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Airport Santiago (Chile) - Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez

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Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic and Military
OperatorNuevo Pudahuel
ServesSantiago
LocationPudahuel, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile
Hub for
Elevation AMSL1,555 ft / 474 m
Coordinates33°2334S 70°4708W / 33.39278°S 70.78556°W / -33.39278; -70.78556Coordinates: 33°2334S 70°4708W / 33.39278°S 70.78556°W / -33.39278; -70.78556
WebsiteNuevo 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 12,297 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passenger Numbers21,426,871
ILS Category/RunwayCAT II & IIIb / 17L[1]
Passenger Statistics from Junta de Aeronautica Civil de Chile[citation needed]

Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Arturo Merino Benítez)[2] (IATA: SCL, ICAO: SCEL), also known as Santiago International Airport and Nuevo 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, 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.[3] 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.[4]

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 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.

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, ParisCharles de Gaulle, RomeLeonardo da VinciFiumicino Airport and LondonHeathrow Airport. In addition, LATAM flies to Frankfurta via Madrid.

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.

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.[5][6]

In 2011, IATA recognized the DGAC (Chiles 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.[7]

In June 2011, Santiago International Airport received the Air Cargo Excellence Award, as the best Latin American Cargo Airport.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

In June 2013, the Chilean Ministry of Public Works started Phase 1 of the airport expansion.[11]

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%)".[12]

Passenger terminal

The terminal building has four levels:

  • Ground floor: Arrivals, duty-free shop, baggage claim, customs and border control, transport services, parking areas, hotel access.
  • First floor: Administrative offices, VIP lounges (access through the second floor).
  • Second floor: Departures, check-in areas, border control police, duty-free shops, restaurants, boarding halls and gates.
  • Third floor: Restaurants and VIP check-in areas (LATAM).

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.[13]

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

Restaurants

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

Airline lounges

In the international terminal, the operators are:

  • LATAM Airlines Lounge: Located on 4th & 5th floor. Access after passport control. Access for LATAM's Premium Business Class travellers, LATAM Pass or LATAM Fidelidade Platinum, Black and Black Signature frequent flyers, as well as Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald tier status members.
  • American Airlines Admirals Club: Located next to boarding gate 19. O Access for Admirals Club members, AAdvantage Platinum & Executive Platinum elite frequent flyers, AA International Premium Class, Oneworld First and Business Class passengers, as well as Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald tier status members.
  • Delta Air Lines Sky Club: Located next to boarding gate 17. Access for Delta Sky Club Members, Delta's passengers travelling in the Delta One cabin or on SkyTeam alliance Premium cabin and SkyTeam Elite Plus tier status members.
  • Avianca Sala VIP: Located by gate 12B (one floor below departures level). Access for Avianca's International Business Class passengers, Lifemiles Elite Members (Silver, Gold & Diamond Levels), as well as Star Alliance Silver & Gold tier status frequent flyers.
  • Pacific Club (Priority Pass)
Hotels
  • Holiday Inn Hotels finished the construction of a five-floor building in July 2007, internally connected to both terminals (international and domestic). The hotel has 112 rooms, restaurants, bars, room-service, a conference hall for 170 people, gym, covered swimming pool, spa and wi-fi internet access.
  • Hotel Diego de Almagro is located 2 km outside the airport area.
  • The Hilton Garden Inn Santiago Airport Hotel is located 2.8 km from the Santiago International Airport within the ENEA, one of the largest business complex in Santiago de Chile which hosts offices, industry and entertainment. The hotel has 144 rooms, a fitness center, indoor swimming pool, sauna, seven meeting spaces including a ballroom and business center.
  • The LQ Hotel Santiago Airport (La Quinta Inns & Suites) is under construction and will be the newest hotel near the airport and the first LQ Hotel in Chile. The hotel is located 2.8 km from Santiago International Airport. The hotel will have a restaurant, indoor swimming pool, fitness center, wifi, business center and meeting space. [3]

