Quetzaltenango Airport
Encyclopedia
Quetzaltenango Airport serves the city of Quetzaltenango
also known as "Xelajú" or "Xela" and western Guatemala
. It is operated and administrated by DGAC - Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil de Guatemala.
.
The airport is currently undergoing massive construction works, as part of a nationwide airport rehabilitation program. Serving Guatemalas second largest city, AAZ aims to gain international status, along with La Aurora International Airport
and Mundo Maya International Airport
. The whole region hopes to profit economically from this new airport. So far, the next airport to Quetzaltenango with regular airline connections was 200 km (124.3 mi) away, in Guatemala City. Until 2006 the airfield in "Xela" only consisted of a grass/gravel runway. It had no significant terminal building and only a small hangar. Air traffic was very limited due to many missing essential features for a safe and unobstructed operation. In September 2006 construction works began, which include:
An emergency operations center has been installed at the airport in order to respond faster to disasters like hurricane Stan
in the future. The new runway was inaugurated by president Oscar Berger on January 10, 2008. The terminal is still under construction, and it would be ready by late 2013.
On May 12, 2003 After the first flight that lasted 30 minutes, followed by further testing done only to a volunteer who offered to accompany him, now see it is regular with his son and friends who ask you to take them to feel Quetzaltenango the excitement of seeing a plane built in this city.
(N3FY) carrying 18 crew and passengers crashed near the airport into mountainous terrain. Bad weather during approach is the probable cause. There were 11 fatalities.
On 13 October 1999 a private Bell 206
helicopter
(TG-AMA) crashed near Quetzaltenango. Both occupants were killed.
Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
also known as "Xelajú" or "Xela" and western 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...
. It is operated and administrated by DGAC - Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil de Guatemala.
General
'Quetzaltenango Airport is located in the Guatemalan highlands, in the northeastern part of the city of QuetzaltenangoQuetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú , or more commonly, Xela , is the second largest city of Guatemala. It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality....
.
The airport is currently undergoing massive construction works, as part of a nationwide airport rehabilitation program. Serving Guatemalas second largest city, AAZ aims to gain international status, along with La Aurora International Airport
La Aurora International Airport
La Aurora International Airport serves Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is located south of Guatemala City's center and from Antigua. It is administered by the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil....
and Mundo Maya International Airport
Mundo Maya International Airport
Mundo 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...
. The whole region hopes to profit economically from this new airport. So far, the next airport to Quetzaltenango with regular airline connections was 200 km (124.3 mi) away, in Guatemala City. Until 2006 the airfield in "Xela" only consisted of a grass/gravel runway. It had no significant terminal building and only a small hangar. Air traffic was very limited due to many missing essential features for a safe and unobstructed operation. In September 2006 construction works began, which include:
- extension, asphalting, signposting and illuminating of the runwayRunwayAccording to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
and taxiwayTaxiwayA taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass.... - construction of a small terminal building and apron for four planes
- construction of a parking area
An emergency operations center has been installed at the airport in order to respond faster to disasters like hurricane Stan
Hurricane Stan
Hurricane Stan was the eighteenth named tropical storm and eleventh hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was also the sixth of seven tropical cyclones to make landfall in Mexico. Stan was a relatively weak storm that only briefly reached hurricane status...
in the future. The new runway was inaugurated by president Oscar Berger on January 10, 2008. The terminal is still under construction, and it would be ready by late 2013.
Criticism
- It was found out that, when Oscar BergerOscar BergerOscar Berger may refer to:*Óscar Berger , President of Guatemala*Oscar Berger , caricaturist and cartoonist born in Czechoslovakia*Oscar Berger-Levrault, French inventor...
inaugurated the runway in January 2008, construction works had not been finished. The markings on the runway were faked for the official opening ceremony and had to be removed again for final coating.http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2008/marzo/01/223277.html,http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=451541&page=11 - The terminal building was revealed to be only a small house, not a terminal building of international standards as anticipated .
- The tower has not been built, hence safe operations are questionalble at the moment.
Aviation in Quetzaltenango
- The first airport was built in 1945 at La Esperanza and was transferred to the present site in 1955. 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...
had daily flghts between Xela and Guatemala CityGuatemala CityGuatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, charging 25 QGuatemalan quetzalThe quetzal is the currency of Guatemala. It is named after the national bird of Guatemala, the Resplendent Quetzal. In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal bird's tail feathers were used as currency. It is divided into 100 cents, called centavos in standard Spanish or lenes in Guatemalan slang...
those days.http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=451541&page=10 - In 1999 Miguel Angel Castro Conde constructed a two seater aircraft in Quetzaltenango, naming it "Quetzaltenango 1". It is said that it is the first and only ever built airplane in Central AmericaCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
,.
Quetzaltenango 1
Quetzaltenango 1 is the name of the first aircraft built in Central America, Miguel Angel Castroconde is responsible for the airplane with the name Quetzaltenango 1, plane he built with the help of his son becoming the PrimerCconstructor an aircraft in Guatemala.On May 12, 2003 After the first flight that lasted 30 minutes, followed by further testing done only to a volunteer who offered to accompany him, now see it is regular with his son and friends who ask you to take them to feel Quetzaltenango the excitement of seeing a plane built in this city.
Airlines
Previous carriers and destinations
- 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 between 1999 and 2002, using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. There were two daily flights (TA 1932, TA 1918). Flying time to Guatemala City was scheduled with 40 minutes.
Incidents
On 1 November 1998 a Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
(N3FY) carrying 18 crew and passengers crashed near the airport into mountainous terrain. Bad weather during approach is the probable cause. There were 11 fatalities.
On 13 October 1999 a private Bell 206
Bell 206
The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected...
helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
(TG-AMA) crashed near Quetzaltenango. Both occupants were killed.
External links
- Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
- http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=451541&page=9 discussions about the future of the airport
- http://www.elquetzalteco.com.gt/04.09.2007/locales/falta_un_32_por_ciento_para_concluir_aeropuerto actual status of the constructions
- http://www.sigloxxi.com/index.php?link=noticias¬iciaid=15016&PHPSESSID=d971ae7d05edc9ce newspaper article concerning the constructions