Uruguayan airport serving Ciudad de la Costa
Carrasco/General Cesareo L. Berisso International Airport
(
IATA
:
MVD
,
ICAO
:
SUMU
) is the main
international airport
of
Uruguay
. It is the country's largest airport and is located in the
Carrasco
neighborhood of
Montevideo
. It has been cited as one of the most efficient and traveler-friendly airports in Latin America.
[4]
The airport is named after
Cesareo L. Berisso
, a pioneer of Uruguayan aviation, and it also hosts an air base of the
Uruguayan Air Force
.
History
[
edit
]
The original passenger terminal was inaugurated in 1947. In 2003 the Uruguayan government transferred the administration, operation and maintenance of the airport to the private investment group Puerta del Sur S.A, which since then invested in several upgrades of the airport.
On 3 February 2007, construction began on a new terminal parallel to Runway 06/24. Runway 01/19 was lengthened to 2,250 metres (7,382 ft) and the former Runway 10/28 was permanently closed because the new terminal cuts across it. The new terminal, designed by Uruguayan architect
Rafael Vinoly
, has the capacity to handle 3 million passengers a year, including a much larger parking area built for over 1200 vehicles. This new terminal building has four jetways, separate floors for arrivals and departures and a large viewing area on the top floor. The terminal has room for expansion for two additional jetways and a maximum capacity of 6 million passengers per year before the building would need actual enlargement. The new terminal was inaugurated on 5 October 2009 with official operations beginning on 29 December 2009. A new US$15 million cargo terminal was also constructed.
Regular passenger flights were suspended in mid-March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
. Regular flights to Spain were resumed in July, and to Sao Paulo and Santiago in August.
The airport serves as the main operational hub of cargo and charter passenger airline
Air Class Lineas Aereas
.
Airlines and destinations
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]
Passenger
[
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]
Cargo
[
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]
Statistics
[
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]
Traffic
|
2018
|
2017
|
2016
|
2015
|
2014
|
2013
|
2012
|
2011
|
2010
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
Passengers
|
2,074,668
[6]
|
2,102,516
|
1,870,853
|
1,671,234
|
1,602,321
|
1,561,940
|
1,761,783
|
2,180,029
|
1,654,270
|
1,236,415
|
1,168,199
|
1,102,299
|
1,061,337
|
996,106
|
Cargo (tons)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
27,395
|
24,700
|
24,633
|
24,712
|
26,149
|
25,445
|
Ground transportation
[
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]
The airport is located 19 km (12 mi) from downtown Montevideo. The airport is served by public transit and a private taxi service which connect to Montevideo and
Punta del Este
.
[7]
Other facilities
[
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]
The
Oficina de Investigacion y Prevencion de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviacion
(OIPAIA) of the
National Civil Aviation and Aviation Infrastructure Direction
(DINACIA) has its head office on the airport property.
[8]
Accidents and incidents
[
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]
General Cesareo Berisso Air Force Base
[
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]
The General Cesareo Berisso Air Force Base is a base of the Uruguayan Air Force. It shares runways with the Carrasco International Airport. Most of its facilities are located just east of the old civilian terminal. It is named in honor of Cesareo L. Berisso, a pioneer of Uruguayan aviation.
Air Brigade I
[
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]
Air Brigade I, one of the three brigades of the Uruguayan Air Force, is stationed at the base. It was created as Aeronautica n.º 1 in April 1936, when it was assigned 8
Potez 25
fighter aircraft.
Air Brigade I comprises three units:
- The Central Office of Assistance and the Carrasco Rescue Coordination Center.
- No. 3 Squadron (Transportation)
- No. 5 Squadron (Helicopters)
No.3 Squadron (Transportation)
[
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]
No. 3 Squadron operates 4 aircraft types:
No.5 Squadron (Helicopters)
[
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]
No.5 Squadron operates 3 helicopter types:
Colonel Jaime Meregalli Aeronautical Museum
[
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]
Also on the base is the
Colonel Jaime Meregalli Aeronautical Museum
, with a hangar for static aircraft display, in addition to a building that exhibits aviation historical material.
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
This article incorporates
public domain material
from the
Air Force Historical Research Agency
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