MundoAndino Home : Andes Chile Guide at Mundo Andino
Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport
Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport "AMBIA" , also known as Pudahuel Airport and Santiago International Airport, located in Pudahuel, Santiago, Region Metropolitana is Chile's largest aviation facility, and has over 6.5 million passengers (2006) annually.
History
The airport was built between 1961 and 1967 and was originally called Aeropuerto Internatcional Pudahuel; it replaced Los Cerrillos Airport.
The name of the airport was subsequently rechristened in honor of the founder of the Chilean Air Force: Arturo Merino Benitez during the 1970s.
The facility was expanded in 1994 with a new international terminal. This expansion added jetways, a duty-free zone, hotel, and greater parking.
Runway debacle
In 2002 a new terminal opened; 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 repairs were insufficient. The runways were declared useless due to their poor surface and resistance defects. 28-year-old Runway 17L/35R in contrast only required repairing once, in 2005. Additionally the runway's approach system was deficient and lacked the ILS Category III approach system used for low visibility; that is used by the older runway. The runway was rebuilt beginning in February 2007 and reopened for traffic in March.
Accidents
No airline disasters have occurred at the site. However in 1972 a chartered flight by an Uruguayan rugby team crashed into the Chilean Andes while en route to SCL. Furthermore on October 2, 1996, flight 603, an AeroPeru Boeing 757 crashed into the Pacific Ocean before its arrival from Lima, Peru's Jorge Chavez International Airport, killing all on board.
Airlines and destinations
The airport is predominantly a hub for LAN Airlines and in the past by Ladeco until their merger. Flights are largely operated by LAN and its subsidiaries. Flights to single or to a couple of destinations is provided by about a dozen other airlines, largely to their national hubs. Flights to multiple destinations are operated by Gol Transportes Aereos (GOL); Air Comet Chile and Sky Airline are mainly domestic airlines which use AMBIA as their hub.
International Terminal
Aerolineas Argentinas (Buenos Aires-Ezeiza)
Aeromexico (Mexico City)
Air Canada
Air Comet (Madrid)
Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
American Airlines
Avianca (Bogota)
Copa Airlines (Panama)
Cubana de Aviacion (Havana)
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta)
Gol Transportes Aereos
Iberia (Madrid)
LAN Airlines (Auckland, Bogota, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cancun, Caracas, Cordoba, Frankfurt, Guayaquil, Havana, La Paz, Lima, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mendoza, Mexico City, Miami, Montevideo, New York-JFK, Papeete, Punta Cana, Punta del Este (seasonal), Quito, Rio de Janeiro-Galeao, Rosario, Santa Cruz, Sao Paulo-Guarulhos, Sydney)
*LAN Argentina (Buenos Aires-Ezeiza)
*LAN Ecuador
*LANExpress
*LAN Peru
Pluna
Qantas (Sydney) [begins November 2008]
Swiss International Air Lines
TACA
*Lacsa (San Jose (CR))
*TACA Peru (Lima)
TAM
*TAM Mercosur (Asuncion)
Varig (Sao Paulo-Guarulhos)
Domestic Terminal
Air Comet Chile
LAN Airlines
*LANExpress
Sky Airline
Former Airlines/Destination
Aero Continente (Lima)
Aeroflot (Moscow)
Aerolineas del Sur
Aeroperu (Lima)
Alitalia
Air Madrid
AVANT
Braniff Airways
British Airways
Canadian Airlines (Toronto-Pearson)
Continental Airlines (Newark)
Eastern Airlines (Miami)
Ecuatoriana de Aviacion
Ladeco (Arica, Bogota, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Iquique, Mexico City, Miami, Sao Paulo-Guarulhos, San Jose (CR))
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Lufthansa
Lloyd Aereo Boliviano
Mexicana (Mexico City)
Pan Am
Panagra (Miami)
SAS
Saeta
Swissair
TAME
United Airlines (Miami)
Overview
There is an international terminal with 10 gates and a smaller domestic terminal with 7 gates (numbered 21-27).
VIP services are offered in both terminals of the airport. The operators are: LAN Airlines with the Neruda Lounge and the Mistral Lounge, American Airlines (Admirals Club), and the SkyTeam alliance; in addition to the unaffiliated lounges.
The airport features the Holiday Inn "Santiago - Airport" hotel, food courts, ATMs, shops, call centers, duty free shopping, coffee shops, eateries, bars, and newstores.
Projects
There is currently an expansion project underway within the existing terminal to expand immigration booths, baggage claim, as well as adding stores on the departures level.
External links
Official web site (English)Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Airports in Chile or help others to find answers.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport
