Augusto C. Sandino International Airport

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Augusto C. Sandino International Airport
Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino
Sandino International Airport.jpg
IATA: MGA – ICAO: MNMG
MGA is located in Nicaragua
MGA
MGA
Location of airport in Nicaragua
Summary
Airport type Military/Public
Owner Republica de Nicaragua
Operator EAAI (Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales)
Serves Managua
Location Nicaragua Managua, Nicaragua
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 59 m / 194 ft
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Website http://www.eaai.com.ni
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 2,442 8,012 Asphalt

Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino) (IATA: MGA, ICAO: MNMG) or ACS is the main airport in Managua, Nicaragua. Named as Las Mercedes Airport in 1968 it was later renamed Augusto C. Sandino International Airport during the Sandinista regime in the 1980s and again in 2001 to Managua International Airport by then president Arnoldo Alemán. Its name was changed once more in February 2007 to its current name by President Daniel Ortega to honor one of Nicaragua's national heroes, Augusto Cesar Sandino.[1]

The runway at the airport is 8,012 ft long, and it is located at an elevation of 194 feet. With 1.4 million passengers in 2013, ACS is currently the fifth busiest airport by passenger traffic in Central America and it also serves as a focus city for the Panamanian airline Copa Airlines. Augusto C. Sandino International Airport has direct scheduled service to destinations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and South America.

History

Before ACS, there was the old Xolotlan Airport, about 2 miles east of Managua, built in 1915 which very soon became too small for Managua's airline service growth. Thus, on January 22, 1942, the Nicaraguan Government and Pan American Airways signed a contract to construct an airport by Las Mercedes Country Estate which inspired the name for Las Mercedes Airport.[2] Las Mercedes was further upgraded, re-designed to handle Boeing 707 aircraft, and re-inaugurated on July 4, 1968 by Anastasio Somoza Debayle.[3]

In the early 1970s, Las Mercedes was expanded to more modern standards, such as four health inspectors, eight immigration officers and ten customs inspectors.[4] It was considered fully equipped, having air conditioning, background music, loudspeakers and conveyor belts for baggage handling.[5] It also had a restaurant on its upper floor where visitors and travelers could see airport movement.

Lockheed L-188 Electra of TAN Airlines (Transportes Aéreos Nacionales S.A.) operating at Las Mercedes Airport, Managua, Nicaragua in 1970s

The expanded airport could serve three aircraft at once and by 1975 LANICA, the National Airline of Nicaragua, as well as many well known carriers Pan Am, KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), Taca Airlines, Sahsa, Avianca, Iberia, SAM, TAN, Varig, and smaller local carriers, flew into Las Mercedes. When the Sandinistas took power, the airport was named after Augusto César Sandino, a Nicaraguan revolutionary and guerrilla leader, after whom the Sandinista movement is named. The Sandinistas however did not maintain the airport, and it began to deteriorate until it was expanded and remodeled in 1996, when, among other things, two new boarding bridges were installed.[4] The airport was renamed "Managua International Airport" in 2001 by then President Arnoldo Alemán and renamed again in 2007 to its current name by President Daniel Ortega In mid 2007, President Daniel Ortega renamed the airport in honor of Sandino. Nicaraguan artist Róger Pérez de la Rocha has created many two large portraits of Augusto César Sandino, and Rubén Darío which they lay at the airports lobby.[6] .

Sculptures in the center of the waiting lobby.

Las Mercedes served for a very long time as a hub for Nicaragua's flag carriers Lanica (until 1978), Aeronica from 1979 to the 80's and NICA afterwards. When NICA became a member of Grupo TACA during the 1990s, the number of important connections to the rest of Latin America from which ACS grew considerably.

According to EAAI (Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales) ACS is the most modern airport in Central America and the 4th safest in the world. It is located just 11 km (7 mi) from Managua's downtown, has a runway which measures 8,015 ft (2,443 m) in length and is at an elevation of 194 ft (59 m).[7]

Embraer 190s, Airbus A300, Airbus A310, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus 340 Boeing 737s, Boeing 747s, Boeing 757s, Boeing 767s, Lockheed L-1011 TriStars and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s can land at the airport.

Expansion

American Airlines Boeing 737-800. The aircraft arrived from Miami International Airport, one of Managua's most busiest routes. American Airlines operates 23 flights per week to 2 destinations in the United States.

