Las Américas International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas, or AILA) (IATA: SDQ, ICAO: MDSD) is an international airport located in Punta Caucedo, near Santo Domingo and Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic. The airport is run by Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (AERODOM), a private corporation based in the Dominican Republic under a 25-year concession to build, operate, and transfer (BOT) six of the country's airports. Las Américas usually receives a wide variety of long-, mid- and short-haul aircraft.
The airport is the second-busiest in the country, after Punta Cana International Airport, and one of the largest in the Caribbean, handling 3.5 million passengers in 2015 through its air terminal.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
History
Las Américas Airport opened in 1959 as the official airport of Santo Domingo. The official name of the airport was changed in 2002 to "Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas- José Francisco Peña Gómez (AIJFPG)" but is most commonly referred to as "Las Américas International Airport", or locally, "Las Américas".
On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de Aviación DC-9 that was flying to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed, killing all 102 persons on board (see: Dominicana DC-9 air disaster).
Las Américas was the hub for Dominicana de Aviación, APA Dominicana International, Air Santo Domingo and a number of other, smaller airlines. Currently, PAWA Dominicana and SAP Air are based there.
Las Américas also has served as a hub for airlines such as Aeromar Líneas Aéreas Dominicanas, Air Santo Domingo, Aero Continente Dominicana and Queen Air.
Recently, the expressway leading from Santo Domingo to the airport (roughly 20 km east of the city center) was expanded and modernised. The airport was also modernised, and two more terminals were added, including 20 more gates. The new expressway crosses a new suspension bridge which spans the Ozama River, connecting traffic into the city's Elevated Freeway and Tunnel system onto the city's main street, Av. 27 de Febrero. A more scenic route following the coastal shore provides beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea and of the city. This secondary road crosses the Ozama River by means of a floating bridge, connecting traffic onto the Av. George Washington (el Malecón) which leads into the heart of the colonial city.
Las Americas International Airport Video
The new northern terminal
On 18 April 2007, a new terminal was completed and opened for operations. It can accommodate four Airbus A380s simultaneously. This new terminal has four gates with boarding bridges, an air-conditioning system, and maintenance facilities for aircraft.
Hub of the Caribbean
PAWA Dominicana has set its hub in the airport and is planned to grow by 2017, reaching more than 15 destinations. The airline is to add more destinations each year such as Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Colombia, Panama and The Bahamas.
Runway
Las Américas Airport's runway direction is north-south (designated 17-35). This runway is the largest in the country, and one of the largest in the Caribbean. With a length of 3,355 m, it is able to support an Airbus A380. The runway of SDQ was last renovated in June 2008. The old taxi-way was also renovated and converted into a full runway while the old runway was being renovated, then it was converted back into a taxiway after the normal runway was finished. The runway accommodated the Antonov An-225 to supply goods after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Concourses
Las Américas has five gates on the main satellite concourse (A), A2 through A6. Other gate facilities are for the flights departing from a parking in the taxiway. back in the 1960s and 70s the airport used to be much smaller, The original building was half the size of today's newest structure but with a still modern look.
Concourse B has four gates, B1 through B4. Terminal B now features a co-branded Copa Club operated jointly by United Airlines and Copa Airlines, and a Private Lounge exclusive to members and business people.
The average number of daily flights in and out of Las Américas ranges between 68 and 84 flights. JetBlue Airways is the largest airline operating at Las Américas.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
- ^1 Air France's flights incoming from Paris-CDG fly via Punta Cana to Santo Domingo, however the return flight from Santo Domingo to Paris-CDG is nonstop.
- ^2 PAWA's flights to and from Antigua fly via St. Maarten.
- ^3 TUI fly Belgium's flights to Brussels fly via Montego Bay, however the flight from Brussels to Santo Domingo is nonstop.
Cargo
Statistics
Accidents and incidents
- On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de Aviación DC-9 flying to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed, killing all 102 persons on board (see: Dominicana DC-9 air disaster).
- On 30 January 1975, Douglas DC-3 HI-222 of LANSA crashed on take-off, killing one of the 30 people on board. The aircraft was on an international scheduled passenger flight to Mais Gate Airport, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
- On November 12, 2001, American Airlines Flight 587, bound for Santo Domingo from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, crashed into a Queens neighbourhood after takeoff, killing all the passengers and flight crew.
- On February 7, 2008, American Eagle flight 5111 had to make an emergency landing in La Romana International Airport after departing from Las Américas International Airport to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport at 11:30 am. The captain said that he had some problems with the right engine, and as they were approaching the La Romana zone smoke began to spray into the cabin. The captain spoke to La Romana's control tower and obtained permission to make an emergency landing there. The aircraft was an ATR-72-500.
- On April 20, 2008, Cubana de Aviación flight 201, bound for Havana, had to return to Las Américas, after reporting two of four engines were out of service and one was on fire. The IL-62 landed without secondary problems into runway 17. All 117 passengers were without any injuries. The plane was in the air next day and landed La Havana with no problems as CUB201D.
- On December 2, 2013, an IBC Airways Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III registered N831BC crashed into a terrain near La Alianza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The aircraft was on a cargo flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the crew lost control of the aircraft for reasons that could not be determined. Both crew members were killed.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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