Mariscal Sucre International Airport:
Is the international airport serving Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. It is named after Venezuelan born Antonio José de Sucre, known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" (English: "Grand Marshal of Ayacucho"), a hero of Ecuadorian and Latin American independence. It began operations in 1960, and currently handles about 3.9 million passengers and 125,000 metric tons of freight per year. The airport, one of the highest in the world (at 2800 meters AMSL) is located in the northern part of the city, in the Chaupicruz parish, within 5 minutes of Quito's financial center; the terminals are located at the intersection of Amazonas and La Prensa avenues.
Due to its location (in the middle of a city surrounded by mountains), the current airport cannot be expanded to accommodate any larger aircraft or an increase in air traffic. Its operation poses higher risks, too; six serious accidents and several incidents have taken place in recent years. A new airport is being built in the Tababela parish, about 18 km to the east of the city. This is being constructed by a private consortium (including Aecon) and is slated to begin operations in November 2011.
The airport charges an international departure tax of US $40.80 as of March 1, 2009, this fee is no longer paid at the airport, it is now included in all international airfares since February 2011.
Rate and comment
