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Airport of the Pacific

Airport under construction in El Salvador
"Aeropuerto del Pacífico" redirects here; not to be confused with Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico or Panamá Pacífico International Airport.
Airport of the Pacific

Aeropuerto del Pacífico
Nayib Bukele and Fernando Romero viewing a model of the Airport of the Pacific's terminal and standing in front of a series of interior terminal designs
Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele and Mexican architect Fernando Romero viewing a concept model of the Airport of the Pacific's Terminal α
Summary
Airport typePublic/military
OwnerGovernment of El Salvador
OperatorAutonomous Port Executive Commission  [es] (CEPA)
ServesLa Unión and Bitcoin City
LocationConchagua, El Salvador
Opened2027 (planned)
Built2025–present
Time zone CST (UTC–6)
Elevation AMSL 56 ft / 17 m
Coordinates 13°11′46′′N 87°56′25′′W / 13.19611°N 87.94028°W / 13.19611; -87.94028 [1]
WebsiteOfficial website
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
TBD 7,874 2,400 TBD

The Airport of the Pacific (Spanish: Aeropuerto del Pacífico),[2] also known as the International Airport of the Pacific (Aeropuerto Internacional del Pacífico)[3] or the Airport of the East (Aeropuerto de Oriente),[4] is an under construction joint-use civilian international airport and military base 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 2025. The airport's construction has received opposition from landowners and residents in the area as well as concerns of the environmental impact it would have on the local ecosystem.

Planning

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Initial proposals

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Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, then-presidential candidate Nayib Bukele published his Cuscatlán Plan, an outline of his objectives and goals as president of El Salvador; among his proposals included the construction of a new airport in eastern El Salvador.[5] Bukele stated that many of the passengers who passed through El Salvador's Saint Óscar Romero International Airport in south-central El Salvador live in eastern El Salvador. He argued that a new airport in the east would simultaneously ease congestion of El Salvador's main international airport and both bring jobs and an economic boost to the east of the country.[6] [7]

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.[8] 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.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10] [11] The residents of Condadillo and the nearby caserío of Flor de Mangle would be relocated due to the airport's construction.[12] The location has an elevation of 56 feet (17 m).[1]

Government approval

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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.[2] [13] 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.[14]

Facilities

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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[15] [16]

The Airport of the Pacific will have two passenger terminals (known as Terminals α and β) with a combined total of 18 gates.[17] [18] Terminal α, the larger of the two terminals, will have floor space for check-in, baggage claim, customs, restaurants, and other commercial spaces.[2] Terminal β, the smaller terminal, will be service private flights.[18] The airport will have one 7,874-foot-long (2,400 m) — later to be expanded to 9,850 feet (3,000 m) — and 148-foot-wide (45 m) runway [6] and turnaround platforms at the ends of the runway for aircraft to position themselves for takeoff.[19] According to Bukele, the Airport of the Pacific will meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) international standards.[20] The Airport of the Pacific will also have a Salvadoran Air Force installation.[21] The airport will cover around 600 manzanas (approximately 300 acres)[a] of land.[23] Mexican architect Fernando Romero designed the airport.[24]

According to Oscar Avalle, a representative of the Development Bank for Latin America, the Airport of the Pacific will initially 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.[25] The government estimates that the airport will initially service 300,000 passengers annually when opened and up to 5 million passengers annually once completed.[26]

Construction

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Nayib Bukele casts the first stones of the Airport of the Pacific's construction as Fernando Romero and William H. Duncan watch
Nayib Bukele, Fernando Romero, and William H. Duncan at the airport's groundbreaking ceremony

Preliminary terraforming for the Airport of the Pacific began in March 2023.[27] In October 2024, CEPA announced that construction would begin in 2025.[28] Anliker stated that the government was moving at a "very accelerated pace" ("paso bastante acelerado") regarding the airport's construction.[29] In April 2022, the government estimated that construction would cost US500ドル million over 10 years.[30]

External videos
video icon First stone of the Airport of the Pacific
An aerial view of the Airport of the Pacific's terraformed runway and construction vehicles
The airport's terraformed runway

On 25 February 2025, Bukele held ceremony to inaugurate the groundbreaking of construction for the Airport of the Pacific.[31] During a speech, Bukele stated that the project would be built over three phases.[26] [32] A few months prior, Bukele stated that the airport would be inaugurated in two years' time.[33] Bukele estimated that phase one — the construction of a small passenger terminal that will later be converted for use as a private terminal — would cost US386ドル million.[17] The Salvadoran government expects the airport to become operational by 2027, after which, phase two will begin the construction of the airport's main passenger terminal; phase three will expand the passenger terminal.[17] [34]

