Augusto C. Sandino International Airport

Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino) (IATA: MGA, ICAO: MNMG), or ACS, is the main joint civil-military public international airport in Managua, Nicaragua. It is named after Nicaraguan revolutionary Augusto Nicolás Sandino (1895–1934) and is located in the city's 6th ward, known locally as Distrito 6. Originally christened Las Mercedes Airport in 1968, it was later renamed Augusto C. Sandino International Airport during the Sandinista government in the 1980s and again in 2001 to Managua International Airport by then-president Arnoldo Alemán. Its name was changed once more in February 2007 to its current name by President Daniel Ortega to honor the revolutionary.^[3] Managua also has an alternative landing strip at Punta Huete Airport. Punta Huete was designed for larger aircraft and thus has a longer landing strip (3,000m vs. MGA's 2,442m). This alternative landing site, however, does not service commercial aircraft. The airport is managed by the state-run Administrative Company of International Airports, more commonly known as the EAAI, given its Spanish name, the Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales.

Augusto C. Sandino International Airport Aeropuerto Internacional Augusto C. Sandino
IATA: MGA ICAO: MNMG
Summary
Airport type	Military/Public
Owner	Government of Nicaragua
Operator	EAAI (Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales)
Serves	Managua
Location	Managua, Nicaragua
Hub for	La Costeña
Focus city for	Conviasa
Elevation AMSL	59 m / 194 ft
Coordinates	12°08′29″N 086°10′05″W
Website	www.eaai.com.ni
Map
MGA
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 2,442 8,012 Asphalt
Statistics (2017)
Passengers 1,627,527 Passenger change 16–17 6.2% Aircraft movements 36,510 Movements change 16–17 0.8%
Source: Nicaraguan AIP,[1] MTI[2]

History

Managua previous airport, Xolotlan Airport, which was located about 2 miles east of Managua, built in 1915, and it quickly became too small for Managua's airline service growth. In 1942, the Nicaraguan Government and Pan American Airways signed a contract to construct an airport by Las Mercedes Country Estate.^[4] Las Mercedes was further upgraded, re-designed to handle Boeing 707 aircraft, and re-inaugurated in July 1968 by Anastasio Somoza Debayle.^[5]

In the early 1970s, Las Mercedes was expanded to more modern standards; this included four health inspectors, eight immigration officers, and ten customs inspectors.^[6] It was considered fully equipped, having air conditioning, background music, loudspeakers, and conveyor belts for baggage handling.^[7] It also had a restaurant on its upper floor where visitors and travelers could see airport movement.

The expanded airport could serve three aircraft at once. By 1975, LANICA, Pan Am, KLM, TACA Airlines, Sahsa, Avianca, Iberia, SAM, TAN, Varig, and other carriers flew into Las Mercedes. When the Sandinistas took power, the airport was named after Augusto César Sandino, a Nicaraguan revolutionary and guerrilla leader, after whom the Sandinista movement is named. The Sandinistas, however, did not maintain the airport, and it began to deteriorate until it was expanded and remodeled in 1996, which installed two new boarding bridges.^[6] The airport was renamed "Managua International Airport" in 2001 by then President Arnoldo Alemán and renamed again in 2007 to its current name by President Daniel Ortega. In mid-2007, President Daniel Ortega renamed the airport in honor of Sandino. Nicaraguan artist Róger Pérez de la Rocha has created two large portraits of Augusto César Sandino and Rubén Darío; both of them lie in the lobby.^[8]

Las Mercedes served as a hub for many of Nicaragua's flag carriers, such as LANICA (until 1978), Aeronica (1981–1992), and NICA (1992–2004). When NICA became a member of Grupo TACA during the 1990s, the number of important connections to the rest of Latin America from which ACS grew considerably.

According to EAAI (Empresa Administradora de Aeropuertos Internacionales), ACS is the most modern airport in Central America and the 4th safest in the world. It is located just 11 km (7 mi) from Managua's downtown, has a runway that measures 8,015 ft (2,443 m) in length, and is at an elevation of 194 ft (59 m).^[9]

Expansion

A large expansion program was underway by 2003, and as of July 2006, the final phase was completed. The airport was equipped with 7 gates with jetways and room for 20 airplanes to park. It had been reported in the recent past that the runway would be lengthened by 800 m (2,625 ft), but this project has not begun, despite the government's achievements in building new airports elsewhere in Nicaragua or greatly overhauling existing airport/airfield infrastructure in other locations as well.^[10]

Facilities within the airport include a tourist information desk, bank, restaurants, bars, post office, souvenir shops, duty-free shops, lounge, and more. The types of services in the VIP lounge include checking baggage and documents with customs and immigration plus the airline; a bar service, snacks, etc.^[11]

Operations

Augusto C. Sandino International Airport is Nicaragua's main international gateway. Domestic flights fly between Bluefields, the Corn Islands, and Puerto Cabezas. The airport is accessed by the Panamerican Highway, known as the Carretera Norte.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroméxico Connect	Mexico City
American Airlines	Miami
Avianca El Salvador	Miami, San Salvador
Conviasa	Caracas, Havana
Copa Airlines	Guatemala City, Panama City–Tocumen, San Jose (CR)[12]
La Costeña	Bluefields, Corn Island, Puerto Cabezas[13]
Sansa Airlines	San Jose (CR)
Spirit Airlines	Fort Lauderdale
United Airlines	Houston–Intercontinental

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Amerijet International	Miami, Panama City–Tocumen, San Pedro Sula
UPS Airlines	Miami, Panama City–Tocumen, Tampa

Statistics

Traffic figures

Lockheed L-188 Electra of TAN Airlines (Transportes Aéreos Nacionales S.A.) operating at Las Mercedes Airport, Managua, Nicaragua in 1970s

American Airlines Boeing 737-800 taxiing for departure from Managua en route to Miami International Airport is one of the well-traveled routes from the airport.

