Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport | |||||||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public and Military | ||||||||||||||
Operator | Nuevo Pudahuel | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Santiago | ||||||||||||||
Location | Pudahuel, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile | ||||||||||||||
Hub for | |||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 1,555 ft / 474 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°23′34″S70°47′08″W / 33.39278°S 70.78556°W Coordinates: 33°23′34″S70°47′08″W / 33.39278°S 70.78556°W | ||||||||||||||
Website | Nuevo Pudahuel | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2017) | |||||||||||||||
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Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (Spanish : Aeropuerto Internacional Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez) ( IATA : SCL, ICAO : SCEL), also known as Santiago International Airport and NuevoPudahuel 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.
Spanish or Castilian is a Western Romance language that originated in the Castile region of Spain and today has hundreds of millions of native speakers in the Americas and Spain. It is a global language and the world's second-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese.
An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The characters prominently displayed on baggage tags attached at airport check-in desks are an example of a way these codes are used.
The ICAOairport code or location indicator is a four-letter code designating aerodromes around the world. These codes, as defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators, are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight planning.
Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport has domestic and international services to destinations in Europe, Oceania, Asia 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]
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It comprises the westernmost part of Eurasia.
Oceania is a geographic region comprising Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Spanning the eastern and western hemispheres, Oceania covers an area of 8,525,989 square kilometres (3,291,903 sq mi) and has a population of 40 million. Situated in the southeast of the Asia-Pacific region, Oceania, when compared to continental regions, is the smallest in land area and the second smallest in population after Antarctica.
Asia is Earth's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the Eastern and Northern Hemispheres. It shares the continental landmass of Eurasia with the continent of Europe and the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Europe and Africa. Asia covers an area of 44,579,000 square kilometres (17,212,000 sq mi), about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area. The continent, which has long been home to the majority of the human population, was the site of many of the first civilizations. Asia is notable for not only its overall large size and population, but also dense and large settlements, as well as vast barely populated regions. Its 4.5 billion people constitute roughly 60% of the world's population.
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).
Vinci, corporately styled VINCI, is a French concessions and construction company founded in 1899 as Société Générale d'Enterprises. It employs over 194,000 people, operates in more than 100 countries and is the largest construction company in the world by revenue. Vinci is listed on Euronext's Paris stock exchange and is a member of the Euro Stoxx 50 index. Its head office is in Rueil-Malmaison, in the western suburbs of Paris.
Astaldi S.p.A. is an Italian multinational major construction company based in Rome, Italy. The group is active in the fields of civil engineering, hydraulic engineering, electromechanical engineering and transportation.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation or the Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics of Chile is the civil aviation authority of Chile. It has its headquarters in Providencia, Santiago. The Directorate was created in March 1930, following the setup of the Chilean Air Force.
Its ICAO category is 4F. 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.
The Chilean Air Force is the air force of Chile, a branch of the Chilean military.
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. In addition, LATAM flies to Frankfurt a via Madrid.
Air France, stylized as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. As of 2013 Air France serves 36 destinations in France and operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to 168 destinations in 78 countries and also carried 46,803,000 passengers in 2015. The airline's global hub is at Charles de Gaulle Airport with Orly Airport as the primary domestic hub. Air France's corporate headquarters, previously in Montparnasse, Paris, are located on the grounds of Charles de Gaulle Airport, north of Paris.
Alitalia – Società Aerea Italiana, operating as Alitalia, is the flag carrier of Italy. The company has its head office in Fiumicino, Rome, Italy. Its main hub is Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, Rome, and a secondary is Linate Airport, Milan. Other focus airports are Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, Milan-Malpensa Airport, Palermo Airport and Naples Airport. In 2018, it was the twelfth-largest airline in Europe. The name "Alitalia" is an Italian portmanteau of the words ali (wings), and Italia (Italy).
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier and the second largest airline in the United Kingdom based on fleet size and passengers carried, behind easyJet. The airline is based in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. In January 2011 BA merged with Iberia, creating the International Airlines Group (IAG), a holding company registered in Madrid, Spain. IAG is the world's third-largest airline group in terms of annual revenue and the second-largest in Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the FTSE 100 Index.
The airport is also South America's main gateway to Oceania, with scheduled flights to Sydney, Auckland, Easter Island, Papeete and Melbourne. The Santiago – Rome non-stop flight operated by Alitalia is the longest flight to ever fly out of this airport.
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.
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]
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.
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]
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).
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.[ citation needed ]
The airport has 21 restaurants, coffee shops and bars, located in the public area and in the national and international departing lounges.[ citation needed ]
In the international terminal, the operators are:
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.
^a The LATAM Chile flight to Frankfurt has a stop in Madrid, where passengers are allowed to deplane and/or board the aircraft. The same aircraft used until Madrid then continues to Frankfurt under the same flight number.The same occurs on the return flight.
Rank | City | Passengers | % Change | Airlines |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1.590.062 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
2 | 1.516.606 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
3 | 1.154.530 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
4 | 1.146.643 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
5 | 1.045.150 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
6 | 774.293 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
7 | 753.523 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
8 | 742.792 | LATAM, Sky Airline | ||
9 | 658.585 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
10 | 504.145 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
11 | 335.544 | LATAM, Sky Airline | ||
12 | 237.940 | LATAM | ||
13 | 200.271 | LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart | ||
14 | 71.557 | LATAM, Sky Airline | ||
15 | 67.573 | LATAM | ||
16 | 21.616 | LATAM | ||
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).