Opposition

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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 delay the airport's construction.[35] 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.[36] According to rights groups, 225 families in Condadillo and Flor de Mangle were displaced by the airport's construction and that some had not yet been compensated by the govrnment,[37] [38] [39] while Bukele stated that 39 families were relocated and that there were no forced displacements.[17]

Manuel Flores, the leader of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), criticized the airport's construction as it is being built with loaned money. He also remarked that it "is crazy" ("es una locura") that El Salvador is building a third international airport after the Saint Óscar Romero International Airport and the Ilopango International Airport.[40]

Environmental concerns

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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.[15] [41] The Indigenous Movement for the Integration of the Struggles of the Ancestral Peoples of El Salvador (MILPA) argues that the airport's construction violates the local people's right to private property and degrades the area's environment.[27] In February 2025, MILPA coordinator Ángel Flores described the area of the airport's construction as "highly degraded" ("altamente degradado") and raised concerns regarding deforestation;[42] by December 2024, 462 manzanas (approximately 230 acres)[a] of land had been deforested. Some locals also lost access to running water.[37] [43]

Bukele addressed environmental concerns in a speech for construction's groundbreaking. He stated that the government would reforest nearby areas to compensate for the trees that were cut down during construction, install barriers to prevent nearby bodies of water from becoming contaminated, and monitor levels of air and noise pollution.[17] In an interview, Anliker assured that the airport's construction zone was not inside an environmental protected area and that MARN had given CEPA permission to build the airport in its location.[44]