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 AiresAeroparque, Buenos AiresEzeiza, Córdoba
Aeroméxico Mexico City
Air Canada Buenos AiresEzeiza (resumes 1 April 2019),[14] TorontoPearson
Air France ParisCharles de Gaulle
Alitalia RomeFiumicino
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami
Avianca Bogotá
Avianca Brazil São PauloGuarulhos
Avianca Costa Rica Lima
British Airways LondonHeathrow
Copa Airlines Panama CityTocumen
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Emirates DubaiInternational, São PauloGuarulhos
Estelar Latinoamerica Caracas
Gol Transportes Aéreos Rio de JaneiroGaleão, São PauloGuarulhos
Iberia Madrid
JetSmart Antofagasta, Arequipa (begins April 17, 2019)[15], Arica, Buenos AiresEl Palomar, Calama, Balmaceda, Concepción, Copiapó, Córdoba, Iquique, La Serena, Lima, Mendoza, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Temuco, Valdivia
KLM Amsterdam, Buenos AiresEzeiza
LATAM Argentina Buenos AiresAeroparque, Neuquen
LATAM Brasil Rio de JaneiroGaleão, Rosario, São PauloGuarulhos
LATAM Chile Antofagasta, Arica, Auckland, Bogotá, Buenos AiresAeroparque, Buenos AiresEzeiza, Calama, Cancún, Castro, Concepción, Copiapó, Córdoba, Coyhaique, Easter Island, Frankfurt,a Guayaquil, Iquique, La Paz, La Serena, Lima, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Mendoza, Mexico City, Miami, Montevideo, New YorkJFK, Osorno, Papeete, Porto Alegre (begins 15 January 2019),[16] Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Punta Cana, Quito (begins April 1, 2019),[17] Rio de JaneiroGaleão, Rosario, Santa Cruz de la SierraViru Viru, São PauloGuarulhos, StanleyMount Pleasant, Sydney, Tel AvivBen Gurion,[18] Temuco, Tucumán, Valdivia
Seasonal: Florianópolis, Orlando, Puerto Natales, Punta del Este, Salta, San Carlos de Bariloche
LATAM Ecuador Guayaquil
LATAM Paraguay Asunción
LATAM Perú Cusco,[19] Lima
Level Barcelona (begins 31 March 2019)[20]
Qantas Sydney
Sky Airline Antofagasta, Arica, Buenos AiresEzeiza, Calama, Concepción, Copiapó, Córdoba, Coyhaique, Iquique, La Serena, Lima, Mendoza, Montevideo, Osorno, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, Rio de JaneiroGaleão, Rosario, Temuco, São PauloGuarulhos, Valdivia
Seasonal: Florianópolis, Punta del Este
United Airlines HoustonIntercontinental
Notes

^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.

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
Atlas Air Miami, Campinas
Avianca Cargo Bogotá
Cargolux Aguadilla, Luxembourg
China Cargo Airlines Los Angeles
Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Addis Ababa, Lagos, Campinas [21]
Korean Air Cargo SeoulIncheon, Campinas
LATAM Cargo Chile Buenos AiresEzeiza, Campinas, Miami
Lufthansa Cargo Frankfurt
Martinair Aguadilla, Amsterdam, Bogotá, Guayaquil, Miami, Quito
UPS Airlines Buenos AiresEzeiza, Campinas
Western Global Airlines Miami

Statistics

Busiest international routes JanuarySeptember (2017)[22]
Rank City Passengers % Change Airlines
1 Buenos Aires, Argentina (Ezeiza and Aeroparque) 1.230.106 13,2% Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Canada, LATAM, Sky Airline, KLM
2 Lima, Peru 1.209.916 12,3% Avianca Perú, JetSmart, LATAM, Sky Airline
3 São PauloGuarulhos, Brazil 1.122.357 20,8% LATAM, GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, Avianca Brazil, Emirates
4 Bogotá, Colombia 477.983 7,2% Avianca, LATAM
5 Rio de JaneiroGaleão, Brazil 386.773 20,9% LATAM, GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, Sky Airline
6 Miami, FL, US 357.565 5,7% American Airlines, LATAM
7 Panama City, Panama 375.005 5,9% Copa Airlines
8 Madrid, Spain 352.182 0,3% Iberia, LATAM, Plus Ultra
9 Mendoza, Argentina 279.590 11,2% LATAM, Sky Airline, LAW
10 Cordoba, Argentina 225.301 5,0% LATAM, Sky Airline, Aerolineas Argentinas
11 Mexico City, Mexico 209.107 5,4% Aeroméxico, LATAM
12 Montevideo, Uruguay 197. 15,7% LATAM, Sky Airline
13 ParisCharles de Gaulle, France 175.126 2,1% Air France
14 Sydney, Australia 166.514 3,1% Qantas, LATAM
15 New YorkJFK, NY, US 143.029 5,9% LATAM
16 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, US 108.936 16,1% American Airlines
17 Atlanta, GA, US 96.240 5,5% Delta Air Lines
18 RomeFiumicino, Italy 91.949 4,6% Alitalia
19 HoustonIntercontinental, TX, US 90.203 11,8% United Airlines
20 TorontoPearson, Canada 81.416 1,6% Air Canada
21 Rosario, Argentina 80.103 502,5% LATAM, Sky Airline
22 Auckland, New Zealand 79.269 4,3% LATAM
23 Guayaquil, Ecuador 76.664 3,3% LATAM
24 Los Angeles, CA, US 71.284 1,0% LATAM
25 Asuncion, Paraguay 62.094 43,4% LATAM
26 LondonHeathrow, UK 55.314 5,2% British Airways
27 Melbourne, Australia 54.334 New LATAM
28 Amsterdam, Netherlands 44.725 41,7% KLM
29 La Paz, Bolivia 42.219 0,3% LATAM
30 Florianópolis, Brazil 33.808 21,3% LATAM, Sky Airline
31 Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia 32.884 33,5% LATAM
32 Cancún, Mexico 30.330 16,4% LATAM
33 Orlando, FL, US 29.494 25,3% LATAM
34 Neuquén, Argentina 29.079 New LATAM
35 Punta Cana, Dominican Republic 27.372 15,3% LATAM, LAW
36 San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina 23.219 41362,5% LATAM
37 San Juan, Argentina 14.633 New LATAM
38 Frankfurt, Germany 11.806 10,4% LATAM
39 Manta, Ecuador 10.276 LAW
40 Punta del Este, Uruguay 9.667 New LATAM
Busiest domestic routes JanuaryDecember [2017][22]
Rank City Passengers % Change Airlines
1 Antofagasta 1.590.062 5,7% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
2 Calama 1.516.606 7,3% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
3 Iquique 1.154.530 5,8% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
4 Puerto Montt 1.146.643 11,7% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
5 Concepción 1.045.150 8,3% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
6 Punta Arenas 774.293 10,3% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
7 Temuco 753.523 11,7% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
8 Arica 742.792 8,9% LATAM, Sky Airline
9 La Serena 658.585 10,5% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
10 Copiapó 504.145 6,9% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
11 Balmaceda 335.544 14,9% LATAM, Sky Airline
12 Easter Island 237.940 10,4% LATAM
13 Valdivia 200.271 36,9% LATAM, Sky Airline, Jetsmart
14 Osorno 71.557 45,3% LATAM, Sky Airline
15 Castro 67.573 14,7% LATAM
16 Puerto Natales 21.616 LATAM

