Carrasco International Airport
Encyclopedia
Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport , commonly known simply by Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco in reference to the neighborhood where it is located, is the main airport serving Montevideo
, Uruguay
, located in the adjoining municipality of Ciudad de la Costa
. It is the largest airport in Uruguay.
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 at the airport.
On February 3, 2007, construction began on a new and modern terminal that is located parallel to Runway 06/24. The new terminal, designed by Uruguayan born architect Rafael Viñoly
, 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 October 5, 2009 with official operations beginning on December 29, 2009. A new US$7 million dollar cargo
terminal is also being constructed.
Runway 06/24 has been strengthened and lengthened to 3200 mts, which allows airlines to operate non-stop flights to the U.S.A. and Europe. Runway 01/19 was lengthened to 2250 mts and the third runway (rarely ever used) has now been taken out of use since the new terminal cuts across it.
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, located in the adjoining municipality of Ciudad de la Costa
Ciudad de la Costa
Ciudad de la Costa is a city in Canelones Department of Uruguay, on the banks of the Río de la Plata between the streams Arroyo Carrasco and Arroyo Pando. It is considered an extension of the metropolitan area of Montevideo which it borders to the west, while to the east it borders Costa de Oro. It...
. It is the largest airport in Uruguay.
History
The original passenger terminal, presently the cargo 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 at the airport.
On February 3, 2007, construction began on a new and modern terminal that is located parallel to Runway 06/24. The new terminal, designed by Uruguayan born architect Rafael Viñoly
Rafael Viñoly
Rafael Viñoly is an Uruguayan architect living in the United States.-Biography:He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay to Román Viñoly Barreto, and Maria Beceiro ....
, 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 October 5, 2009 with official operations beginning on December 29, 2009. A new US$7 million dollar cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
terminal is also being constructed.
Runway 06/24 has been strengthened and lengthened to 3200 mts, which allows airlines to operate non-stop flights to the U.S.A. and Europe. Runway 01/19 was lengthened to 2250 mts and the third runway (rarely ever used) has now been taken out of use since the new terminal cuts across it.
Statistics
| Traffic | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers |
1,236,415 | 1,168,199 | 1,102,299 | 1,061,337 | 996,106 | 834,515 | 835,203 | 948,745 | 1,012,219 |
| Cargo (tons) |
24,700 | 24,633 | 24,712 | 26,149 | 25,445 | 23,097 | 20,237 | 25,929 | 20,644 |
Passenger
Scheduled cargo
Accidents
- 3 December 1945: an USAAF Douglas C-47B-5-DK registration 43-48602 flying from AsunciónSilvio Pettirossi International Airport-Incidents and accidents:*3 December 1945: an USAAF Douglas C-47B-5-DK registration 43-48602 flying from Asunción to Montevideo crashed 16km SE of Carlos Pellegrini, Argentina...
to Montevideo crashed 16km SE of Carlos PellegriniCarlos Pellegrini, Santa FeCarlos Pellegrini is a town in the center-west of Santa Fe Province, Argentina.According to the 2001 census, it has 5,062 inhabitants: 2,555 women and 2,507 men...
, ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. All 14 occupants died. - 18 September 1957: a Real Transportes AéreosReal Transportes AéreosReal Transportes Aéreos was a Brazilian airline founded in 1945. It was merged into Varig in 1961, when Varig bought the Consórcio Real-Aerovias-Nacional, of which Real was the main carrier....
Convair 440-62 registration PP-AQE belonging to Transportes Aéreos NacionalTransportes Aéreos NacionalTransportes Aéreos Nacional was a Brazilian airline founded in 1946. It was merged into Varig in 1961, when Varig bought the Consórcio Real-Aerovias-Nacional, of which Transportes Aéreos Nacional was one of the partners.-History:...
, flying from Porto AlegreSalgado Filho International AirportSalgado Filho International Airport is the airport serving Porto Alegre, Brazil. It is named after the Senator and first Minister of the Brazilian Air Force Joaquim Pedro Salgado Filho , killed on June 20, 1950 in an accident with an aircraft which departed from Porto Alegre.In 2010 the airport...
to Montevideo had an accident during touch down operations in Montevideo. While on a night landing procedure under fog, the aircraft undershoot the runway by 1,030m, causing the left and middle gear to hit an earth bank bordering a highway. The right wing touched the ground and further on the aircraft lost both propellers. The right wing then broke off. One crew member died. - 20 July 1972: a cargo Aerotransportes Entre Rios Canadair CC-106 Yukon registration LV-JYR flying from Montevideo to Santiago de Chile went missing during the flight. The crew of 5 perished.
- 20 June 1977: a TAMU Embraer EMB110C BandeiranteEmbraer EMB 110 BandeiranteThe Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
registration CX-BJE/T584 flying from Montevideo to Salto crashed after striking trees in an orange grove during approach to Salto. The crew of 2 and 3 of the 13 passengers died. - 10 February 1978: a TAMU Douglas C-47A 75-DL registration CX-BJH/T511 flying from ArtigasArtigas AirportArtigas International Airport is the airport serving Artigas, Uruguay.-Accidents and incidents:*10 February 1978: a TAMU Douglas C-47A 75-DL registration CX-BJH/T511 flying from Artigas to Montevideo crashed shortly after take-off from Artigas on a domestic scheduled passenger flight...
to Montevideo crashed shortly after take-off from Artigas on a domestic scheduled passenger flight. All 44 people on board were killed, making this the second-worst involving a DC-3 and the worst aviation accident in Uruguay at the time.
Incident
- 1 January 1970: a Cruzeiro do SulServiços Aéreos Cruzeiro do SulServiços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul, was the second oldest airline of Brazil, tracing its origins to 1927, when it was founded as Syndicato Condor, a subsidiary of Deutsche Luft Hansa. Syndicato Condor retained rights and interests of a former German trade company, Condor Syndikat, which previously...
Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI RSud Aviation CaravelleThe Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with...
en route from Montevideo to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, with 33 occupants aboard, was hijacked by 6 persons who demanded to be flown to CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. The flight was diverted to LimaJorge Chávez International AirportJorge Chávez International Airport , known as Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez in Spanish, is Peru's main international and domestic airport. It is located in Callao, 11 kilometers from the Historic Centre of Lima and 17 km from Miraflores. Callao is the port city now fully...
, Panama City-TocumenTocumen International AirportTocumen International Airport is an international airport located from Panama City, Panama. In 2006, it underwent a major expansion and renovation program in order to modernize and improve its facilities...
and arrived in HavanaJosé Martí International AirportJosé Martí International Airport , sometimes known by its former name Rancho-Boyeros Airport, is located southwest of Havana, Cuba, and is a hub for Cubana de Aviación, Aerogaviota and Aero Caribbean, and former Latin American hub for Aeroflot Soviet Airlines...
two days later. There were no victims.