FEATURE LA PAZ A busy La Paz apron in the late afternoon is overlooked by Illampu Mountain, Bolivia’s fourth highest peak. (All photos author) La Paz Holding the High Ground Sebastian Schmitz visits the world’s highest international airport – El Alto in La Paz, Bolivia. A landing at El Alto International Airport (LPB), 8 miles (13km) from and about 1,500ft (450m) above the Bolivian city of La Paz, is a truly breathtaking experience. When arriving from the east, aircraft overfly the city, which sits in a deep canyon. From the west, one may glimpse Lake Titicaca and the beautiful and eerie landscape of the Altiplano high plains, before seeing the simple brick buildings and many small churches in the not-so-wealthy suburb of El Alto. Thin air After touchdown, it is a wise to take things slowly due to the thin air. El Alto (which means ‘the high one’) is the world’s highest international airport – at an elevation of 13,325ft (4,061m). It was, for many years, the highest airport in the world. The honour now rests with China’s Daocheng Yading Airport at 14,472ft (4,411m) above sea level. During the 1980s, Lufthansa used to fly to El Alto with Boeing 747-200s (and before that the 707), although only on a shuttle service from Lima. A now retired Lufthansa purser and friend of the author remembers vividly how both passengers and crew were greeted by ground staff carrying oxygen bottles as travellers arriving from sea level would often collapse or feel very weak in the rarefied air. Today, there is even an oxygen bar in the terminal where passengers can take a deep breath or two. The airport’s altitude has been a limiting factor throughout its existence. Even though its main Runway 10/28 is quite long at 13,123ft (4,000m), non-stop longhaul flights are out of the question for the time being. Thin air prevents maximum weight departures, meaning aircraft have to carry less fuel. The high altitude can also be a reason for unusual visitors. Aircraft manufacturer Airbus chose LPB, along with Cochabamba, for a series of high-altitude tests of its new A350 in January last year. Regional traffic Although LPB is Bolivia’s busiest passenger airport, the number of international routes is limited, compared to Santa Cruz/Viru Viru (VVI). The difference between the two is almost 12,000ft (3,658m) of altitude. Being much closer to sea level means VVI receives the bulk of the country’s international flights. However, some international traffic does use La Paz, mostly to neighbouring countries. The longest flight to LPB is American Airlines’ daily service from Miami, flown by a 757. The schedule is actually a Miami- La Paz-Santa Cruz-Miami triangular one, enabling the return flight to be direct from Santa Cruz with no weight penalties. The airport’s most important international route is to the Peruvian capital Lima, around two hours flying time. Between Avianca and LAN, there are up to three daily flights to Lima, some go via Santa Cruz purely for commercial reasons. Avianca has a daily Peru Bolivia Argentina Brazil Airbus A319 connection to its hub in Bogotá, with an early departure time of 04:25. The flight continues to Washington DC, using the same flight number, catering for the large Bolivian community living in Virginia. Peruvian Airlines launched flights to La Paz in October last year, offering a daily 737 connection from Cuzco and Lima. Two carriers provide services to Chile; LAN from Santiago de Chile four times a week (using A320s), with a stop in Iquique in the north of the country. Chile’s Sky Airline (see Airliner World, <strong>April</strong> <strong>2015</strong>) has a daily A320 service which routes via Iquique and Arica, close to the Chilean-Peruvian border. The only Bolivian carrier offering an international flight is locally based Amaszonas. It runs a daily Bombardier CRJ link to the Peruvian city of Cuzco which, on three days of the week, goes via Arequipa. Domestic network Bolivia’s busiest domestic route is between La Paz and VVI. Boliviana de Aviación (BoA), which runs its international flights from the latter, has nine daily weekday 737 flights between the two cities. Boliviana also serves Cochabamba as well as Tarija and Cobija. All remaining domestic destinations can be reached via Cochabamba or Santa Cruz. With the airline soon introducing Chinese-built Xian MA-60 turboprops, the number of destinations and frequencies is likely to grow. 54 airports of the world
FEATURE LA PAZ The terminal from the apron on a clear and sunny day. The international departures area is to the left and the domestic gates to the right. Airport Statistics ICAO Code: IATA Code: Location: Elevation: Runways: SLLP LPB 16° 30.48’ S, 68° 11.32’ W 13,325ft (4,061m) 10/28 13,123 x 151ft (4,000 x 46m) 10L/28R 6,725 x 300ft (2,050 x 91m) Frequencies: Tower: 118.3 Ground: 121.9 Approach: 119.5 Website: www.sabsa.aero Passengers disembarking from BoA Boeing 737- 3M8 CP-2552 (c/n 25041), which has just arrived from Santa Cruz, the busiest route served by the airport. The main checkin hall, with the associated desks to the right, a luggage weighing service waiting for business, and a popular Subway outlet on the left. www.airportsworld.com 55
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