Quetzaltenango Airport

Quetzaltenango Airport
IATA: AAZ – ICAO: MGQZ
Summary
Airport type	Joint
Operator	Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
Location	Quetzaltenango
Elevation AMSL	7,779 ft / 2,371 m
Coordinates
Map
Quetzaltenango Airport Location in Guatemala
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 05/23 2,103 6,900 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Quetzaltenango Airport (IATA: AAZ, ICAO: MGQZ) (Aeropuerto de Quetzaltenango, or Aeropuerto de Xelajú) serves the city of Quetzaltenango also known as "Xelajú" or "Xela" and western Guatemala. It is operated and administrated by DGAC - Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil de Guatemala.

General

'Quetzaltenango Airport is located in the Guatemalan highlands, in the northeastern part of the city of Quetzaltenango.

The airport is currently undergoing massive construction works, as part of a nationwide airport rehabilitation program. Serving Guatemalas second largest city, AAZ aims to gain international status, along with La Aurora International Airport and Mundo Maya International Airport. The whole region hopes to profit economically from this new airport. So far, the next airport to Quetzaltenango with regular airline connections was 200 km (120 mi) away, in Guatemala City. Until 2006 the airfield in "Xela" only consisted of a grass/gravel runway. It had no significant terminal building and only a small hangar. Air traffic was very limited due to many missing essential features for a safe and unobstructed operation. In September 2006 construction works began, which include:

• extension, asphalting, signposting and illuminating of the runway and taxiway
• construction of a small terminal building and apron for four planes
• construction of a parking area

An emergency operations center has been installed at the airport in order to respond faster to disasters like hurricane Stan in the future. The new runway was inaugurated by president Oscar Berger on January 10, 2008. The terminal is still under construction, and it would be ready by late 2013.

Criticism

• It was found out that, when Óscar Berger inaugurated the runway in January 2008, construction works had not been finished. The markings on the runway were faked for the official opening ceremony and had to be removed again for final coating.[2]
• The terminal building was revealed to be only a small house, not a terminal building of international standards as anticipated .
• The tower has not been built, hence safe operations are questionable at the moment.

Aviation in Quetzaltenango

• The first airport was built in 1945 at La Esperanza and was transferred to the present site in 1955. Aviateca had daily flights between Xela and Guatemala City, charging 25 Q those days.
• In 1992 Miguel Angel Castro Conde father and son constructed a two-seater aircraft in Quetzaltenango, finishing it in 2003 and naming it "Quetzaltenango 1". It is said that it is the first and only ever built airplane in Central America,.

Quetzaltenango 1

Quetzaltenango 1 is the name of the first aircraft built in Central America, Miguel Angel Castroconde is responsible for the airplane with the name Quetzaltenango 1, plane he built with the help of his son becoming the PrimerCconstructor an aircraft in Guatemala.

On May 12, 2003 After the first flight that lasted 30 minutes, followed by further testing done only to a volunteer who offered to accompany him, now see it is regular with his son and friends who ask you to take them to feel Quetzaltenango the excitement of seeing a plane built in this city.

Airlines

Airlines	Destinations
Aviones Comerciales de Guatemala (Avcom)	charter flights
Transportes Aéreos Guatemaltecos	Guatemala City, Charter flights

Previous carriers and destinations

• Inter Regional, a regional subsidiary of Grupo TACA in Guatemala, offered scheduled flights to Guatemala City between 1999 and 2002, using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. There were two daily flights (TA 1932, TA 1918). Flying time to Guatemala City was scheduled with 40 minutes.

Incidents

On 1 November 1998 a Douglas DC-3 (N3FY) carrying 18 crew and passengers crashed near the airport into mountainous terrain. Bad weather during approach is the probable cause. There were 11 fatalities.

On 13 October 1999 a private Bell 206 helicopter (TG-AMA) crashed near Quetzaltenango. Both occupants were killed.

External links

• Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil
• [3] actual status of the constructions
• [4] newspaper article concerning the constructions