Mariscal Sucre International Airport

Mariscal Sucre International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre
IATA: UIO – ICAO: SEQU UIO Location of airport in Ecuador
Summary
Airport type		Public / Military
Operator		Quiport
Serves		Quito, Ecuador
Hub for		TAME Avianca Ecuador LAN Ecuador
Elevation AMSL		9,228 ft / 2,813 m
Coordinates		00°08′28″S 078°29′17″W / 0.14111°S 78.48806°W / -0.14111; -78.48806
Website		www.quiport.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
17/35	3,120	10,236	Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Passengers			6,200,000 (approx)
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Mariscal Sucre International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre) (IATA: UIO, ICAO: SEQU) is the international airport serving Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. It is named after Venezuelan-born Antonio José de Sucre, a hero of Ecuadorian and Latin American independence. It began operations in 1960, and currently handles about 6.2 million passengers and 164,000 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.^[3][4] The Middle of the World International 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 and is scheduled to begin operations in 2012.^[5]

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.

Facilities

The existing airport consists of one terminal split into a national and international area. It is equipped with five swing gates capable of directing arriving passengers to either Immigration or to baggage claim. In addition, there are numerous ground slots where passengers walk to the aircraft from the terminal. These are the ranks of this airport.

Busiest Domestic Routes (roundtrip) out of Mariscal Sucre International Airport (2011)

Rank	City	Passengers	Top Carriers
1	Guayaquil, Guayas	1.384.175	Avianca Ecuador, LAN Ecuador, TAME
2	Cuenca, Azuay	201.003	Avianca Ecuador, LAN Ecuador, TAME
3	Baltra Island, Galápagos Islands	124.562	Avianca Ecuador, LAN Ecuador, TAME
4	San Cristóbal, Galápagos Islands	10.036	Avianca Ecuador, LAN Ecuador, TAME
5	Manta, Manabí	6.036	Avianca Ecuador, TAME

Busiest International Routes (roundtrip) out of Mariscal Sucre International Airport (2011)

Rank	City	Top Carriers	Passengers	% Change
1	Bogotá, Colombia	224.996	Avianca Ecuador, Copa Airlines Colombia	26,14%
2	Miami, United States	188.667	American Airlines, LAN Ecuador	25,01%
3	Lima, Perú	76.424	Avianca Ecuador, LAN Perú, TACA Perú	19,47%
4	Medellín, Colombia	73.168	Avianca Ecuador, LAN Perú	9,99%
5	Madrid, Spain	42.402	Iberia, LAN Ecuador	7,09%
5	Cali, Colombia	42.402	LAN Perú, TAME	5,59%
5	Amsterdam, Netherlands	42.402	KLM	3,11%

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Airport location within the city

View of the runway from the north

Cargo airlines and destinations

Accidents and incidents

• September 16, 2011: The Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio reports in Spanish that it was TAME flight 148 from Loja, 97 passengers & 6 crew, that slipped off the runway at 19:11 on Sept. 16. A government official at a 20:30 press conference said there were some passengers with "light contusions". There were no lives lost. See http://www.elcomercio.com/quito/Avion-Tame-salio-Mariscal-Sucre_0_555544616.html Another Ecuadorian newspaper, Hoy, includes other details. See http://www.hoy.com.ec/noticias-ecuador/un-avion-se-sale-de-la-pista-501107.html Regarding the airport closure, Hoy reports operations were closed approximately 3 1/2 hours and that after 22h30, some activity resumed with at least 4 take-offs as of 00:10 today (Sept. 17).
• September 30, 2010: Troops from the Ecuadorian airforce took control of Mariscal Sucre International Airport in protest of Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa.^[7]
• October 27, 2009: An Ecuadorian Air Force HAL Dhruv helicopter crashed during display maneuvers at Mariscal Sucre International Airport, with both pilots sustaining only minor scratches and no casualties. The aircraft was flying in military formation next to two other helicopters at the time of the incident.^[8]
• March 19, 2009: An Ecuadorian Air Force Beechcraft B200 King Air struck a building in the Guápulo district of Quito while on approach to Mariscal Sucre International Airport in heavy fog. All five occupants of the aircraft were killed, as well as two people on the ground.
• September 23, 2008: An Icaro Air Fokker F28 Mk4000 skidded off of the runway. There were no injuries among the 62 passengers, but the aircraft was written off.
• November 9, 2007: An Iberia Airlines Airbus A340-600 (Iberia 6463 Flight) was badly damaged after sliding off the runway. The landing gear collapsed and two engines were dislodged. All 333 passengers and crew were evacuated via inflatable slides, but no serious injuries were reported.
• January 17, 2003: A TAME Fokker F28 Mk4000 ran off the runway after takeoff was abandoned due to a tire blowout. The nose gear collapsed, and the aircraft came to rest 81 meters past the runway threshold. There were no injuries.
• August 29, 1998: A Cubana de Aviación Tupolev Tu-154M overshot the runway killing the 14-member crew, 56 of the 77 passengers and 10 people on the ground.^[4]
• May 1, 1996: A Fly Linhas Aéreas Boeing 727-200 aborted takeoff in rainy weather, but overshot the runway, crossing a road that lay at the end of runway 35. The aircraft had been overloaded. No injuries were reported.
• May 3, 1995: A Gulfstream II operated by American Jet selected the wrong VOR frequency during a nighttime approach to Quito; the jet flew 12 miles further south than it should have, striking the Sincholagua volcano at 16,000 feet. All seven occupants were killed.
• December 10, 1992: A North American Sabreliner 60 operated by the Ecuadorian Air Force clipped a 10-story building under construction 3 kilometers south of the airport. The aircraft crashed into a residential area, killing all 10 on board and 3 more on the ground.
• June 3, 1988: A North American Sabreliner 40 operated by the Ecuadorian Air Force flew into a mountain on the outskirts of Quito, killing all 11 on board.
• September 18, 1984: An AECA (Aeroservicios Ecuatorianos) Douglas DC-8-50 freighter failed to achieve altitude during takeoff, running off the end of the runway and crashing into a residential area 460 meters past the runway, destroying 25 houses, killing all 4 crewmembers as well as 49 people on the ground.
• April 29, 1982: A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Ecuadorian Air Force crashed into a mountain near Quito while executing a missed approach; 7 were killed.
• January 27, 1980: An Avianca Boeing 720 landed too fast, too far down the runway, and consequently overran, collapsing the nosegear. No injuries were reported.
• November 7, 1960: An AREA Ecuador Fairchild F-27 crashed into a mountain 16 kilometers south of Quito during its approach. 37 occupants were killed.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre

References

1. ^ Airport information for SEQU from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
2. ^ Airport information for UIO at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
3. ^ Report on the conditions of the current airport and the benefits of a new airport (Inter-American Development Bank)
4. ^ ^{a b} "ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 154M CU-T1264 Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO)". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. 2005-11-13. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19980829-0&lang=en. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 
5. ^ http://www.aviation.mottmac.com/aviationprojects/newquitoairport/
6. ^ Singapore Airlines Cargo to Operate Flights to Latin America
7. ^ "Ecuador declares state of emergency amid 'coup attempt'". BBC News. 1 October 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11447519. Retrieved 1 October 2010. 
8. ^ Un helicóptero indio recién adquirido por la FAE se estrelló durante ceremonia militar

External links

	Ecuador portal
	Aviation portal

• CORPAQ - Corporación Aeropuerto de Quito
• (Spanish) CORPAQ - Corporación Aeropuerto de Quito
• (Spanish) Aeropuerto Mariscal Sucre - Corporación Quiport S.A.
• Current weather for SEQU at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for UIO at Aviation Safety Network