A large expansion programme was underway by 2003 and as of July 2006 the final phase was completed with 7 gates equipped with jetways, and room for 20 airplanes to park. It had been reported in the recent past that the runway would be lengthened by 800 m (2,625 ft), but to date this projected has not begun, despite the government's great achievements in building new airports elsewhere in Nicaragua, or greatly overhauling existing airport/airfield infrastructure in other locations as well.[8]

About 360 individuals are employed at the airport. Facilities within the airport include a tourist information desk, bank, restaurants, bars, post office, souvenir shops, duty-free shops, lounges and more. To make use of the VIP lounge there are five rate options: Normal, Corporate, Affiliated Credit Cards, Minors and Infants. The types of services in the VIP lounge include checking baggage and documents with customs and immigration plus the airline; a bar service; snacks etc.[9]

Airlines and destinations

United Airlines Boeing 737-900 arriving from Houston-Intercontinental Airport.
Delta Air Lines Airbus A320 taxiing to take off to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Boeing 727 of Amerijet Cargo taxiing at the airport.
Airbus A320 of Spirit Airlines landing in Managua.
An Airbus A320 of TACA Airlines parked at Gate 4.
View of gates 3 and 4 with American Airlines and Spirit Airlines aircraft.
Airlines Destinations Terminal1
Aero Caribbean Havana, San Pedro Sula I
Aeroméxico Connect Mexico City I
Air Transat Seasonal: Montréal-Trudeau I
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth,[10] Miami I
Avianca Miami, San José (CR), San Salvador, Guatemala City I
Conviasa Caracas I
Copa Airlines Guatemala City, Panama City, San José (CR) I
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Seasonal: Los Angeles[11]		 I
La Costeña Bluefields, Bonanza, Emerald Coast, Corn Island, Puerto Cabezas, San Juan de Nicaragua (Greytown), Ometepe, Rosita, San Carlos, Siuna, Waspan

Charter: Montelimar Beach

International: Tegucigalpa		 D
Nature Air San José (Costa Rica) I
Spirit Airlines Fort Lauderdale, Houston–Intercontinental I
United Airlines Houston-Intercontinental I

1 D = Domestic Terminal, I = International Terminal.

Cargo

Airlines Destinations
Amerijet International Miami
UPS Airlines Miami

Airline traffic departures and arrivals

Busiest routes

  • weekly departing seats.
http://www.anna.aero/2015/03/04/managua-airport-grows-by-8-9-in-2014/
Rank City Passengers Airlines
1 United States Miami, Florida 4,446 American Airlines, Avianca El Salvador
2 United States Houston, Texas 2,656 Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
3 Costa Rica San José de Costa Rica 2,595 Avianca Costa Rica, Copa Airlines, Nature Air.
4 Panama Panama City, Panama 1,548 Copa Airlines
5 Guatemala Guatemala City, Guatemala 1,548 Avianca Guatemala, Copa Airlines
6 El Salvador San Salvador, El Salvador 1,356 Avianca El Salvaldor
7 United States Atlanta,Georgia 1,050 Delta Air Lines
8 United States Fort Lauderdale 890 Spirit Airlines
9 Mexico Mexico City, Mexico 456 Aeromexico
10 United States Los Angeles TBD Delta Air Lines

Incidents and accidents

  • On February 15, 1974, a Douglas DC-3 of APSA was damaged beyond economic repair when it crash-landed at Managua Airport.[13]
  • On July Sunday 18, 1993, a Boeing 737-200 of SAHSA, the aircraft landed firmly on runway 09, skidded to the right off the runway. The nosegear collapsed and both engines were torn off. The aircraft came to rest 200 feet right of the runway.[14]
  • On June 5, 2006 a McDonnell Douglas DC10-10F (registered N68047) en route Miami – Managua touched down hard at Managua and was unable to stop before the end of the runway. The aircraft overran by about 300 meters, the nose gear collapsed causing substantial damage to the engines as well as a possible fuel rupture in the wing.[15]
  • On July 24, 2007 a Boeing 737-700, Continental flight 876, with 120 passengers and a crew of 6 flying from Panama City to Houston had to land in the Augusto C. Sandino International Airport because one of the internal security windows suffered a rupture.[16]
  • On September 22, 2012, A TACA Airlines Airbus A321-200 flight TA-396, registration N564TA from Managua (Nicaragua) to Miami International Airport Miami, Florida (US), rejected takeoff from Managua at high speed after an engine (V2533) ingested a bird. The aircraft slowed safely and returned to the apron. A passenger reported they were told a bird strike had disabled one of the engines, resulting in the takeoff being rejected at high speed. The engine needed to be replaced.[17]

Flights departing from or bound for Augusto C. Sandino International Airport

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.Template:Http://www.anna.aero/2015/03/04/managua-airport-grows-by-8-9-in-2014/

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ "Cultural", El Nuevo Diario, 19 February 2000
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 1985 Greenland crash at the Aviation Safety Network
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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