Ground transportation

Roads

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

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.[23]

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  2. ^ Ministerio de Defensa Nacional de Chile (19 March 1980). "Decreto ley 3245: Denomina Aeropuerto Arturo Merino Benítez al actual Aeropuerto de Pudahuel". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  3. ^ Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil. DGAC (2013-07-15). Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  4. ^ Aeropuerto Internacionale de Santiago de Chile SCL Archived 2013-01-20 at the Wayback Machine.. Aeropuertosantiago.cl. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  5. ^ "Reuters earthquake report". Reuters. February 27, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  6. ^ (in French) Business Travel, "Aéroport de Santiago au Chili: retour à la normale mercredi", 2 March 2010 (accessed 3 March 2010)
  7. ^ Announces Eagle Awards. IATA. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  8. ^ Air Cargo Excellence / Home Archived 2011-05-18 at the Wayback Machine.. Air Cargo World. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  9. ^ Portal de Registro y Autentificación El Mercurio. Diario.elmercurio.cl. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  10. ^ Portal de Registro y Autentificación El Mercurio. Diario.elmercurio.cl. Retrieved on 2013-08-09.
  11. ^ [1]. Retrieved on 2013-11-18.
  12. ^ "VINCI : Aeroports de Paris, VINCI Airports and Astaldi presented the best offer for the Santiago de Chile International Airport concession". Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  13. ^ "Shopping and services". Aeropuerto de Santiago. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  14. ^ Liu, Jim (5 November 2018). "Air Canada NS19 Chile / Argentina service changes". Routesonline. UBM (UK) Ltd.
  15. ^ http://tnews.com.pe/jetsmart-anuncia-vuelos-santiago-arequipa-a-partir-de-abril-con-pasajes-desde-us20-por-tramo/
  16. ^ Minelli, Lisa (8 August 2018). "Latam anuncia voo inédito entre Porto Alegre e Santiago" [Latam announces unprecedented flight between Porto Alegre and Santiago]. Mercado&Eventos (in Portuguese). Market and Events.
  17. ^ "LATAM Airlines anuncia nueva ruta directa entre Santiago y Quito" [LATAM Airlines announces new direct route between Santiago and Quito]. Aeropuerto Internacional de Quito (Press release) (in Spanish). Quiport. 30 October 2018.
  18. ^ Liu, Jim (6 April 2018). "LATAM Airlines Chile plans Tel Aviv launch in December 2018". Routesonline. UBM (UK) Ltd.
  19. ^ "LATAM Airlines anuncia ruta Cusco-Santiago desde Agosto de 2018" [LATAM Airlines announces Cusco-Santiago route from August 2018]. Aviación de Chile (in Spanish). Blogger. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  20. ^ Liu, Jim (8 November 2018). "LEVEL adds new Barcelona Trans-Atlantic routes in NS19". Routesonline. UBM (UK) Ltd. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  21. ^ "Ethiopian Cargo adds Nanjing service from May 2018". Airline Route. 25 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  22. ^ a b [2] Archived September 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  23. ^ "LetsGoChile > » Car Rental in Chile". Retrieved 4 June 2015.

External links

Media related to Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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