The third floor consisted mainly of offices for the airlines and of other airport related services.

The fourth floor held the administrsative offices and its dependencies which accounted through to the fifth floor. The sixth floor contained mainly the dependencies of meteorology and power station of air navigation aids of the ECA. The seventh floor held the route control facilities for the runways and taxiways and the eighth floor contained air traffic radar controllers. The ninth floor contained the airport's electrical maintenance and offices, and the tenth floor held the control tower and air traffic controllers.

In 1973, the airport accomplished a milestone by serving nearly three million passengers and processing nearly 5 million units of luggage. That year turned out to be one of the most prosperous for the industry of aviation, registering high passenger growth in both domestic and international traffic. Then it became necessary for a second runway at El Dorado with concerns that the explosive growth would lead to over congestion in the future. In 1981, Avianca undertook the construction of the Puente Aéreo Terminal inaugurated by President Julio César Turbay Ayala, to serve its high density flights from Bogotá to Cali, Medellín, Miami and New York City. In 1990, the Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) moved to the third floor in the main building. During this same year, the Centro de Estudios Aeronáuticos and at the east part of the airport the building for the National Center for Aeronavigation were constructed. In 1998, the second runway was officially opened.

Over the past few years, the baggage claim area has been upgraded and expanded on both the northern and southern portions of the airport, and the departure lounges towards the west have also been greatly expanded, adding more restaurants and shops.

Avianca's main hub

On 10 December 1998, Avianca officially opened its hub in Bogotá, offering an estimated 6,000 possible connections per week, including greater numbers of frequencies, schedules and destinations served. Connections between domestic and international destinations are currently operated directly and through codesharing agreements with airlines such as Delta Air Lines, Iberia, Air Canada, Lufthansa and Air France.

Operations out of the Bogotá hub allow travelers to easily connect between domestic destinations (such as Medellín to San Andrés), from a domestic destination to an international destination (Such as Cali to Los Angeles), from an international destination to a domestic city (Such as Ft. Lauderdale to Baranquilla), between two international destinations (Such as Paris to Guayaquil) and allows for simpler codeshare connections (such as Atlanta to Cartagena with Delta Air Lines and Avianca).

The hub also features facilities for easier transits, such as exclusive check-in counters for travelers in transit, buses for internal transportation between Puente Aéreo and El Dorado terminals, and a special lounge for international transit passengers to avoid having to go through Colombian customs and immigration between transits.

Puente Aéreo

In 1981, Avianca undertook the construction of a new exclusive terminal to be called the Puente Aéreo (Air Bridge), which was eventually inaugurated by President Julio Cesar Turbay Ayala. Avianca's original purpose for the terminal was for flights serving Cali, Medellín, Miami and New York. During the first years of operation and until 2005 Avianca gradually moved all of its domestic operations to the Puente Aéreo and shifted the Miami and New York operations to the main terminal.

This allowed them to streamline their operations by using space previously assigned to customs and immigration for passenger gates and lounges. The culmination of this process came in 2006 when the airline undertook extensive renovations on the building. However, the airline was mindful of the impending and current renovations of El Dorado. One possible plan will be demolishing the Puente Aéreo Terminal, Main terminal and old cargo buildings which will be replaced with a new mega terminal. Many of the renovations made to the terminal in 2006 were obviously temporary and designed to be cheap but effective. For example, the walkways for the new gates are simply floor tiles placed over the old tarmac and the structure is made of aluminum with plastic sheets instead of glass windows. Passengers must cross the lanes used by buses, baggage carts and other vehicles in order to reach the aircraft. Once at the gate travellers must climb stairs to access the plane, the norm in the 1950s and 1960s but has for many years been surpassed by jetways.

In February 2008 Avianca opened a pioneer store called Aviancastore which sells different products including: toy airplanes, hats, umbrellas, clothing, stuffed toys, pens, mugs and other such products, all embossed with the company logo. The store was an instant success and the airline expanded the concept to various other cities in Colombia.

CATAM Military Airport

On 3 September 1932 it was launched the first Military Transport Service in Colombia, when a Junkers F-13 carried Colonel Luis Acevedo and his party to Leticia. Colonel Acevedo also served as Colombia's General Director of aviation. Although the military air transport infrastructure was not formed yet, that mission was accomplished during the conflict with Peru in a rudimentary but effective way, with aircraft like the Junkers W-34, Ju-52 and BT-32 Condor.

