Viru Viru International Airport
| Viru Viru International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
IATA: VVI – ICAO: SLVR
 VVI
|
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | abertis airports (Abertis) | ||
| Location | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,225 ft / 373 m | ||
| Coordinates | 17°38′41″S 63°08′07″W / 17.64472°S 63.13528°W | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 16/34 | 11,483 | 3,500 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2005/06) | |||
| Passengers Served 2005 | 825,994 | ||
| Passengers Served 2006 | 833,212 | ||
| http://www.sabsa.aero/aeropuerto-viru-viru/estadisticas.aspx | |||
Viru Viru International Airport (IATA: VVI, ICAO: SLVR) is an aviation facility located in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
The idea to build a new, modern airport in Santa Cruz was conceived in 1976, in view of the obsolence of the old airport known as El Trompillo. Soon after, construction of the airport began. Upon its inauguration, Viru Viru became the most important airport in Bolivia and its main gateway of international flights, despite Santa Cruz being only the second largest metropolitan area in Bolivia. Because La Paz is located at a high altitude, it can be difficult to reach by car from other Bolivian cities, and many travelers choose to fly from Viru Viru instead. Viru Viru is now the largest international airport in Bolivia.
Viru Viru is able to handle the largest commercial jets. Most arriving flights are either domestic flights, flights from neighboring South American countries, North American flights and some European flights. Viru Viru is also a hub for Bolivia's biggest airlines AeroSur, and Boliviana de Aviacion. Lloyd Aereo Boliviano used Viru Viru as a hub before ceasing operations in 2009.
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[edit] Operators
On March 1, 1997 the Government of Bolivia entered into a 25 year contract with Airport Group International to operate the three largest airports in Bolivia – El Alto International Airport in La Paz, Jorge Wilstermann International Airport in Cochabamba and Viru Viru International Airport. Servicios de Aeropuertos Bolivianos Sociedad Anonima (SABSA) was created to operate the concession. In 1999 Airport Group International was purchased by TBI plc and, in 2004, Spain's Abertis/AENA purchased TBI. The biggest aircraft that can land in the runway is the Boeing 747-400 from AeroSur.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aerocon | Cochabamba, La Paz, Puerto Suarez, Tarija, Trinidad, Yacuiba |
| Aerolíneas Argentinas | Buenos Aires-Ezeiza |
| AeroSur | Asunción, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cobija, Cochabamba, Cuzco, La Paz, Lima, Madrid-Barajas, Miami, Panama City, Puerto Suárez, Punta Cana, Salta, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Sucre, Tarija, Tucumán, Washington-Dulles |
| Amaszonas | Cochabamba, La Paz, Trinidad |
| American Airlines | Miami |
| Boliviana de Aviación | Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cobija, Cochabamba, La Paz, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Sucre, Tarija |
| Copa Airlines | Panama City |
| Gol Airlines | Campo Grande, São Paulo-Guarulhos |
| LAN Airlines | Iquique, Santiago de Chile |
| LAN Perú | Lima |
| TACA Perú | Lima |
| TAM - Transporte Aéreo Militar | Cobija, Cochabamba, La Paz, Puerto Suárez, Sucre, Tarija, Trinidad |
| TAM Airlines Paraguay | Asunción |
[edit] Cargo Operations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AeroSur Cargo | |
| American Airlines | Miami |
| TAB - Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos | Cochabamba, La Paz, Miami, Panama City |
| DHL Aviation | |
| FedEx Express |
[edit] Incidents
- On March 8, 2006, an Argentine airforce Learjet 35 flying from El Alto International Airport in La Paz to Viru Viru crashed after take off, killing all six people onboard.
- 23 July 2010: an AeroSur Boeing 737 flying from Miami, FL, USA, to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, with 122 passengers and 6 crew members on board, lost cabin pressurization at 08:00 UTC over the Brazilian Amazonia and therefore was forced to land at Rio Branco International Airport. No one was hurt. [1]
[edit] Ceased Operations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AeroPerú | Lima |
| Air Comet | Madrid |
| Ecuatoriana de Aviación | Quito, Guayaquil |
| Lloyd Aereo Boliviano | Arica, Asuncion, Bogota, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cancun, Caracas, Cobija, Cochabamba, Cordoba, Cuzco, Guayaquil, Havana, La Paz, Lima, Madrid, Manaus, Mexico City, Miami, Montevideo, Panama City, Puerto Suarez, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, Salta, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Sucre, Tarija, Trinidad, Washington-Dulles |
| Varig | Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Rió de Janeiro |
| VASP | São Paulo, Rió de Janeiro |
[edit] External links
- Weather in Santa Cruz - Viru Viru Airport
- Santa Cruz Travel Guide
- Homepage of the Viru Viru International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Viru Viru): [1] (Sabsa = Servicios de Aeropuertos Bolivianos S.A. is the operator of three airports in Bolivia).
- Airport information for SLVR at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
[edit] References
- ^ Aerosur plane with 128 on board performed emergency landing in Brazil. ABC Color, quoting EFE news agency, 23 July 2010. In Spanish. Retrieved on 11 August 2010.
