In recent years, passenger air traffic in Colombia has grown continuously. What are the current figures and forecasts for the coming years?

Air transport worldwide has experienced rapid and dynamic growth in recent decades, and the trend is expected to continue in the coming years. These changes are consistent with the strengthening and sustained development of global economic conditions and the generation and implementation of public policies aimed essentially at deregulation and liberalisation of air passenger and cargo transport markets.

With this in mind, from our perspective of Civil Aeronautics, and as described in the 2030 Strategic Aeronautical Plan, it is estimated that by 2030, there will be almost 100 million passengers per year and double the cargo transport, in a clear, competitive, connected, safe and sustainable institutional environment supported by renewed infrastructure, robust industry and highly talented people.

This growth is in line with what has been happening in recent years. For example, according to 2019 figures, we have grown by 9.1%.

Over the next four years, there are plans for the investment of 3.8 billion pesos, which will enable us to make great progress in the modernisation of the sector

What impact is the peace process having on this growth?

The peace process is one of the main reasons why increasing numbers of foreigners are coming to Colombia, a figure that reached 13.8 million passengers in 2018.  But, in addition, it is the clear result of major government efforts to make progress in the modernisation of the airport and aeronautical infrastructure throughout the country and strengthen regional connectivity with an offering that continues to expand. Indeed, in the last few months, two new aviation companies have started operations in Colombia’s regions, and two other companies are in the process of obtaining their operating licences.

And what about airport infrastructure concessions?

The concession arrangement has allowed the country to modernise and adapt its airport infrastructure to the 21st century. The airports that the country has today are a response to Colombia’s present and future aviation needs.

As far as Civil Aeronautics is concerned, we have been investing millions in construction, maintenance and studies and designs for several different airports in the country.

As part of the National Development Plan, an investment of 3.8 billion pesos has been planned for the next four years and this will enable us to make significant progress in the modernisation of the aviation sector and contribute to economic and social development and greater competitiveness.

Currently, trunk airports are being improved with investments in Leticia, Popayán, Armenia, San Andrés and Providencia, Rionegro Cartagena, Yopal, Buenaventura, Pasto, Ipiales, and Riohacha, and Ciudad Región Airport (El Dorado) and 10 regional airports (Amalfi, Urrao, Condoto, Barrancabermeja, Paz de Ariporo, Cravo Norte, Puerto Carreño, Villa Garzón, Nuquí and Pitalito). We hope to continue with this trend, providing the country with infrastructure that is constantly improving.

The Government has announced major investments in the development of regional tourism. Will this create new routes?

These investments are already generating new routes. In 2019 alone, the operation of 58 new routes and frequencies was authorised. In addition, the liberalisation of commercial air traffic regulations has enabled new operators to enter and offer their services. Twenty-two new routes have been approved for non-scheduled operators, which shows the dynamism that tourism has given to aviation.

The headquarters of Civil Aeronautics of Colombia, located at El Dorado Airport, Bogotá. It opened in 2009 and employs approximately 600 people.

Many of Colombia’s airports are in remote places and difficult to access. Do these destinations benefit from the social routes? 

National air connectivity promotes the development of policies that encourage increased competition with gradual processes of liberalisation of markets and the operation of low-cost airlines, among others, and tends to provide air transport services in remote areas of the country, where air transport is the only transport alternative, allowing the movement of cargo and passengers between these regions and the main economic centres of the nation.

Colombia’s system of social routes is provided by the public airline Satena. In this service the operator travels to locations in the country that have limited accessibility and benefits from direct subsidies when there are no other companies that operate these routes. For example, to the month of April of this year, Satena operated 26 social routes, providing air transport to 38,000 passengers.

In addition, through Resolution 890 of 2019, we now allow non-scheduled operators (Aerotaxis) to operate routes with fixed frequencies and direct ticket sales on routes that are not operated by regular operators. This has provided remote regions of the country with new connectivity, thereby improving the quality of life in these regions.

What development and investment plans do you have for airports?

