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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Airport Of The Pacific
The Airport of the Pacific (Spanish: Aeropuerto del Pacífico) or International Airport of the Pacific (Aeropuerto Internacional del Pacífico) is a planned joint-use civilian international airport and military base that will be located in Conchagua, El Salvador. It will serve the city of La Unión and the planned Bitcoin City. The airport was proposed by Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele during his 2019 presidential campaign as a part of his Cuscatlán Plan and construction was approved by the Legislative Assembly on 26 April 2022. Preliminary terraforming began in March 2023 and construction is planned to begin in December 2024.

Planning

Initial proposals

In 2019, then Salvadoran presidential candidate Nayib Bukele published his Cuscatlán Plan, an outline of his objectives and goals as president of El Salvador. Bukele proposed the construction of a new airport in eastern El Salvador, then referred to as the "Airport in the East" (Aeropuerto en el Oriente). Bukele said many of the passengers who pass through El Salvador's Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez International Airport in south-central El Salvador live in eastern El Salvador so a new airport in the east would simultaneously ease congestion of El Salvador's main international airport and bring jobs and an economic boost to the east of the country.

On 9 March 2020, the Salvadoran government began an international public offering, titled the "Pacific Airport Project", to foreign companies to study the design of the airport. In total, 44 companies showed interest in the project and 11 of those presented economic models to the Salvadoran government.

On 24 February 2022, the government was given an economic and financial report by Peyco-ALBEN 4000 Consortium, an air transportation company. The report estimated that the airport would create 4,700 new jobs in its first year of operation. The plan estimated that in the first ten years of operation, the airport would accommodate 1 to 3 million passengers and around 18,000 aircraft movements. Federico Anliker, the president of the Autonomous Port Executive Commission [es] (CEPA) separately estimated that the airport's construction would create over 23,700 new jobs. In March 2022, CEPA confirmed that the airport would be located in the Condadillo caserío of Conchagua, a district of the La Unión department just south of the city of La Unión and the planned Bitcoin City. The residents of Condadillo and the nearby caserío of Flor de Mangle will be relocated due to the airport's construction.

Government approval

On 25 April 2022, the Legislative Assembly's Economic Commission approved a law for the construction of the airport. The following day the full Legislative Assembly approved the law, titled "Law for the Construction, Administration, Operation, and Maintenance of the Airport of the Pacific", with 67 of the 84 votes to officially authorize the construction of the airport. According to the Legislative Assembly, nine locations were considered; six were eliminated due to the perceived difficulty that landing airplanes would face and the Legislative Assembly settled on the selected site to minimize effects on the environment.

Facilities

A map showing the planned location of the Airport of the Pacific near the village of Condadillo
A map of the Airport of the Pacific's planned location near the caserío of Condadillo
Nayib Bukele standing in front of a render of the Airport of the Pacific projected on a screen
Bukele in front of a render of the airport in December 2024

The Airport of the Pacific will have one passenger terminal; the first floor will have 126,530 square feet (11,755 m) of floor space for check-in, baggage claim, and customs, while the second floor will have 41,495 square feet (3,855 m) of floor space for restaurants and other commercial spaces . The airport will have one 7,900-foot-long (2,400 m), 148-foot-wide (45 m) runway and turnaround platforms at the ends of the runway for aircraft to position themselves for takeoff. The Airport of the Pacific will also have a Salvadoran Air Force installation.

According to Oscar Avalle, a representative of the Development Bank for Latin America, the Airport of the Pacific will have two gates that will be able to serve two or three planes each. He added that the airport would be able to be expanded if demand for tourism to eastern El Salvador increased. Avalle stated that aircraft such as the Airbus A320, Boeing 737, and Boeing 757 would be able to land at the airport. The government estimates that the airport will service 300,000 to 500,000 passengers annually.

Construction

Preliminary terraforming for the Airport of the Pacific began in March 2023. In October 2024, CEPA announced that a groundbreaking ceremony would be held in late 2024 and that proper construction would begin in 2025. Anliker stated that the government was moving at a "very accelerated pace" ("paso bastante acelerado") regarding the airport's construction. In April 2022, the government estimated that construction would cost US$500 million over 10 years; in December 2024, Avalle revised the government's estimate to US$328 million and Bukele stated that the airport would be inaugurated in two years' time.

Opposition

In October 2022, 10 of the 150 landowners affected by the airport's construction stated that they would not sell their land to the government. CEPA stated that they will seek to come to a settlement with the landowners and Federico Anliker, the president of CEPA, accused them of being manipulated by political parties in the Opposition to hold up the airport's construction. In January 2023, Cristosal, a non-governmental organization, filed a lawsuit claiming that three laws, including one for the airport's construction, would "open the door to corruption" ("abren la puerta a la corrupción") and called upon the Supreme Court of Justice to block the laws.

The Indigenous Movement for the Integration of the Struggles of the Ancestral Peoples of El Salvador (MILPA) opposes the airport's construction, arguing that its construction violates the local people's right to private property and degrades the area's environment.

Environmental concerns

In October 2021, the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources [es] (MARN) advised CEPA to change the location of the Airport of the Pacific citing environmental concerns. MARN suggested moving the airport slightly to the northeast, as its planned location disrupted the habitats of several endangered species and was at risk of being submerged by rising sea levels. CEPA did not accept MARN's recommendation.

Airlines

On 1 December 2024, Bukele stated that several airlines had made agreements with the government for direct flights from the United States to the Airport of the Pacific.

