Viru Viru International Airport
Viru Viru International Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | NAABOL | ||||||||||
| Location | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | ||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||
| Focus city for | Boliviana de Aviación | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,225 ft / 373 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 17°38′41″S 63°08′07″W / 17.64472°S 63.13528°W | ||||||||||
| Website | https://www.naabol.gob.bo | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  VVI Location of airport in Bolivia | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2015) | |||||||||||
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Viru Viru International Airport (IATA: VVI, ICAO: SLVR) in Santa Cruz de la Sierra is Bolivia's largest international airport. Viru Viru handles domestic, regional, and international flights from Bolivia, North America, South America and Europe and is the hub for Bolivia's biggest airline Boliviana de Aviación. The airport is able to handle large aircraft such as the Boeing 747-400, Airbus A340-600 and Boeing 777-300ER.
History[edit]
The airport was opened in 1983, to replace the obsolete El Trompillo Airport.[citation needed] Upon its inauguration, Viru Viru became a main gateway for international flights. Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano used Viru Viru as a hub before ceasing operations in 2008.[citation needed] On 1 March 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.[citation needed] Servicios de Aeropuertos Bolivianos Sociedad Anonima (SABSA) was created to operate the concession. In 1999, Airport Group International was purchased by TBI plc. In 2004, Spain's Abertis/AENA purchased TBI. SABSA has been substituted in March of 2022 by the newly established government agency Navegación Aérea y Aeropuertos Bolivianos (NAABOL). This state-owned agency now manages the airports in Bolivia. [3]
Airlines and destinations[edit]
Passenger[edit]
Cargo[edit]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| TAB - Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos | Cochabamba, La Paz, Miami |
| AerCaribe | Lima |
Statistics[edit]
Top destinations[edit]
| Rank | City | Passengers | Top carriers | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Miami, United States
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386,496 | American Airlines, Boliviana de Aviación |  4%
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| 2 |  São Paulo (Guarulhos), Brazil
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372,773 | Boliviana de Aviación, Gol Airlines |  10%
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| 3 |  Buenos Aires (Ezeiza), Argentina
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358,943 | Aerolíneas Argentinas, Boliviana de Aviación | 43%
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| 4 |  Madrid, Spain
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348,603 | Air Europa, Boliviana de Aviación | 5%
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| 5 |  Panama City, Panama
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278,277 | Copa Airlines | 15%
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| 6 |  Lima, Peru
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268,584 | Avianca Ecuador, LATAM Perú | 26%
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| 7 |  Iquique, Chile
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94,733 | Amaszonas, LATAM Chile | 7%
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| 8 |  Asunción, Paraguay
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79,962 | Amaszonas, LATAM Paraguay | 13%
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References[edit]
- ^ "Aeropuerto Intl. El Alto - Bienvenidos a la Paz". Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Gobierno anuncia que SABSA pasará a NAABOL y ofrece a trabajadores formar parte de la institución".
- ^ "Boliviana de Aviacion Resumes Santa Cruz – Trinidad Service From Nov 2022". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ "Tráfico de pasajeros – Origen/Destino Servicio Regular Internacional" (PDF). Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (Bolivia) (in Spanish). January 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.