La Aurora International Airport

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La Aurora International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora
The airport's exterior
IATA: GUA – ICAO: MGGT
Summary
Airport type		Joint
Owner		Ministerio de Comunicaciones, Infraestructura y Vivienda
Operator		Dirección General de Aeronautica Civil
Serves		Guatemala City
Location		Guatemala City, Guatemala
Elevation AMSL		1,509 m / 4,952 ft
Coordinates		14°34′59″N 90°31′38″W / 14.58306°N 90.52722°W / 14.58306; -90.52722
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
01/19	3,000	9,800	Asphalt
Currently under renovations

La Aurora International Airport (IATA: GUA, ICAO: MGGT) serves Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is located 6 km south of Guatemala City's center and 25 km from Antigua. It is administered by the Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil.

La Aurora International Airport is going through massive modernization and expansion works. The airport is now able to accept a greater number of flights and larger aircraft. It provides high standard installations to the traveller. The old terminal has been renovated in accordance with its original design. It has been partly demolished and is was expanded by a new glass-designed concourse in the north, able to attend up to twenty-two aircraft. The greater part of the project has been completed in December 2008. Airlines operate from the 2 terminals the airport currently has, the Central and North terminals.

La Aurora International Airport hold the third position in Central America in passenger traffic, surpassed only by Tocumen International Airport in Panamá and Juan Santamaría International Airport in Costa Rica. On June 2007 the airport was certified as Category I by the FAA.[1]

[edit] Infrastructure and News

La Aurora is being renovated, along with other airports in Guatemala, such as Mundo Maya International Airport, Quetzaltenango Airport, Puerto Barrios Airport, and San José Airport.

In July 2007, seven new gates were opened. These gates are equipped with jetway bridges and modern conveniences, also a new parking garage was also built and it can handle up to 500 vehicles.

There are brand new ticket counters. 2007 brought significant gate expansion (11 new gates were available starting December 2007). The airport now has two concourses. The northern concourse has 12 traditional gates and 3 remote gates. The central concourse, is used for larger aircraft as it provides 4-6 gates depending on the size of the aircraft.

The airport's runway currently measures 3,000 meters in length. There have been efforts in the past to expand the runway but this has not yet been possible since there's a commercial area to the north of the runway and a small ravine near the southern side of the runway. Still, the renovation of the runway is in progress. The first phase consists in repaving the runway as well modernizing the illumination system. Future plans to expand the taxiway repave and move all the cargo facilities to San Jose Airport in Escuintla and Puerto Barrios Airport in Izabal. This will make room for more passenger terminal area and improved taxiways. Finally, the airport administration building is being refurbished and a regional terminal is being built.

Cargo operations are handled beside the passenger terminal building by COMBEX-IM. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Terminal_Norte_Aeropuerto_la_Aurora.jpg

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Main Building

[edit] North Concourse

The north Concourse has 12 gates and 3 remote gates.

[edit] Central Concourse

The central concourse has 6 gates, with type E air bridges, which are suited for widebody aircraft..

[edit] New airlines and new routes

• AeroRepublica plans to fly to Bogotá in the first quarter of 2010.

• Avianca plans to fly to Bogotá in 2010 as part of their expansion plan to Central America

[edit] Private Hangars

[edit] Cargo airlines

[edit] Radio Frequencies

[edit] History of La Aurora

[edit] World War II

During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Force Sixth Air Force defending the Central American coastline against Axis powers submarines. The first American personnel began arriving in December 1941. During its period of American use, the military facilities of the airport were known as Guatemala City Air Base. Flying units assigned to the airport were:

• 51st Fighter Squadron (Detachment) (32d Fighter Group), 2 Jan 1942-9 Mar 1943, (P-40 Warhawk)
• 74th Bombardment Squadron (40th, 6th Bombardment Groups), 9 Jan 1942-7 Apr 1944 (B-18 Bolo, B-17 Flying Fortress)
• 44th Bombardment Squadron (40th Bombardment Group) 6 Jul 1942-4 Jun 1943, (B-18 Bolo)

Detachments from the airfield operated intermittently from San Jose Airport, San José, Costa Rica, and Puerto San José, Guatemala from 1942 though 1944. After the war ended, a small number of Americans remained at the airport performing training duties with the Guatemalan Air Force and also operating a weather station (MATS 6th Weather Squadron). United States personnel were restricted to base during the Guatemalan revolution following the assassination of Colonel Francisco Xavier Arana on 18 Jul 1949. Some artillery shells landed on the base during the violence. The facility was closed on 28 Jul 1949 and turned over to Guatemalan authorities.

[edit] External links

• Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
• Airport information for MGGT at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
• Cargo services provided by COMBEX-IM
• La Aurora International Airport group in Facebook [2]

v • d • e USAAF Sixth Air Force in World War II Previously: Panama Canal Air Force (1940-1941); Caribbean Air Force (1941-1942) Airfields Caribbean Coolidge (Antigua)  · Dakota (Aruba)  · Batista (Cuba)  · Camaguey (Cuba)  · Hato (Curacao)  · Vernam (Jamaica)  · Arecibo (Puerto Rico)  · Borinquen (Puerto Rico)  · Losey (Puerto Rico)  · Benedict (Saint Croix)  · Beane (Saint Lucia)  · St. Thomas Airport (Saint Thomas)  · Carlsen (Trinidad)  · Piarco Airport (Trinidad)  · Waller (Trinidad) Canal Zone Albrook  · France  · Howard Panama Aguadulce  · Anton  · Calzada Larga  · Chame  · David  · La Chorrera  · Madden  · Patilla Point  · Pocri  · Rio Hato Central and South America Belem (Brazil)  · Atkinson (British Guiana)  · Zandery (Dutch Guiana)  · Salinas (Ecuador)  · Baltra (Galápagos Islands)  · Guatemala City (Guatemala)  · Talara (Peru) Units Commands VI Bomber Command  · VI Fighter Command  · XXVI Fighter Command  · XXXVI Fighter Command  · VI Air Force Service  · Antilles Air Command Groups Fighter 16th Fighter  · 32d Fighter  · 36th Fighter  · 37th Fighter  · 53d Fighter Bomber 6th Bombardment  · 9th Bombardment  · 25th Bombardment  · 40th Bombardment Reconnaissance 72d Reconnaissance Squadrons 1st Depot Repair  · 20th Troop Carrier  · 23d Antisubmarine  · 91st Reconnaissance United States Army Air Forces First  · Second  · Third  · Fourth  · Fifth  · Sixth  · Seventh  · Eighth  · Ninth  · Tenth  · Eleventh  · Twelfth  · Thirteenth  · Fourteenth  · Fifteenth  · Twentieth