See also

References

  1. ^ Magaña, Yolanda (26 April 2022). "Aprueban Leyes para Construir Tren y Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [They Approve Laws to Construct the Train and Airport of the Pacific]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  2. ^ Peñate, Susana (5 December 2024). "Asamblea Aprobó Fondos para Obras y Pista de 2,400 Metros del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [Assembly Approves Funds for Works and a 2,400-Meter Runway of the Airport of the Pacific]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  3. ^ Rubio, Francisco (4 June 2024). "Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico Está Detenida" [Construction of the Airport of the Pacific is Held Back]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  4. ^ Pastrán, Rosa María (26 February 2022). "Aeropuerto del Pacífico Incluiría una Base Militar" [Airport of the Pacific will Include a Military Base]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  5. ^ Bukele, Nayib (2019). "Infraestructura | Plan Cuscatlán" [Infrastructure | Cuscatlán Plan] (PDF). Plan Cuscatlán (in Spanish). p. 31. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  6. ^ Galdámez, Eddie (18 October 2023). "El Salvador's Airport of the Pacific: Prospects and Challenges of the New Airport in El Salvador". El Salvador Info. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  7. ^ Pineda, Jonathan (25 February 2022). "Aeropuerto del Pacífico Generará 23,722 Empleos en la Fase de Construcción" [Airport of the Pacific will Generate 23,722 Jobs in the Construction Phase]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  8. ^ Sandoval, André (14 March 2022). "¿Dónde Será Construido el Nuevo Aeropuerto del Pacífico?" [Where Will the New Airport of the Pacific be Constructed?]. Teleprensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  9. ^ Rauda Zablah, Nelson (29 July 2024). "The Promise of Bitcoin City Displaces Conchagua". El Faro. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  10. ^ Alemán, Uveli (15 October 2024). "CEPA Asegura que a Inicios de 2025 Arranca la Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [CEPA Assures that Construction of the Airport of the Pacific Would Begin in Early 2025]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Comisión de Economía Aprueba Dictamen para la Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [Economy Commission Approves Opinion for the Construction of the Pacific Airport]. Legislative Assembly of El Salvador (in Spanish). 25 April 2022. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Pleno Legislativo Autoriza al Ejecutivo la Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico en La Unión" [Legislative Plenary Authorizes the Executive the Construction of the Pacific Airport in La Unión]. Legislative Assembly of El Salvador (in Spanish). 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  13. ^ Hompanera, Yessica (19 August 2023). "CEPA no Escuchó a Medio Ambiente por Ubicación del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [CEPA Did Not Listen to the Ministry of the Environment for the Airport of the Pacific's Location]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  14. ^ Magaña, Yolanda (30 September 2024). "Préstamo del CAF Incluye Aeródromo en Sonsonate y Pista de Aterrizaje para Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [CAF Loan Includes Aerodrome in Sonsonate and Runway for Airport of the Pacific]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  15. ^ Peñate, Susana (2 December 2024). "Comisión Aprueba Asignación de $39.7 Millones a CEPA para Obras de Aeropuerto" [Commission Approves Assigning $39.7 Million to CEPA for Airport Works]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  16. ^ Cantizzano, Irma (2 December 2024). "Aeropuerto del Pacífico Permitirá Entrada de Aviones "Suficientemente Grandes"; ¿Cuánto Costará?" [The Airport of the Pacific Will Permit the Entry of "Sufficiently Large" Aircraft; How Much Will It Cost?]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  17. ^ Tobar, Alex (1 December 2024). "Presidente Bukele Anuncia el Inicio de la Construcción del Aeropuerto de Oriente Tras la Inauguración del Periférico Gerardo Barrios" [President Bukele Announces the Beginning of Construction of the Airport of the East After the Inauguration of the Periférico Gerardo Barrios]. Diario la Huella (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  18. ^ Mendoza, Insy (24 March 2023). "Empiezan a Perforar Terrenos para el Aeropuerto de La Unión, Pero Dueños Todavía no Reciben Pago del Gobierno" [Land Drilling Begins for La Unión Airport, But Owners Still Haven't Received Government Payment]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  19. ^ Parada, Abigail (16 October 2024). "En 2025 Podría Iniciar la Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico, Según CEPA" [Construction of the Airport of the Pacific Could Begin in 2025, According to CEPA]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  20. ^ Morales, David (15 October 2024). "El Salvador a «Paso Acelerado» para la Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico, ¿Cuándo Colocarán la Primera Piedra?" [El Salvador is on an "Accelerated Pace" for the Construction of the Airport of the Pacific. When Will the First Stone be Placed?]. La Noticia SV (in Spanish). El Salvador. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Gobierno del Presidente Nayib Bukele Conecta Proyectos Estratégicos con Inversionistas, Empresas y Países de Todo el Mundo" [Government of President Nayib Bukele Connects Strategic Projects with Investments, Companies, and Countries from Across the World]. Government of El Salvador (in Spanish). 27 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  22. ^ Beltrán, Benjamín (1 December 2024). "En Este Mes de Diciembre, el Gobierno Colocará la Primera Piedra en el Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [In This Month of December, the Government Will Cast the First Stone at the Airport of the Pacific]. La Noticia SV (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  23. ^ Villeda, Jaqueline (18 October 2022). "CEPA Asegura Buscará Acuerdo con Propietarios de Tierras del Futuro Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [CEPA Ensures Will Seek Agreement with Owners of Lands of the Future Airport of the Pacific]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  24. ^ Rodríguez, Milton (12 January 2023). "Cristosal Presenta Demanda Contra Leyes para Penal Centers, Tren y Aeropuerto del Pacífico Porque "Abren la Puerta a la Corrupción"" [Cristosal Presents Demand Against Laws for the Supreme Court, Train and Airport of the Pacific Because "They Open the Door to Corruption"]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  25. ^ Santiago, Aldo (12 April 2023). "An Airport on Top of Mangrove Swamps, El Salvador's Bet on Regional Development". Avispa Mídia. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
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