In 1954 he created a "Liaison Squadron" operating under direct orders of the President of the Republic, at the time, Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla. The Squadron was located in the Airport of Techo, the first airport of Bogotá. Its success led to the creation of a Military Airlift Group, which reached the category of Transportation Base in 1959. By then El Dorado International Airport was finished, so the Colombian Air Force ordered the transfer of the Unit to an area adjacent to the new Airport of El Dorado, using the civil airport facilities, while finishing the construction of a new base. The base was baptized as Comando Aéreo de Transporte Militar (Military Transportation Air Command) or CATAM. The base was inaugurated on 28 May 1963.

The base acquired the status of Operations and Logistics Support Center by FAC Directive No. 4429 of 8 July 1963, starting operations on 25 October. In 1968 the first two Hercules C-130B, with Colombian airplane military numbers FAC-1001 and FAC-1002, were delivered to this base. These aircraft, clearly designed for war missions and troop and materials transport, were able to use short and unpaved runways used in military operations through the country, fulfilling the needs of Colombian Air Force.

Boeing E-4 in CATAM

In 1977, the Military Transport Aviation Command was named after the Colombian aviation pioneer, Honorary Brigadier General Camilo Daza Alvarez. In order to expand its capacity for troop and cargo transportation in support of surface forces, in their fight against subversion and drug trafficking, the Air Force acquired new C-130 Hercules aircraft that been used for security purposes but also for humanitarian assistance. Between 1990 and 1991 the base received from the U.S. government six C-130B aircraft to support operations to combat drug trafficking and guerrillas.

In 1996 the base opened new ground accesses through an area devoted to the Military Transport Aviation Command. The narrow street that impeded the entrance and exit of vehicles was replaced by a dual carriageway and a tunnel that allows access to vehicular traffic passing below the airplane access ramp to runway number 2 of El Dorado International Airport. The parking lot was also enlarged to serve up to 260 vehicles. The base hosts the Colombian Air Force Museum, which has planes in display that represent the various types used in service during the 85 years history of the force.[4]

In 2003 NVG equipment for night vision air operations was installed in Hercules C-130 and CN-235 Nurtanio airplanes. This increased the operational and support capacity of the base given to ground Army force, by allowing transportation, parachuting and aeromedical evacuation on combat runways lacking illumination. In this way Colombian Air Force almost doubled its operating capacity at this base, since it works 24 hours a day.[5]

Terminals and facilities

International Departures gate in the Terminal 1

New construction and renovations are presently underway in the terminal area. Once fully completed, the new main terminal will be known as Terminal 1 (T1). The T1 building is shaped like an "h" and is divided in two piers or concourses: the international one to the north side and the domestic pier/concourse on the south side. The new terminal has three airline lounges (operated by LAN, Avianca and American Airlines) in the international concourse, as well as a food court plaza and several retail stores and cafés in the duty-free area. There are also car rental facilities, ticket counters, ATM's, telephones, restrooms, luggage storage space and even a small casino. The terminal has complimentary Wi-Fi service.

T1 has several check-in counter areas, check-in kiosks and expanded immigration lanes compared to the previous terminal. "Express lanes" were added for holders of biometric passports and Global Entry Membership. The new terminal has moving walkways, escalators and elevators to guarantee universal access and faster connections. The new terminal contains 32 gates: 10 for international flights, 17 for domestic flights and 5 remote gates.

The "Puente Aéreo" is currently Terminal 2 (T2). It has been Avianca's exclusive terminal for domestic flights. On 8 June 2014, Avianca will move some of their domestic flights to T1 and will operate both terminals. This terminal contains a revamped food plaza, an Avianca premium lounge and several retail stores.

The Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) is located in the new Aerocivil Building, located on the airport property.[6][7] Previously it was located on the fourth floor of the main terminal building.[8][9]

Airlines and destinations

El Dorado is the main hub of Avianca, one of the largest airlines in Latin America
Air France Airbus A340 landing from Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Boeing 777-200ER of KLM in El Dorado

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsTerminal
Aerolíneas Argentinas Buenos Aires–Ezeiza 1-I
AeroMéxico Mexico City 1-I
Air Canada Toronto–Pearson 1-I
Air Europa Madrid (begins 27 June 2016)[10] 1-I
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle 1-I
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami 1-I
Avianca Aruba, Barbados, Barcelona, Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Cancún, Caracas, Curaçao, Fort Lauderdale, Guatemala City, Havana, La Paz, Lima, London–Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Miami, New York–JFK, Orlando–International, Panama City, Punta Cana, San Juan de Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo–Las Américas, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo–Guarulhos, Rio De Janeiro-Galeao, Washington–Dulles 1-I
Avianca Barranquilla, Cali, Cartagena, Medellín–Córdova, Pereira 1-D
Avianca Armenia, Barrancabermeja, Bucaramanga, Cúcuta, Florencia, Ibagué, Leticia, Manizales, Montería, Neiva, Pasto, Popayán, Riohacha, San Andrés Island, Santa Marta, Valledupar, Villavicencio, Yopal 2
Avianca Brazil Fortaleza 1-I
Avianca Costa Rica San José de Costa Rica 1-I
Avianca Ecuador Aruba, Guayaquil, Panama City, Quito 1-I
Avianca El Salvador San Salvador 1-I
Avianca Peru Lima 1-I
Avior Airlines Valencia (VE) 1-I
Conviasa Caracas 1-I
Copa Airlines Panama City 1-I
Copa Airlines Colombia Cancún, Caracas, Havana, Mexico City, Panama City, Punta Cana, Quito 1-I
Copa Airlines Colombia Cali, Medellín–Córdova, San Andrés Island 1-D
Cubana de Aviación Havana 1-I
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, New York–JFK 1-I
EasyFly Arauca , Barrancabermeja, Ibagué, Neiva, Popayán, Quibdó, Villavicencio, Yopal 1-D
Iberia Madrid 1-I
Interjet Mexico City 1-I
JetBlue Airways Fort Lauderdale, Orlando–International 1-I
KLM Amsterdam1 1-I
LAN Airlines Santiago de Chile 1-I
LAN Colombia Aruba, Cancún, Lima, Miami, Punta Cana, São Paulo–Guarulhos 1-I
LAN Colombia Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cali, Cartagena, Cúcuta, Leticia, Medellín–Córdova, Montería, Pereira, San Andrés Island, Santa Marta, Valledupar, Yopal 1-D
LAN Perú Lima 1-I
Lufthansa Frankfurt 1-I
Satena Apartadó, Arauca, Buenaventura, Corozal, Ipiales, Florencia, La Macarena, Medellín–Córdova, Mitú, Pasto, Puerto Asís, Puerto Inírida, Puerto Carreño, Quibdó, San José del Guaviare, San Vicente del Caguan, Saravena, Villagarzon, Villavicencio 1-D
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale 1-I
TAM Airlines São Paulo–Guarulhos 1-I
TAME Caracas, Quito 1-I
Turkish Airlines Istanbul–Atatürk [11] 1-I
United Airlines Houston–Intercontinental, Newark 1-I
Viva Colombia Lima, Miami, Panamá Pacífico, Quito 1-I
Viva Colombia Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, Cartagena, Cucuta, Medellín–Córdova, Montería, Pereira, San Andrés Island, Santa Marta 1-D

Note:

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
TAM Cargo Fortaleza, Guayaquil, Manaus, Miami, Quito
AeroSucre Quito
Avianca Cargo Asunción, Lima, Mexico City, Miami, Montevideo, Panama City, Quito, San Juan, Guatemala
Cargolux Aguadilla, Campinas, Luxembourg
Centurion Air Cargo Miami[12]
Cielos del Perú Lima
DHL Aviation
operated by DHL Aero Expreso 		Panama City
Etihad Cargo
operated by Atlas Air 		Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Milan–Malpensa, San Juan
FedEx Express Memphis
LAN Cargo Miami, Rio de Janeiro–Galeão, Quito, Amsterdam
Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas Aruba, Quito
Lufthansa Cargo Amsterdam, Aguadilla, Frankfurt
Martinair Cargo Amsterdam, Aguadilla, Santiago de Chile
MasAir Guadalajara, Mexico City
TAB - Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos Miami, Santa Cruz de la Sierra–Viru Viru
UPS Airlines Louisville
Vensecar Internacional Caracas