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.
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.
Car rental services are available from the airport. [22]
Jorge Chávez International Airport, , is Peru's main international and domestic airport. It is located in Callao, 11 kilometers (7 mi) from Lima, the nation's capital city and 17 km (11 mi) from Miraflores. Callao, a port city, has integrated transport connections with Lima. During 2017, the airport served 22,025,704 passengers. Historically, the airport was the hub for Compañía de Aviación Faucett and Aeroperú. Now it serves as a hub for many aviation companies. The airport was named after Peruvian aviator Jorge Chávez.
Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, also known as El Prat Airport, is an international airport located 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of the centre of Barcelona, lying in the municipalities of El Prat de Llobregat, Viladecans, and Sant Boi, in the Autonomous community of Catalonia, in Spain.
Ministro Pistarini International Airport, known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location in the Ezeiza Partido in Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport 22 kilometres (14 mi) south-southwest of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. It is the country's largest international airport by number of passengers handled—85% of international traffic—and is a hub for international flights of Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM Argentina. Aerolíneas Argentinas and its subsidiary Austral Líneas Aereas do operate limited domestic or cabotaje air service from Pistarini Airport as well. Covering 3,475 hectares, the airport serves Buenos Aires and its metropolitan area. It has been operated by Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 S.A. since 1998. It is one of three airports serving Buenos Aires, along with Aeroparque Jorge Newbery and El Palomar Airport.
LATAM Airlines, formerly LAN Airlines S.A. and Lan Chile, is an airline based in Santiago, Chile, and is one of the founders of LATAM Airlines Group, Latin America's largest airline holding company. The main hub is Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (Santiago), with secondary hubs in El Dorado (Bogotá), Jorge Chávez (Lima), José Joaquín de Olmedo (Guayaquil), Jorge Newbery and Mariscal Sucre (Quito) airports.
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LATAM Perú, formerly LAN Perú S.A. is an airline based in Lima, Peru. It is a subsidiary of LATAM Airlines Group, which owns 49% of the airline. It operates scheduled domestic and international services. Its main hub is Jorge Chávez International Airport. LATAM Perú is the dominant airline in Peru, controlling 73.4% of the domestic market.
LATAM Cargo Chile, formerly LAN Cargo S.A., is a cargo airline based in Santiago, Chile and the freight subsidiary of the LATAM Airlines Group. It is operating cargo flights within South America, to Europe and North America from its hubs at Miami International Airport and Santiago International Airport.
Sky Airline, styled as SꓘY, is an airline based at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile. It is the second largest airline in the country behind rival LATAM Airlines and the first airline to operate under a low-cost model in the country. It serves international routes to Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Uruguay. It also operates charter flights in Chile and South America.
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Carriel Sur International Airport is located in Talcahuano, Greater Concepción in the Bío Bío Region, 8 km (5mi) from Concepción downtown. . It is one of the largest airports in Chile and serves domestic traffic for LATAM Airlines, JetSmart and Sky Airline. It also serves as a primary alternate airport for Arturo Merino Benitez Airport, usually receiving international traffic from Santiago when that airport closes due to weather.
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Aerocardal is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. It operates international and domestic passenger charter services, as well as medical services. Its main base is Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, Santiago.
Air Comet Chile was an airline based in Santiago, Chile, operating domestic passenger services. Its main base was Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, Santiago.
LATAM Express , previously known as LAN Express is a subsidiary of LATAM Chile. It operates some domestic and a few international routes for its parent. Its main base is Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, Santiago, Chile.
Arturo Merino Benítez, was an aviator with rank of Commodore, and the founder of both the Chilean Air Force (1930) and LAN Chile (1929) the national airline. Chile's largest airport was named in his honour, Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport. His parents were Pedro Merino Feliú and Clorinda Benítez Labbé. He died from a stroke at age 82, his remains are at the Cementerio General de Santiago.
PAL Airlines was a Chilean airline that operated out of Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago.
LATAM Cargo Colombia, formerly known as Línea Aérea Carguera de Colombia S.A. (LANCO), is a Colombian cargo airline based in Bogotá with its main base at El Dorado International Airport. LANCO operated under its own branding for a brief period in 2009, when it was changed to the appearance of sister company LAN Cargo.
LATAM Airlines Group S.A. is a Chilean airline holding company incorporated under Chilean law and headquartered in Santiago, Chile. It is considered the largest airline in Latin America with subsidiaries in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru.
One Airlines is a Chilean airline that provides air transportation for passengers and regular charters for mining, since October 2013. Initially they used a fleet of two Boeing 737-400s, operated by Xtra Airlines. It is in a semi-operational state, flying for mining operations in northern Chile, operating with a single 737-300 leased from GECAS.
JetSmart is a Chilean ultra low-cost airline created by US investment fund Indigo Partners, which also controls US airline Frontier Airlines, Mexico's Volaris and Hungarian airline Wizz Air. Its primary base of operations is Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, in Santiago, Chile. The airline commenced scheduled operations on 25 July 2017 with a Santiago - Calama service.