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Carrasco International Airport

Coordinates: 34°50′18″S 56°01′51″W / 34.83833°S 56.03083°W / -34.83833; -56.03083
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Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorAeropuertos Uruguay
ServesMontevideo
LocationCiudad de la Costa, Canelones
Opened1947 (1947)
Hub forAir Class Líneas Aéreas
Elevation AMSL105 ft / 32 m
Coordinates34°50′18″S 56°01′51″W / 34.83833°S 56.03083°W / -34.83833; -56.03083
Websitewww.aeropuertodecarrasco.com.uy
Map
MVD is located in Montevideo
MVD
MVD
Location in the city of Montevideo
MVD is located in Uruguay
MVD
MVD
MVD (Uruguay)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
01/19 2,250 7,382 Asphalt
07/25 3,200 10,499 Asphalt
Statistics (2017, 2010 (cargo))
Passengers2,102,516
Metric tonnes of cargo27,395
Sources: Airport Website [1] SkyVector[2] Google Maps[3]

Carrasco/General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport (IATA: MVD, ICAO: SUMU) is the main international airport of Uruguay. It is the country's largest airport and is located in the Carrasco neighborhood of Montevideo. It has been cited as one of the most efficient and traveler-friendly airports in Latin America.[4]

The airport is named after Cesáreo L. Berisso, a pioneer of Uruguayan aviation, and it also hosts an air base of the Uruguayan Air Force.

History

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The original passenger 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 of the airport.

On 3 February 2007, construction began on a new terminal parallel to Runway 06/24. Runway 01/19 was lengthened to 2,250 metres (7,382 ft) and the former Runway 10/28 was permanently closed because the new terminal cuts across it. The new terminal, designed by Uruguayan 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 5 October 2009 with official operations beginning on 29 December 2009. A new US$15 million cargo terminal was also constructed.

Regular passenger flights were suspended in mid-March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular flights to Spain were resumed in July, and to São Paulo and Santiago in August.

The airport serves as the main operational hub of cargo and charter passenger airline Air Class Líneas Aéreas.

View towards the terminal
Terminal exterior
Check-in hall

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinations
Aerolíneas Argentinas Buenos Aires–Aeroparque[5]
Air Europa Madrid[6]
American Airlines Seasonal: Miami[7]
Avianca Bogotá[8]
Azul Brazilian Airlines Belo Horizonte-Confins (begins 4 March 2026),[9] Recife[10]
Copa Airlines Panama City–Tocumen[11]
Gol Linhas Aéreas Fortaleza,[12] Rio de Janeiro–Galeão,[13] São Paulo–Guarulhos[13]
Seasonal: Natal (begins 21 March 2026)[14]
Iberia Madrid[15]
JetSmart Chile Rio de Janeiro–Galeão,[16] Santiago de Chile[16]
LATAM Brasil São Paulo–Guarulhos[16]
LATAM Chile Santiago de Chile[16]
LATAM Perú Lima[16]
Paranair Asunción,[17] Rivera,[18] Salto[19]
Sky Airline São Paulo–Guarulhos,[20] Salvador da Bahia,[16] Santiago de Chile[16]
Sky Airline Peru Florianópolis,[20] Lima[16]

Statistics

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PassengersYear300,000600,000900,0001,200,0001,500,0001,800,0002,100,0002,400,0002004200720102013201620192022PassengersAnnual passenger traffic
Traffic 2023 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004
Passengers 1,763,35 2,074,668[21] 2,102,516 1,870,853 1,671,234 1,602,321 1,561,940 1,761,783 2,180,029 1,654,270 1,236,415 1,168,199 1,102,299 1,061,337 996,106
Cargo (tons) 27,395 24,700 24,633 24,712 26,149 25,445

Ground transportation

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The airport is located 19 km (12 mi) from downtown Montevideo. The airport is served by public transit and a private taxi service which connect to Montevideo and Punta del Este.[22]

Other facilities

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The Oficina de Investigación y Prevención de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación (OIPAIA) of the National Civil Aviation and Aviation Infrastructure Direction (DINACIA) has its head office on the airport property.[23]

Accidents and incidents

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General Cesáreo Berisso Air Force Base

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The General Cesareo Berisso Air Force Base is a base of the Uruguayan Air Force. It shares runways with the Carrasco International Airport. Most of its facilities are located just east of the old civilian terminal. It is named in honor of Cesáreo L. Berisso, a pioneer of Uruguayan aviation.

