Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Ernesto Cortissoz) (IATA: BAQ, ICAO: SKBQ) is located 12 km (7 mi) from Barranquilla, the capital of the Atlántico department in Colombia. It is located in the municipality of Soledad, about 7 km (4 mi) south of the city of Barranquilla. The airport owes its name to one of the pioneers of Colombian aviation, Ernesto Cortissoz. This airport works as the international HUB for AIRES, and as a focus city for Avianca. It is capable of accepting widebodied aircraft such as the Boeing 747, Boeing 767, and Airbus A340. It is the most important airport in terms of infrastructure in the northern part of the country and the first in terms of cargo movements.

Description

The airport is located in the municipality of Soledad, just 7 km from the center of Barranquilla. It is capable of receiving large aircraft like the Boeing 747, McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Airbus A340. In fact, it was in its time the largest airport in Colombia. Currently, the airport is fifth in number of passengers and cargo room. The airport has two terminals: the domestic, which has the bridge down for shipping within 6-13 rooms, and international , which correspond to those between the chambers 1-5 and 5A. It works as an international hub for the airline Aires and as a secondary hub for the airline Avianca during the high season. In July 2007, the Civil Aviation gave the airport "open skies", this means that any airline in the world can fly to Barranquilla on any computer and with the frequency it deems necessary. This action was taken largely to promote tourism as a key city and Barranquilla in the Caribbean.

History

At the beginning of commercial aviation in Colombia, airport construction was in charge of each airline purporting to serve a particular city. Investment by companies contemplating the appropriateness of land for use as a landing field, and minimum construction attention to passengers and aircraft maintenance. It fell to the SCADTA, construction of major airports in the country, within them, Soledad Airport.

Soledad Airport soon became the main center of operations and maintenance of SCADTA in their domestic operations. International operations were operated by Pan American Airways, which held the scheduled DC-3 aircraft and later with Boeing 307 aircraft Stratoliners to Panama, Kingston and Miami. It was only with the acquisition of the DC-4 by Avianca, which were resumed international services, first to Miami and later to Kingston and New York from the airport in Soledad.

By 1946 came into operation at Barranquilla British airline British South American Airways BSAA, Lancastrian teams for a weekly flight to London via Bermuda. The service lasted 26 hours is referred to as "Lightning Route to Europe". Also that year a number of special flights were operated from Barranquilla to Miami and New York under contract with the airline Transocean Airlines, thallus with DC-4 aircraft. The Aviation Company KLM (Department of the West Indies) also started operating in Barranquilla with DC-4 aircraft, giving passengers the opportunity to connect with scheduled flights to Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Trinidad. In the early fifties LANSA Barranquilla inaugurated a service to Havana, he never won permission to fly to Miami. However in the sixties TAXADER if I can establish a service to Miami, but only for a few months.

He and Soledad Airport soon established himself as the first international airport in Colombia and the first hub of the country. The mid-50s built in Soledad Avianca one of aviation maintenance shops most important in Latin America. The workshops had two large hangars to house several aircraft at once. Workshop had propellers, Hydraulic Workshop, Workshop Tools, Electro-mechanical workshop, painting workshop, Taller de Ingeniería, Metal Rolling and warehouse of spare parts, in addition to the Technical School. 1650 had by 1958 under the management of technical Jorge Correa and sub-management Kallhardt Emilio. Also highlighted experienced technicians as they were Keld Petersen, Victor Sierra, Pablo Dominguez, Nestor Benavides and Jorge Mosquera. The workshop was certified by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) of the United States for repair and overhaul of all types of domestic and foreign aircraft, from small aircraft air taxi Beaver, to the luxurious Avianca Super Constellation.

With the opening of the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota in December 1959, Soledad way to a second place in importance in the country. It was only until the arrival of the first Boeing 727 Avianca in 1966 that the track was extended Soledad to receive this type of aircraft and thought of the imminent need to build a new international airport, which will feature a modern terminal, platforms, runway and taxiway and all necessary facilities for the city of Barranquilla, was put back on the map of the route network of international routes. Finally, on April 7, 1981, in the afternoon, Julio Cesar Turbay, president of the Republic, Alvaro Uribe Velez, Chief of the Civil Aviation inaugurated the new international airport Ernesto Cortissoz of the city of Barranquilla. The new terminal, with a built area of 35 thousand square meters, along with its new control tower, apron, runway 3,000 meters long by 45 wide and taxiing tracks were built north of the old airport Soledad . The architectural design was by architect Aníbal González Moreno-Ripoll signature-Baron and the new terminal was built by the firm Walls, Bridges, Ltda Vasquez had seven national dock waiting rooms and four rooms of international expected to approach their respective bridges. The premises of the former terminal building was designed to Soledad cargo hold, along with its platform, which was appropriate to receive this traffic.

