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FEATURE<br />
GUAYAQUIL<br />
Last August an extension of the domestic<br />
part of the terminal opened, adding 107,642sq<br />
ft (10,000m 2 ) of floor space to the previous<br />
538,213sq ft (50,000m 2 ) and increasing<br />
capacity to 7mppa. Three airbridges were<br />
added, bringing the total to ten.<br />
Inside, passengers will find one big<br />
departure hall with check-in to the right<br />
for domestic flights and left for international<br />
destinations. Both sections have their own<br />
security screening points and internationally<br />
bound travellers pass through passport<br />
control and the well-stocked duty free shop<br />
before reaching the departure lounge. Both<br />
landside and airside, the airport offers a<br />
wide selection of cafes, restaurants and<br />
shops. Plentiful full-height glazing provides<br />
excellent views of the taxiway and runway<br />
and good opportunities for photographers.<br />
For passengers arriving late in the evening<br />
or early in the morning, there is a Holiday<br />
Inn Hotel available just a few steps from<br />
the terminal, although it also has a<br />
complimentary shuttle bus.<br />
Airlines and traffic<br />
The airport welcomed 3.88 million<br />
passengers in 2013, an increase of around<br />
80,000 compared with the previous year.<br />
Of this number, about two million travelled<br />
domestically (most of them to and from<br />
the capital Quito). While domestic traffic<br />
has declined during the past few years,<br />
international passenger numbers have<br />
risen steadily to just over 1.8 million in 2013.<br />
Apart from scheduled flying, General<br />
Aviation plays an important role at GYE.<br />
Several flying schools are based at GYE<br />
to take advantage of the predominantly<br />
stable weather conditions, however, small<br />
General Aviation types have to share the<br />
single runway with commercial arrivals and<br />
departures – as well as executive jets. The<br />
Ecuadorian Air Force has its Simón Bolívar<br />
Air Base on the opposite side of the runway<br />
from the passenger terminal. The base<br />
generates the occasional movement with<br />
light aircraft and helicopters, but also<br />
During the early<br />
morning the checkin<br />
area gets very<br />
busy although the<br />
departure hall is<br />
spacious enough to<br />
never feel crowded.<br />
American Airlines<br />
is the only US carrier<br />
flying to Guayaquil.<br />
One of its Boeing<br />
737-823s, N944AN<br />
(c/n 29535) is<br />
pushed back before<br />
leaving for Miami.<br />
One of three<br />
ATR 42-500s used<br />
by TAME Express,<br />
HC-CMB (c/n 849)<br />
is used on thinner<br />
domestic routes<br />
within Ecuador.<br />
The airport’s<br />
modern terminal,<br />
from the nearby<br />
Holiday Inn Hotel,<br />
gives a good idea<br />
of how GYE is<br />
surrounded by urban<br />
development.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 79
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