Approved Future-Planned Destinations

AirlinesDestinationsTerminal
Aruba Airlines Aruba [13] 1-I
Avianca Boston, Frankfurt, Toronto-Peason[14] 1-I
Avianca Brazil São Paulo–Guarulhos [15] 1-I
Copa Airlines Colombia Aruba [15] 1-I
Copa Airlines Colombia Cartagena [15] 1-D
EasyFly Puerto Asis [15] 1-D
LAN Colombia Havana, San José de Costa Rica, San Juan de Puerto Rico [16] 1-I
TAM Airlines Buenos Aires [15] 1-I
Turkish Airlines Panama [15] 1-I
Viva Colombia Curaçao, Santo Domingo [17] 1-I
Viva Colombia Armenia, Leticia, Valledupar [17] 1-D

Statistics

Movements 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
Passengers 29,956,551 27,430,266 25,009,483 22,525,873 20,427,603 18,934,203 14,899,199 13,548,420 12,763,979 11,771,284 10,711,108 10,003,434 7,281,664 7,533,000 7,380,052 7,212,583
Cargo (TM) 670,222 636,657 622,145 637,153 618,062 594,946 512,844 578,812 585,598 590,931 585,598 531,474 482,152 420,605 374,608 378,035
Busiest international routes (roundtrip) out of El Dorado International Airport (2015)[18]
Rank City Passengers % Change Airlines
1 Panama Panama City, Panama 790.563 Increase 6,69% Avianca Ecuador, Copa Airlines, Copa Airlines Colombia
2 Peru Lima, Peru 781.562 Increase 17,35% Avianca, Avianca Perú, Lan Perú, Viva Colombia
3 United States Miami, United States 741.000 Increase 0,70% American Airlines, Avianca, Lan Colombia, Viva Colombia
4 Mexico Mexico City, Mexico 652.182 Increase 16,29% Aeroméxico, Avianca, Copa Colombia, Interjet
5 Spain Madrid, Spain 530.267 Increase 0,19% Avianca, Iberia
6 Chile Santiago de Chile 497.005 Increase 36,55% Avianca, Lan Airlines
7 Ecuador Quito, Ecuador 469.315 Decrease 0,65% Avianca Ecuador, Copa Airlines Colombia, Tame
8 Brazil São Paulo, Brazil 404.984 Increase 1,19% Avianca, Lan Airlines
9 Venezuela Caracas,Venezuela 359.446 Decrease 21,47% Avianca, Conviasa, Copa Airlines Colombia, Tame
10 United States Fort Lauderdale, USA 330.502 Increase 5,43% Avianca, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines
11 Mexico Cancun, Mexico 322.757 Increase 73,47% Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Lan Colombia
12 United States New York City, United States 290.430 Increase 0,09% Avianca, Delta Airlines
13 Ecuador Guayaquil, Ecuador 216.802 Increase 6,08% Avianca Ecuador
14 United States Orlando, United States 190.629 Decrease 6,69% Avianca, JetBlue
15 United States Houston, United States 189.562 Decrease 2,87% United Airlines
16 Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina 185.092 Increase 4,80% Aerolíneas Argentinas, Avianca
17 El Salvador San Salvador, El Salvador 176.837 Decrease 2,64% Avianca El Salvador
18 Germany Frankfurt, Germany 172.693 Decrease 6,96% Lufthansa
19 France Paris, France 162.125 Decrease 2,35% Air France
20 Spain Barcelona, Spain 157.722 Increase 67,03% Avianca
21 Costa Rica San Jose, Costa Rica 133.012 Increase 9,30% Avianca Costa Rica
22 Dominican Republic Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 117.937 Increase 15,75% Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Lan Colombia
23 United States Atlanta, United States 113.978 Increase 14,20% Delta Arlines
24 Aruba Oranjestad, Aruba 103.834 Decrease 3,19% Avianca, Avianca Ecuador, Lan Colombia
25 Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 94.685 Increase 34,27% Avianca
26 Cuba La Habana, Cuba 83.788 Increase 19,77% Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, Cubana de Aviación
27 Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 77.132 Increase 5,94% Avianca
28 Canada Toronto, Canada 76.847 Increase 3,59% Air Canada
29 United States Newark, United States 75.582 Decrease 1,11% United Airlines
30 United States Washington, United States 74.217 Increase 0,07% Avianca
31 Bolivia La Paz, Bolivia 72.702 Increase 20,69% Avianca
32 United States Dallas, United States 58.076 Decrease 12,62% American Airlines
33 Curaçao Willemstad, Curaçao 56.840 Decrease 0,50% Avianca
34 Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico 45.595 Increase 41,62% Avianca
35 United States Los Angeles, United States 40.803 Steady Avianca
36 Netherlands Amsterdam, Netherlands 23.691 Steady KLM
Busiest domestic routes (roundtrip) out of El Dorado International Airport (2015)[18]
Rank City Passengers Airlines
1 Colombia Medellin, Antioquia 3.406.849 Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, LAN Colombia, Satena, Viva Colombia.
2 Colombia Cali, Valle del Cauca 3.025.401 Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
3 Colombia Cartagena, Bolívar 2.390.508 Avianca, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
4 Colombia Barranquilla, Atlántico 1.878.726 Avianca, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
5 Colombia Bucaramanga, Santander 1.407.557 Avianca, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
6 Colombia Santa Marta, Magdalena 1.226.004 Avianca, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
7 Colombia Pereira, Risaralda 1.218.550 Avianca, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
8 Colombia San Andrés 1.107.089 Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
9 Colombia Cucuta, Norte de Santander 949.083 Avianca, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
10 Colombia Monteria, Córdoba 607.278 Avianca, LAN Colombia, Viva Colombia.
11 Colombia Armenia, Quindío 434.724 Avianca.
12 Colombia Yopal, Casanare 399.733 Avianca, EasyFly, LAN Colombia.
13 Colombia Valledupar, Cesar 355.417 Avianca, LAN Colombia.
14 Colombia Neiva, Huila 312.869 Avianca, EasyFly.
15 Colombia Pasto, Nariño 270.535 Avianca, Satena.
16 Colombia Leticia, Amazonas 218.804 Avianca, LAN Colombia.
17 Colombia Manizales, Caldas 195.632 Avianca.
18 Colombia Barrancabermeja, Santander 176.468 Avianca, EasyFly.
19 Colombia Ibague, Tolima 148.294 Avianca.
20 Colombia Riohacha, La Guajira 134.353 Avianca.
21 Colombia Popayán, Cauca 115.931 Avianca, EasyFly.
22 Colombia Villavicencio, Meta 111.237 Avianca.
23 Colombia Arauca, Arauca 88.361 EasyFly, Satena.
24 Colombia Quibdó, Chocó 81.016 EasyFly, Satena.
25 Colombia Florencia, Caquetá 78.741 Avianca, Satena.
26 Colombia Corozal, Sucre 28.333 Satena.

