Airports - March April 2015

FEATURE
LA PAZ
The waiting
lounges offer great
views of the apron
and runway and the
clear glass also allows
good photographs to
be taken.
The entrance to
TAM’s small terminal.
The facility is mostly
used by the airline’s
turboprop flights.
TAM Xian MA-60
FAB-97 (c/n 0412)
parked in front of
the carrier’s small
terminal, just before
leaving on a flight to
Rurrenabaque.
Aerocon Fairchild
Swearingen
SA-227DC Metro
23 CP-2477 (c/n
DC-830B) arrives at its
parking stand in the
early morning.
Small Trinidad-based carrier Aerocon
sends its Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners
to Potosi, Oruro, El Trompillo (see Airports
of the World, issue 56, p78) and La Paz.
Bolivia’s newest airline, EcoJet, offers flights
to Trinidad and Cobija (with connections
from there) and Sucre using Avro RJ85s.
Amaszonas offers a range of domestic flights
including multiple daily links on the trunk
routes to Santa Cruz and Cochabamba,
to the tourist hotspot Uyuni (with its
stunning salt lake, the Salar de Uyuni),
Sucre, Rurrenabaque and Potosi. Transporte
Aéreo Militar (TAM), the passenger element
of the Bolivian Air Force, is popular with
travellers as fares are usually very low. It is
also popular with aviation enthusiasts due
to its fleet of 737-200s, BAe 146-200s, Xian
MA-60s, Fokker 27s and its sole 727-200,
which has now been retired. All jet flights
usually use the regular terminal while its
turboprops use TAM’s own terminal at the
northern edge of the airport. Even when
not flying, a visit to this small terminal
is recommended as it offers good views
of the military apron and photography
is usually tolerated. The military carrier
serves the cities of Cochabamba (up to four
times a day) and Cobija, Trinidad, Sucre
and Rurrenabaque with between two and
six weekly frequencies. Aircraft types can
vary, although the route to Rurrenabaque
is usually a good bet for an MA-60 or F27.
Facelift
A series of modernisation and infrastructure
projects is under way. Resurfacing the
runway, taxiways and apron is already
completed. A new wing is to be added to
the terminal, providing much-needed space
for more check-in counters and making the
building more spacious. Once finished, the
rest of the terminal will be refurbished. Two
airbridges were recently added, increasing
the total to four. However, many flights
are still accessed by foot across the apron.
The terminal extension will eat
into current car parking space and a
replacement area is to be built nearby.
Looking ahead, there are plenty of unused
areas around the airfield which could be
used for more facilities if required.
Until the extension is finished, the terminal
remains small and can become crowded at
peak times, especially in the international
departure area. That said, amenities are
modern and offer a good range of services
including refreshment outlets, shops, ATMs
and even a small ‘sleeping box’ hotel, the
Onkel Inn. Once through security, the
departure lounges give great views of the
apron and runway and the windows allow
for good photographs to be taken. Free
wireless internet is available throughout.
Bolivia is one of the few countries in the
world where airport taxes are not included
in the ticket price. Before proceeding to
the boarding area, all travellers need to
visit the airport tax counter and pay their
$25 for international or just over $2 for
domestic flights. There are frequent buses
and minibuses connecting the airport with
the city centre. Taxis are also available at
a fixed rate.
The airport has a second runway (10L/28R),
parallel to the main tarmac, which is much
shorter and unpaved. It is used rarely and
not usually by scheduled flights.
56 airports of the world