In line with our new system of reformulated projects, we see airports as comprehensive functional units (trunk airports) where the aim is to unify all air and ground side systems into a single investment to meet airport infrastructure needs (runways, aprons, taxiways, control towers, firefighting services, security, cargo areas), as can be seen at Ciudad Región (El Dorado Airport), Rionegro and Cartagena, among others.

Airports strategically selected to contribute to the construction of an efficient air transport services network, taking advantage of the integrating capacity offered by this infrastructure.

In addition, actions are carried out to ensure the maintenance of the existing infrastructure both on the air side (runways, aprons, taxiways, end safety areas, etc.) and on the ground side (passenger terminals and other buildings) with the aim of preserving the condition of this infrastructure and guaranteeing sufficient capacity to continue facilitating the development of the air transport business. 

Selection and prioritisation of projects follows identification and assessment of the special and specific needs of each airport to achieve its maintenance, improvement, modernisation and optimisation.

The 2030 Strategic Aeronautical Plan estimates that by 2030, there will be almost 100 million passengers per year and double the cargo transport

With regard to the above, how far along is the project for the new El Dorado Airport?

Regarding El Dorado II Airport, the Government decided to conduct operational studies on Bogotá’s TMA (terminal manoeuvring area) to determine the most operationally-appropriate project for the solution to meet the growing demand for traffic. The 10.9 billion peso contract was awarded to a consortium made up of two Colombian companies and one French company on 29 March of this year and project commencement was signed on 3 May 2019. The contract expires on 31 December of this year, but it is expected that significant results will be obtained before that date.

El Dorado boasts a significant volume of cargo traffic. How is it expected to evolve in the coming years? 

Today, El Dorado Airport is the principal cargo airport in Latin America, handling around 742,000 tonnes in 2018. Estimates show average growth of 6% per year for the coming years, one of the highest rates in the world, and very consistent with what we have observed in recent years.

Secondary airports are essential for connectivity in a country with a territory as extensive and rugged as Colombia. The Andes Mountains and large rivers such as the Magdalena, Orinoco and Amazon crisscross the country, and many areas are isolated and have minimal land transport infrastructures. More than a dozen communities across the country depend on air or river transport, including Puerto Carreño (Vichada) in the east of the country, bordering Venezuela. In 2018, Ineco, in consortium with the Colombian consultancy firm Concol (now WSP), produced the Master Plan for Germán Olano Airport in Puerto Carreño and the airport planning schemes for Contador de Pitalito and San Bernardo de Mompox Airports. The three airports are administered directly by Aeronáutica Civil, Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority.

Pitalito

This is the provincial capital of the southern subregion of the department of Huila, Colombia’s main coffee-producing area and one of the most dynamic economic hubs in the region. It is a municipality with a vocation for tourism, strategically located close to the departments of Putumayo, Caquetá and Cauca, boasting several tourist attractions, including the San Agustín archaeological park, one of Colombia’s most important archaeological sites. Since the beginning of the peace process, the number of tourists who visit the area has increased and the regional government has set its sights on turning Pitalito into an important node of development thanks to its significant agricultural, commercial and tourism potential and its strategic location within the country.

Proposal for the development of Pitalito Airport involving runway extension and a new terminal.

Puerto Carreño

This is the capital of the department of Vichada, the second largest in Colombia. It is located on the border with Venezuela. It is an area with great ecological, hydrological and ethnic richness, with some of the principal activities including recreational fishing and commercialisation of ornamental fish. The region is also home to part of the El Tuparro National Natural Park, a national heritage site that was recognised as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1982. The city is surrounded by three important rivers, the Orinoco, one of the most important river systems in South America, the Meta and the Bita, the latter of which is listed as a protected river. Germán Olano Airport is located in an urban environment and is the principal means of access to the municipality as river navigation is only possible at certain times of the year, and because of its location far from other major population centres and the major difficulties for access by land.