Air Brigade I

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Potez 25 aircraft

Air Brigade I, one of the three brigades of the Uruguayan Air Force, is stationed at the base. It was created as Aeronáutica n.º 1 in April 1936, when it was assigned 8 Potez 25 fighter aircraft.

Air Brigade I comprises three units:

  • The Central Office of Assistance and the Carrasco Rescue Coordination Center.
  • No. 3 Squadron (Transportation)
  • No. 5 Squadron (Helicopters)

No.3 Squadron (Transportation)

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No. 3 Squadron operates 4 aircraft types:

No.5 Squadron (Helicopters)

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No.5 Squadron operates 3 helicopter types:

Colonel Jaime Meregalli Aeronautical Museum

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Also on the base is the Colonel Jaime Meregalli Aeronautical Museum, with a hangar for static aircraft display, in addition to a building that exhibits historical aviation material.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Aeropuerto de Carrasco - Montevideo Uruguay". Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Montevideo/Carrasco L Berisso Airport". SkyVector. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Carrasco International Airport". Google Maps. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Best Airports in South America 2015". Archived from the original on 20 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  5. ^ Martinez Garbuno, Daniel (29 September 2025). "Aerolíneas Argentinas to use Brazil-Uruguay fifth freedom". ch-aviation. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  6. ^ Deliso, Meredith (2 July 2024). "40 people injured after Air Europa flight experiences heavy turbulence, diverted to Brazil: Airport". ABC7 Los Angeles. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  7. ^ "American Airlines returns to Uruguay with a temporary flight to Miami". Travel 2 Latam / English. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  8. ^ Casey, David (7 September 2021). "Avianca to launch five new US routes". Aviation Week. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  9. ^ "BH Airport passa a ter voo direto para Montevidéu a partir de Março pela Azul". Brasilturis (in Portuguese). 20 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Azul adds new destinations to/from Montevideo". MercoPress. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  11. ^ Diaz, Pablo (3 September 2021). "Copa Airlines to increase flights to Montevideo". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Gol anuncia voos diretos de Fortaleza para Foz do Iguaçu e Mondevidéu". Aeroflap (in Portuguese). 7 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  13. ^ a b "GOL returns to Montevideo after nearly 21 months of domestic-only routes". MercoPress. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  14. ^ "GOL terá voos entre Natal e Montevidéu". Panrotas (in Portuguese). 26 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  15. ^ Diaz, Pablo (29 April 2022). "Air Europa to increase flights between Madrid and Montevideo". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Diaz, Pablo (4 February 2024). "Montevideo Airport Achieves Passenger Traffic Record". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  17. ^ "Paraguayan carrier announces new Uruguayan destination". MercoPress. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  18. ^ "Paranair lanza nueva ruta doméstica en Uruguay: Montevideo-Rivera". Aeronauticapy (in Spanish). 28 October 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  19. ^ ""Un hito de conectividad": se realizó el primer vuelo directo entre Montevideo y Salto". Montevideo Portal (in Spanish). 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  20. ^ a b Sena, Gaston (31 August 2023). "SKY Airline Makes Strong Comeback to Uruguay With Flights From Four Cities". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Actividad en aeropuerto de Carrasco cae tras cinco años". 6 February 2019.
  22. ^ "Airport/Transport". Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco. Archived from the original on 25 November 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  23. ^ "OIPAIA." (Archive) National Civil Aviation and Aviation Infrastructure Direction. Retrieved on 17 April 2012. "Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco Av. Wilson Ferreira Aldunate (ex Cno. Carrasco) 5519."
  24. ^ "Accident description PP-AQE". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  25. ^ "Crash: Air Class SW4 near Flores Island on Jun 6th 2012, aircraft missing". Aviation Herald.com. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

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