Airlines and destinations

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Bukele has stated that several airlines had made agreements with the government for direct flights from the United States to the Airport of the Pacific.[33] Among airlines interested in operating out of the airport include Avianca El Salvador (whose CEO pledged to begin operations the day the airport opens) and Volaris El Salvador.[45] [46] The Salvadoran government wants the airport to offer international connections to Europe and Asia.[47]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b In El Salvador, 1 manzana is just under 2 acres.[22]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Conchagua Aeropuerto del Pacífico". CH Aviation. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b c 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Descubra Todos los Detalles y Cambios del Nuevo Aeropuerto Internacional en el Oriente de El Salvador" [Discover All the Details and Changes of the New International Airport in the East of El Salvador]. Revista E y N (in Spanish). 3 December 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  5. ^ Abarca, Magaly (23 January 2025). "El Salvador se Alista para Iniciar la Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [El Salvador Prepares to Begin Construction of the Airport of the Pacific]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b Herrera, Yelter; Alemán, Uveli (25 February 2025). "Bukele Coloca Primera Piedra para el Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [Bukele Breaks Ground on the Airport of the Pacific]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  7. ^ González, Krisia (25 February 2025). "Inversión del Aeropuerto del Pacífico Generará un Impacto Económico Anual" [The Airport of the Pacific Investment Will General Annual Economic Impact]. Diario la Huella (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  8. ^ a b 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Rauda Zablah, Nelson (29 July 2024). "The Promise of Bitcoin City Displaces Conchagua". El Faro . Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ a b 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.
  16. ^ Bukele, Nayib [@nayibbukele] (25 February 2025). "Primera Piedra del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [First Stone of the Airport of the Pacific] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 February 2025 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ a b c d e Ayala, Flor; Boquín, Emanuel (25 February 2025). "Colocan la Primera Piedra del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [They Break Ground on the Airport of the Pacific]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  18. ^ a b Tobar, Alex (26 February 2025). "Inicia la Construcción del Aeropuerto Internacional del Pacífico" [Construction on the International Airport of the Pacific Begins]. Diario la Huella (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2025.
  19. ^ Peñate, Susana (2 December 2024). "Comisión Aprueba Asignación de 39ドル.7 Millones a CEPA para Obras de Aeropuerto" [Commission Approves Assigning 39ドル.7 Million to CEPA for Airport Works]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  20. ^ Beltrán, Benjamín (25 February 2025). "Presidente Bukele Colocó la Primera Piedra para la Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [President Bukele Broke Ground on the Construction of the Airport of the Pacific]. La Noticia SV (in Spanish). El Salvador. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Peña, Víctor; Barrera, Carlos (4 March 2025). "Bukele's Airport Project Brings Deforestation and Displacement". El Faro . Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  23. ^ Pineda, Jonathan (28 February 2025). "El Aeropuerto Internacional del Pacífico se Convertirá en un Centro Global de Conexiones" [The International Airport of the Pacific Will Become a Global Center for Connections]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  24. ^ "Bitcoin City Tendrá su Propio Aeropuerto" [Bitcoin City Will Have Its Own Airport]. Aviacion Line (in Spanish). 10 May 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ a b Alemán, Uveli (26 February 2025). "Los Datos Claves de la Construcción del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [The Important Figures of the Construction of the Airport of the Pacific]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  27. ^ a b 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.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ "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.
  31. ^ "Presidente Nayib Bukele Coloca la Primera Piedra del Aeropuerto del Pacífico en La Unión" [President Nayib Bukele Breaks Ground on the Airport of the Pacific in La Unión]. La Página (in Spanish). 25 February 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  32. ^ González, Krisia (25 February 2025). "Aeropuerto del Pacífico se Dividirá en Tres Fases" [The Airport of the Pacific Will Be Divided into Three Phases]. Diario la Huella (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  33. ^ a b 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 Break Ground on the Airport of the Pacific]. La Noticia SV (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  34. ^ González, Krisia (25 February 2025). "Aeropuerto del Pacífico Iniciará Operaciones en el Primer Semestre del 2027" [Airport of the Pacific Will Begin Operations in the First Semester of 2027]. Diario la Huella. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ a b Peña, Víctor; Barrera, Carlos (21 February 2025). "El Nuevo Aeropuerto de Bukele Viene con Deforestación y Desplazamientos" [Bukele's New Airport Comes with Deforestation and Displacement]. El Faro (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  38. ^ Alfaro, Xiomara (25 February 2025). "Gobierno Coloca la Primera Piedra del Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [Government Breaks Ground on the Airport of the Pacific]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  39. ^ Guevara, Diego (3 March 2025). ""Hay Familias de la Zona del Aeropuerto del Pacífico que aún no les han Pagado sus Derechos de Propiedad": Julia Evelyn Martínez" ["There Are Families in the Airport of the Pacific Zone that have Not Been Paid Their Property Rights": Julia Evelyn Martínez]. La Prensa Gráfica . Retrieved 4 March 2025.
  40. ^ Magaña, Yolanda (26 February 2025). "Manuel "El Chino" Flores: "Ya Tener Tres Aeropuertos es una Locura"" [Manuel "El Chino" Flores: "Already Having Three Airports is Crazy"]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  41. ^ 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.
  42. ^ "¿Tendría Algún Impacto Ambiental la Construcción del Nuevo Aeropuerto del Pacífico en El Salvador?" [Will the Construction of the New Airport of the Pacific in El Salvador Have an Environmental Impact]. NTN24 (in Spanish). 28 February 2025. Retrieved 8 March 2025.
  43. ^ Boquín, Emanuel (14 January 2025). "Denuncian Tala de Árboles y Amenaza de Destrucción de Fuentes de Agua por Proyecto Aeropuerto del Pacífico: Sin Árboles no Hay Agua, nos Están Quitando la Vida"" [They Denounce the Cutting of Trees and the Threat of Destruction of Water Sources Due to the Airport of the Pacific Project: "Without Trees There is No Water, They Are Taking Our Lives Away"]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  44. ^ Beltrán, Benjamín (26 February 2025). ""El Mercado Existe" para el Aeropuerto del Pacífico, Aseguró el Presidente de CEPA" ["The Market Exists" for the Airport of the Pacific, the President of CEPA Assured]. La Noticia SV (in Spanish). El Salvador. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
  45. ^ Pineda, Jonathan (27 February 2025). "Aerolíneas Muestran Interés en Operar en el Aeropuerto del Pacífico" [Airlines Show Interest in Operating at the Airport of the Pacific]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  46. ^ Martinez Garbuno, Daniel (4 March 2025). "Avianca, Volaris Eye Ops at New El Salvador Airport" . CH Aviation. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  47. ^ Tobar, Alex (25 February 2025). "Presidente Bukele Colocará la Primera Piedra del Aeropuerto del Pacífico en Conchagua" [President Bukele Will Break Ground on the Airport of the Pacific in Conchagua]. Diario la Huella (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 February 2025.
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