Puerto Barrios Airport
Encyclopedia
Puerto Barrios Airport serves the city of Puerto Barrios
, the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla
and the Guatemala
n Caribbean
. It is operated and administrated by DGAC - Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil de Guatemala.
, near the shore of Amatique Bay
.
The airport is currently undergoing refurbishment, as part of a nationwide airport rehabilitation program. In the 1920s and 30s Puerto Barrios was a flyboat destination only; a first concrete runway was built by the United States Government during World War II
for strategical reasons. It was later used by the Guatemalan Air Force
, known under the name "Base Aérea de Izabal". In 2002 the airport was equipped with VOR
/DME
with the help of COCESNA, the Central American Corporation for Air Navigation. Being located near the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla
, today the airport is of special interest for cruise ship operators, who carry passengers to important attractions throughout the country on chartered flights. Puerto Barrios always was a logistics centre, what is underlined in the city seal, which depicts a ship, a train
, an airplane and a truck.
Puerto Barrios
Puerto Barrios is a city in Guatemala, located within the Gulf of Honduras at. The bay in which the harbour is located is called Bahia de Amatique. Puerto Barrios is the departmental seat of Izabal department and the administrative seat of Puerto Barrios municipality.Puerto Barrios was named after...
, the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla
Santo Tomás de Castilla
Santo Tomás de Castilla, also known as Matías de Gálvez is a port city in the Izabal Department, Guatemala. It is located at around . It lies at Amatique Bay off the Gulf of Honduras and is administratively a part of Puerto Barrios.-Belgian colony:...
and the Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. It is operated and administrated by DGAC - Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil de Guatemala.
General
Puerto Barrios Airport is located in the northern part of the city of Puerto BarriosPuerto Barrios
Puerto Barrios is a city in Guatemala, located within the Gulf of Honduras at. The bay in which the harbour is located is called Bahia de Amatique. Puerto Barrios is the departmental seat of Izabal department and the administrative seat of Puerto Barrios municipality.Puerto Barrios was named after...
, near the shore of Amatique Bay
Amatique Bay
Amatique Bay is a large bay in the Gulf of Honduras, along the eastern coast of Guatemala and Belize. It stretches from Santo Tomás de Castilla in the south to Punta Gorda in the north...
.
The airport is currently undergoing refurbishment, as part of a nationwide airport rehabilitation program. In the 1920s and 30s Puerto Barrios was a flyboat destination only; a first concrete runway was built by the United States Government during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
for strategical reasons. It was later used by the Guatemalan Air Force
Guatemalan Air Force
The Guatemalan Air Force is a small air force composed mostly of U.S.-made aircraft throughout its history....
, known under the name "Base Aérea de Izabal". In 2002 the airport was equipped with VOR
VHF omnidirectional range
VOR, short for VHF omnidirectional radio range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier, voice , and navigation signal. The identifier is typically a two- or three-letter string in Morse code...
/DME
Distance Measuring Equipment
Distance measuring equipment is a transponder-based radio navigation technology that measures distance by timing the propagation delay of VHF or UHF radio signals....
with the help of COCESNA, the Central American Corporation for Air Navigation. Being located near the port of Santo Tomás de Castilla
Santo Tomás de Castilla
Santo Tomás de Castilla, also known as Matías de Gálvez is a port city in the Izabal Department, Guatemala. It is located at around . It lies at Amatique Bay off the Gulf of Honduras and is administratively a part of Puerto Barrios.-Belgian colony:...
, today the airport is of special interest for cruise ship operators, who carry passengers to important attractions throughout the country on chartered flights. Puerto Barrios always was a logistics centre, what is underlined in the city seal, which depicts a ship, a train
Rail transport in Guatemala
Although Guatemala still has a network of narrow gauge railroads, no passenger or freight trains currently run, except for occasional chartered tourist trains.- History :...
, an airplane and a truck.