Accidents and incidents

Future developments

El Dorado International Airport's Diagram.

Due to the high demand for passengers, it has now become apparent to build a new, more modern airport with much more capacity for both commercial and cargo flights. Although the original master plan called for a massive overhaul and expansion of the existing terminal, the Colombian government has now realized the need to build a new airport.

The process began with the creation of the new terminal. On 7 February 2007, the airport gave a concession to the consortium Opain. The national government accepted the proposal with Opain (airport operating company), to demolish the airport on 14 March 2008, after having given its concession. Initially the grant provided for the modernization of existing buildings and the construction of some additional buildings connected to the main terminal, but during the upgrading works (see below, Milestone 1), structural defects were discovered, which do not compromise the integrity of the building today. Opain from the beginning had proposed to demolish the aging terminal and had even submitted a new design to replace it, but the government had strongly opposed it due to pressing budget and legal issues (because it would be a big change to the terms of the concession, which could make Opain as well as other competitors who participated in the tender submitted claims), although many sectors of public opinion agreed with Opain. After the structural problems were discovered, the government agreed to the demolition of the airport and compensation for the renovations that Opain had already been hired to perform (Milestone 1). For the airport to handle 16 million passengers annually and 1.5 million tons of cargo, Opain plans to move the cargo terminal to allow the expansion of the passenger terminal and ensure access for at least an additional avenue to 26th Street.

On 19 September 2007, the implementation of Milestone 1 of the plan for modernization and expansion of the airport began. This consists of expanding the current Central Arrivals Hall of the terminal and installation of the CUTE system at the terminal. This was completed in March 2008. Additionally, the construction of the new cargo terminal, a new building for the office of civil aviation, a new fire station, an administrative center and quarantine were completed in September 2009.