The three airports have good growth prospects linked mainly to the development of tourism, which has increased thanks to colombia’s peace process, among other factors

Mompox

This municipality was listed as a heritage site by Colombia in 1959 and a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1995, thanks to the preservation of its colonial architectural features. The city hosts two important cultural events that currently generate most of the airport’s business: the Holy Week celebration, ranked second in importance in the country after Popayán, and the Mompox Festijazz jazz festival. The local economy revolves around fishing, its famous ornamental gold filigree work and tourism, which is one of the most important factors for creating passenger demand. In addition, aviation has great potential due to the area’s important tourist attractions and the difficulty of accessing them by land, as well as the best regional integration once the new Bodega-Yatí bridge goes into service, which will improve the area’s connectivity by land.

Future plans

Proper planning that takes different development scenarios into account is fundamental for organising the future growth of an airport and meeting the expected demand with all of the required guarantees of safety and quality of service. Ineco has extensive experience in this field of planning in airports in Spain and abroad.

In the cases of these three Colombian airports, Ineco studied the current situation of each one and its socioeconomic area of influence, which served as a basis for the development of a traffic projection for the next 30 years. This projection enabled us to determine future needs in the short, medium and long term and, based on the current situation, the design alternatives. Subsequently, an analysis of the environmental, urban and social impacts was carried out, which, together with the rest of the factors studied, determined the alternative to select. Lastly, detailed calculations were prepared to determine the financial investment required by the different actions in the short, medium and long term at each airport. The work was complemented with 3D modelling of the proposed development at each airport and video visualisations of each of them.

The three airports are between 500 and 900 kilometres from the national capital, Bogotá, located in the centre of the country; the airports are used exclusively for domestic traffic and, with the exception of Germán Olano in Puerto Carreño, handle only passenger traffic. The latter, along with the Contador Airport in Pitalito, offers ‘social routes’ that are subsidised by the government and operated by the airline Satena, while in San Bernardo de Mompox, air taxis account for 100% of the airport’s operations, although scheduled flights are expected to begin operation in the near future. As for their airport infrastructures, all three have runways shorter than 2,000 metres and small passenger terminals. In terms of traffic, the airport with the highest volume is Puerto Carreño, with 41,825 passengers and 5,885 tons of air cargo in 2017. Contador de Pitalito Airport, recorded a total of 15,530 passengers, all carried by the airline Satena, while San Bernardo de Mompox serviced 685 passengers, all of them air taxi traffic.

Planned development

According to the studies carried out by Ineco and Concol, all three airports have good growth prospects of around 4% per year over the next 30 years, linked mainly to the development of tourism which, among other factors, has been boosted by Colombia’s peace process.

The long-term development of the three airports calls for improvements to airport infrastructure both on the ground and in the air in order to meet demand according to national and international quality standards and to comply with Colombia’s current regulations. For the study horizon of 122,800 passengers and 4,580 operations at Germán Olano Airport in Puerto Carreño, the main actions include an extension of the 150-metre runway in order to operate flights to Bogotá, a new apron for aircraft and helicopters, a new cargo area, as well as a new passenger terminal that meets international safety standards in terms of passenger flow and where good passenger service is provided.

Ineco carried out a socioeconomic study of the area of influence of each airport, which served as a basis for calculating a traffic projection for the next 30 years

At Contador de Pitalito Airport, traffic of 63,000 passengers will be reached with the proposed development, and actions therefore include the extension of the runway by 370 metres in order to operate flights to Bogotá, apron enlargement for the parking of up to three aircraft, a new passenger terminal, a cargo area and weather station, and adequate space has been reserved for a new control tower.

The following actions are planned at San Bernardo de Mompox Airport to meet the long-term demand of 12,360 passengers per year: a runway extension of 370 metres to operate flights to Bogotá, a new apron for parking four aircraft, a new passenger terminal incorporating the current terminal, providing passengers with an example of the municipality’s typical colonial architecture, and the reservation of space for a new control tower.

Actions at all three airports include adapting their airfields to current regulations and renovation of road surfaces, new firefighting buildings, car parks and adequate access to each of them, and the necessary facilities for airport operations, such as power plant, fuel storage, hydrocarbon separation plant, water treatment facilities, drainage facilities, etc.