Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport

Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Alfredo Vásquez Cobo, IATA: LET, ICAO: SKLT) is an international airport located in Leticia, Colombia's southernmost city and capital of the Amazonas Department.

Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport
IATA: LET ICAO: SKLT WMO: 80398[1]
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Aerocivil
Serves	Leticia, Colombia
Elevation AMSL	277 ft / 84 m
Coordinates	4°11′40″S 69°56′35″W
Website	aerocivil.gov.co/...
Map
LET Show map of Amazonas Department LET Show map of Colombia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 03/21 2,010 6,168 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers 333,050
Sources: GCM[2] Google Maps[3]

The airport is important for the Amazon region, as it is the main gateway to the rest of the country and serves the tri-border area between Colombia, Brazil and Peru.

History

Before Leticia had an established airport, the Colombian Air Force flew PBY Catalina aircraft from the interior of Colombia to the river banks of the city. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla seeing the need to better connect the Amazon region of Colombia to Bogota ordered for an airport to be built.

In 2015, Juan Manuel Santos, the then president of Colombia, announced an investment of over $142 billion Colombian pesos (or $42 million US dollars) to replace the existing facilities with brand new passenger and cargo terminals, control tower, parking and common areas, and access roadways.^[4] Construction was expected to conclude on November 30, 2018, however due to delays the new facilities are expected to be completed by June 2019.^[5]

Two hundred international tourists were trapped in Leticia after the highly-contagious Brazilian variant of COVID-19 virus was discovered in the city on January 28, 2021. Two weeks later the government agreed to fly the tourists out of the Alfredo Vásquez Cobo airport if the individuals were willing to pay. Regularly scheduled flights resumed on March 2.^[6]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Avianca	Bogotá
LATAM Colombia	Bogotá
SATENA	La Chorrera, La Pedrera, San José del Guaviare, Tarapacá

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at LET airport. See Wikidata query.

Annual Passenger Traffic^[7]

Year	Passengers	% Change
2019	333,050	18.8%
2018	270,298	6.7%
2017	289,682	8.7%
2016	266,443	10.6%
2015	240,790	10.7%
2014	217,419	24.1%
2013	175,152	9.2%
2012	160.380	4.3%
2011	153,777	1.9%
2010	156,697	25.2%
2009	125,104	35.6%
2008	92,257	-

Colonel Herbert Boy Air Base

Permanently stationed onsite is the Amazonas Air Group, of the Colombian Air Force, which operates out of the Colonel Herbert Boy Air Base. The air base shares the same runway with the airport and jointly manage other facilities.

Accidents

• On November 18, 2006, an AeroSucre Boeing 727 crashed during landing due to poor weather and fog against a television antenna with 40 meters of height. The three members of crew, as well as the three passengers, died in the accident.

See also

• List of airports in Colombia

References

1. Oakley, T. (November 1993). "Instrument and Observing Methods – Report No. 56". World Meteorological Organization. p. 14. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021.
2. Airport information for LET at Great Circle Mapper.
3. Google Maps - Leticia
4. "El nuevo aeropuerto de Leticia será construido en su totalidad | volavi". 14 February 2015.
5. "Entrega del Aeropuerto de Leticia vuelve a ser postergada | EL ESPECTADOR".
6. "Gobierno enviará vuelos humanitarios para turistas varados en Leticia, pero con costo". infobae (in European Spanish). February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
7. Statistics. "Estadísticas Operacionales".

External links

• Accident history for LET at Aviation Safety Network
• Leticia Airport at OpenStreetMap
• Leticia Airport at OurAirports
• Aeronautical chart and airport information for Leticia Airport at SkyVector
• Current weather for SKLT at NOAA/NWS