Currently, the company Caribbean Airports S. A. "ACSA" is the operator of airport concession. ACSA was incorporated in the month of December 1996 and its main activity is the administration and economic exploitation Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport. This status was granted by the State through the concession contract number 001-CON-97 concluded with the Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics for a term of 15 years renewable. In this new phase, ACSA began operation on March 1, 1997. According to the contract award, administration and economic exploitation includes the provision of all airport services, maintenance management and direct terminal, runway, ramp, airport facilities, visual aids for approach and access roads, the Civil Aeronautics reserved management and responsibility for control and monitoring functions of en route air traffic and the proper functioning of air navigation aids, including approach, communications and other equipment intended and necessary for the proper air traffic control. Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport is named after one of the most important Colombian aviation pioneers. Ernesto Cortissoz was an entrepreneur, born in Barranquilla, which along with four Colombians and three German SCADTA founded in December 1919. It was the June 8, 1924 while traveling in the Junkers F-13 "Tolima" and together with other executives of the company, died as a result of one of the first plane crashes in the country.

Barranquilla International Airport is a pride for the citizens and has the potential to continue growing and also becoming the main cargo hub in the region.

Physical Characteristics

Field of Flight

The track has a length of 3,000 m and a width of 45 m. The approaches to each of the headers are categorized for instrument flight operations in precision category I in the head 05 and visual flight the head 23.

Shut up and Running Out

The airport has a parallel taxiway to the runway to reach both ends, two access roads track header, three blocks off the road and three street access platform that are a continuation of the intermediate track output. All have a width of 22.5 m. and are made of concrete.

Platforms

At the airport there are now three platforms for parking of aircraft, for commercial passenger aircraft, the aircraft for cargo and for the military base. The platform for commercial passenger aircraft is located opposite the passenger terminal building and has 16 parking spaces. The loading platform is located north of the Passenger Terminal Building, near the head 23.

Passenger Terminal

The airport has one passenger terminal building to meet all types of traffic which they operate. there are 36 check posts a series of shops with different retail stores and passengers, cafes and restaurant. There are two restricted areas for passengers, depending on national or international. At the national area are located the gates 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, each with a waiting area for passengers. For access to aircraft, four doors (6, 7, 8 and 9) have boarding bridge, with two degrees of freedom.

In the international area are the gates 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, each with a waiting area for passengers. There in the shop area a tax-free. The aircraft access is via gateways except the door 1. The bridges 2, 3 and 5 are mobile and with three degrees of freedom, while the 4 is similar to those installed in the national spring. Terminal access is via the same gates as described in the departures area. Domestic passengers claim their luggage in a room used for that purpose has two conveyor belts, and is located on the first level. International passengers receive it the same way, after passing through the immigration area. After leaving the terminal building, you can access the public area which houses the offices of rental cars and taxis waiting area.

Cargo Terminal

The Cargo Terminal is located northeast of the Passenger Terminal and has a floor area of 9,000 m2, is the former Passenger Terminal Building. The loading dock can accommodate up to two aircraft simultaneously, depending on their size. The percentage of current use does not exceed 30%, which facilitates the increase in operation 24 hours a day.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Passenger Terminal

Avianca airbus A320 from Miami

Cargo Terminal

• AeroSucre
• Cielos Airlines
• Tampa Cargo

Incidents

• On March 17, 1995, An Intercontinental DC-9 was destroyed by fire while it was parked in the apron, no one was on the plane.
• On November 19, 2006, A DC-10 operated by Cielos Airlines overran the runway while landing in bad weather, All 6 crew were injured.
• On November 21, 2006, Avianca Flight 9522 was outbound from Bogotá also overran the runway. All 135 people survived.
• On August 23, 2008, Aires Flight 0051 was outbound from Curaçao overran the runway because a problem with a landing gear. All 25 people survived.

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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