The third milestone of the project began in late November 2009. Terminal 2, located on the north side of the current terminal, will handle all international passengers and its construction was set for 2012. The old building or Terminal 1 will handle only national passengers, except for Avianca's which will continue being served on Terminal Puente Aereo. Soon after Terminal 2 begins its operation, the old Terminal 1 building will be demolished in order to build a new terminal for national passengers. On 17 October, the new Terminal 2 was inaugurated and on the 19th, every international operation was moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. The new El Dorado International Airport will undoubtedly be the largest infrastructure project in the city, when completed in the Summer of 2014,[26] it will be the largest and most modern airport in Latin America.

In January 2015, the Santos administration announced a two-stage plan to improve Bogota's aerial access. The plans consist of a major expansion to the current main terminal with the effect of increasing the number of gates from 37 to 56 and thus raising the capacity of the airport from 27 million passengers to 40 million. Phase 1 also involves improvements to the runway to increase efficiency. The time scale for phase one is approximately 24 months. Phase two involves the construction of a brand new secondary airport in the suburb of Facatativa west of Bogota. This new project is currently conceived as El Dorado II and is aimed to be in operation by 2020. These two major developments are part of a greater endeavor to modernize the nation's airports. It is expected that El Dorado and El Dorado II will be connected via a commuter/light rail project.[27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ worldairportawards.com. "Best Airports in South America". Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. ↑ worldairportawards.com. "Best Airport Staff in South America". Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  3. ↑ worldairportawards.com. "Rating of the World's Top 100 Airports from the customer nominated 2016 World Airport Awards". Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ "Inicio." Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics. Retrieved on 26 January 2011. "Av. El Dorado 103-15 Nuevo Edificio Aerocivil – Bogotá, D. C."
  7. ↑ "Oficinas y Dependencias." Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics. Retrieved on 26 January 2011. "Sede Central Dirección: Aeropuerto El Dorado."
  8. ↑ "Docket No. OST-2008- Regulations, gov. 3/37. Retrieved on 26 January 2011. "The government authority with competent jurisdiction over AIRES is the Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil ("UAEAC") de Colombia. The address of UAEAC is as follows: Aeropuerto El Dorado Piso 4 – Bogotá D.C. 211.20(b).
  9. ↑ "Quality Policy." Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics. Retrieved on 26 January 2011. " 2007–2010 Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil – UAEAC Aeropuerto El Dorado Piso 4 – Bogotá, D. C.."
  10. ↑ "Air Europa comenzará a volar de Madrid a Bogotá en junio del año próximo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Turkish Airlines Launches Bogota / Panama City Service from May 2016". Airline Route. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  12. ↑ http://www.centurioncargo.com/assets/timetable_assets/Americas.pdf
  13. ↑ http://www.aerocivil.gov.co/AAeronautica/Rrglamentacion/AGepa/Actas/ACTA%2074%20DE%209%20DE%20NOVIEMBRE%20DE%202015.pdf
  14. ↑ http://www.aerocivil.gov.co/AAeronautica/Rrglamentacion/AGepa/Actas/ACTA%20GEPA%2073%20DE%20JUNIO%20DE%202015.pdf
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://www.aerocivil.gov.co/AAeronautica/Rrglamentacion/AGepa/Actas/ACTA%2076%20DEL%2011%20DE%20MARZO%20DE%202016.pdf
  16. ↑ http://www.aerocivil.gov.co/AAeronautica/Rrglamentacion/AGepa/Actas/ACTA%2072%20DE%20MARZO%2030%20DE%202015.pdf
  17. 1 2 http://www.aerocivil.gov.co/AAeronautica/Rrglamentacion/AGepa/Actas/ACTA%2075%20DE%2010%20DE%20DICIEMBRE%20DE%202015.pdf
  18. 1 2 http://www.aerocivil.gov.co/AAeronautica/Estadisticas/TAereo/EOperacionales/BolPubAnte/Paginas/BolMensOfertaDemanda.aspx
  19. ↑ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  20. ↑ "HK-2214 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  21. ↑ "HK-3031 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  22. ↑ Fatal Events Since 1970 for Air France
  23. ↑ AirDisaster.Com Accident Database
  24. ↑ "US cargo plane crashes into Colombian house, 3 dead". AFP. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
  25. ↑ "US plane crashes into Colombian house". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008.
  26. ↑ "Eldorado estará listo en 2014 por nuevo retraso | ELESPECTADOR.COM" (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  27. ↑ http://app.eltiempo.com/politica/gobierno/aeropuerto-el-dorado-ii-cerca-de-facatativa/15127276

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