Past
- In 1925 SCADTASCADTAThe Colombian-German Air Transport Society , or SCADTA, was the world's second airline, and the first airline of the American continent, operating from 1919 until World War II. After the war, SCADTA merged with Colombian regional carrier Colombian Air Service , or SACO. Together, SCADTA and SACO...
of Colombia made a historical journey with two Dornier Wal flyboats from BarranquillaBarranquillaBarranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
to Palm BeachPalm Beach, FloridaThe Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
stopping in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Puerto San JoséPuerto San JoséPuerto San José is a city on Guatemala's Pacific Ocean coast, in the department of Escuintla. It contains about 20,000 people, making it the largest place along the Pacific coast of Guatemala. It was the Pacific port for Guatemala, but this was superseded in the 20th century by Puerto Quetzal, a...
, AmatitlánAmatitlánAmatitlán is a town in the Guatemala department of Guatemala. The main industry of the town during colonial times was the preparation of cochineal...
, Puerto Barrios, Cozumel, Havana and Miami.
- In 1928 a Curtiss FalconCurtiss Aeroplane and Motor CompanyCurtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Hammond Curtiss as president. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the company was the largest aircraft manufacturer in the United States...
supported by the Colombian government, called "Ricaurte" flew from New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to BogotáBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, stopping in Jacksonville, Havanna, Puerto Barrios, Puerto Cabezas, Colón, Cartagena and Barranquilla. The plane suffered a mechanical failure in PBR, which made the plane rest here for several days.
- In the 1930s, Pan American World AirwaysPan American World AirwaysPan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
had scheduled flights from Miami to San Salvador stopping in Havanna, Cozumel, Mérida, Belize and Puerto Barrios, using Sikorsky 40 flyboats.
After World War II
- In the 1950s and 60s, AviatecaAviatecaAviateca was the state-owned flag carrier of Guatemala, headquartered in Guatemala City. It is now a subsidiary of Grupo TACA.- History :The airline was established on 14 March 1945 as Empresa Guatemalteca de Aviación S. A., which was shortened to Aviateca. It was formed as the successor to...
, the former national airline, connected PBR with other destinations in GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
.
- Inter Regional, a regional subsidiary of Grupo TACAGrupo TACATACA is the trade name "brand" comprising a group of five independently IATA-coded and -owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA-coded regional airlines which code-share and feed the TACA brand system...
in Guatemala, offered scheduled flights to Guatemala City from 1999, using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. There were up to two daily flights (TA 1911, TA 1920, 1923). Two times a week there was a scheduled stop at Rio Dulce airstrip on the incoming flight. Flying time to Guatemala City was scheduled with 1 hour, 05 minutes. There were also flights from Mundo Maya International AirportMundo Maya International AirportMundo Maya International Airport , also known as Flores International Airport, is an international airport located in the suburb of Santa Elena, in the city of Flores, Guatemala...
to San Pedro SulaSan Pedro SulaSan Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
stopping in PBR. All scheduled flights were suspended in 2002 due to lack of demand.
Incidents
- 24 May 1956: A Douglas C-47Douglas Aircraft CompanyThe Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
on a scheduled AviatecaAviatecaAviateca was the state-owned flag carrier of Guatemala, headquartered in Guatemala City. It is now a subsidiary of Grupo TACA.- History :The airline was established on 14 March 1945 as Empresa Guatemalteca de Aviación S. A., which was shortened to Aviateca. It was formed as the successor to...
flight crashed at PanzósPanzósPanzós is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz.On 29 May 1978, the village of Panzós was the site of a massacre in which between 30 and 60 local inhabitants were killed by the army....
after leaving PBR. 30 occupants were killed. - 15 November 1960: A Beechcraft AT-11Beechcraft Model 18The Beechcraft Model 18, or "Twin Beech", as it is better known, is a 6-11 seat, twin-engine, low-wing, conventional-gear aircraft that was manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas...
of the Guatemalan Air ForceGuatemalan Air ForceThe Guatemalan Air Force is a small air force composed mostly of U.S.-made aircraft throughout its history....
made a belly landingBelly landingA belly landing or gear-up landing occurs when an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended and uses its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device...
after a mechanical failure on a night flight. - 28 April 2007: A Cessna 210CessnaThe Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
(TG-MAP) crashes on a private flight between Puerto Barrios and San Pedro Sula, killing the pilot.