Traffic by calendar year. Official Government Statistics

	Passengers	Change from previous year	Aircraft operations	Change from previous year	Cargo (metric tons)	Change from previous year
2006	979,508	6.96%	30,897	0.30%	19,223	0.05%
2007	1,051,830	7.38%	30,609	0.93%	21,727	13.03%
2008	1,138,626	8.25%	31,705	3.58%	19,129	11.96%
2009	1,090,004	4.27%	31,677	0.09%	18,946	0.96%
2010	1,102,196	1.12%	30,030	5.20%	25,981	37.13%
2011	1,120,147	1.63%	28,855	3.91%	22,330	14.05%
2012	1,201,141	7.23%	30,697	6.38%	23,531	5.38%
2013	1,206,172	0.42%	29,955	2.42%	22,281	5.41%
2014	1,311,965	8.77%	29,326	2.10%	23,375	4.91%
2015	1,499,756	14.31%	32,173	9.71%	29,034	24.21%
2016	1,533,034	2.22%	36,822	14.45%	25,383	12.57%
2017	1,627,527	6.16%	36,510	0.85%	25,639	1.01%
Source: Nicaraguan Institute of Civil Aviation. Statistical Reports (Years 2007,[14] 2008,[15] 2009,[16] 2010,[17] 2011,[18] 2012,[19] 2013,[20] 2014,[21] 2015[22] and 2016[23])

Top international destinations

Busiest international routes to and from MGA (Jan. 2014 – Dec. 2016)

	Airport	2014	2015	2016	Δ 14–15	Δ 15–16	Carriers
1	Miami, United States	407,800	443,800	470,000	08.8%	05.9%	American, Avianca
2	Houston, United States	172,400	211,400	194,000	022.6%	08.2%	Spirit, United
3	Panama City, Panama	174,000	196,600	197,700	013.0%	01.1%	Copa
4	San Salvador, El Salvador	165,600	175,900	145,000	06.2%	030.9%	Avianca, Volaris
5	San José, Costa Rica	78,500	79,900	100,000	01.7%	025.1%	Avianca, Copa, Volaris
6	Atlanta, United States	87,100	96,500	97,000	010.7%	00.5%	Delta
7	Guatemala City, Guatemala	42,500	52,800	86,000	024.2%	062.9%	Avianca, Copa
8	Mexico City, Mexico	3,500	45,700	52,000	01,222.8%	013.7%	Aeroméxico Connect
Source: Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MTI). Transportation Statistical Yearbook of Nicaragua (Years 2014,[21] 2015[22] and 2016[23]).

Traffic Share of Airlines flying to MGA

Airline	Percentage of Passengers Transported (2015)
Copa Airlines	31%
Avianca El Salvador	20%
American Airlines	15%
United Airlines	14%
Delta Air Lines	7%
Spirit Airlines	6%
Aeroméxico	3%
Aero Caribbean	2%
La Costeña	1%
Conviasa	1%
Nature Air	1%
Total	100.0%

See also

• Nicaragua portal
• Aviation portal
• List of airports in Nicaragua
• Transport in Nicaragua

References

1. (in Spanish)Publicación de Información Aeronáutica de la República de Nicaragua Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
2. (in Spanish) Anuario Estadístico de Transporte de Nicaragua 2016 Archived October 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
3. Velásquez SevillaMi, Mirna. "Aeropuerto vuelve a ser Sandino". La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
4. "Aeropuerto Internacional "Augusto C. Sandino"" (PDF) (in Spanish). EAAI. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2007. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
5. Westcott, Kathryn (May 22, 2006). "Flying from where?; Cultural Heritage". BBC News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
6. "History". EAAI. Archived from the original on August 10, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
7. "Managua International Airport". Airplanes.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
8. "Cultural" Archived April 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, El Nuevo Diario, February 19, 2000
9. "Technical Information". EAAI. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
10. "Projects in Progress". EAAI. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
11. "VIP Lounge". EAAI. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
12. "Vos TV".
13. "Destinations".
14. Anuario Estadistico 2007 Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil
15. Anuario Estadistico 2008 Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil
16. Anuario Estadistico 2009 Archived March 5, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil
17. Anuario Estadistico 2010 Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil
18. Anuario Estadistico 2011 Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil
19. Anuario Estadistico 2012 Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil
20. Anuario Estadistico 2013 Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil
21. Anuario Estadístico de Transporte de Nicaragua 2014 Archived August 6, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Ministerio de Transporte e Infraestructura (MTI)
22. Anuario Estadístico de Transporte de Nicaragua 2015 Archived April 13, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Ministerio de Transporte e Infraestructura (MTI)
23. Anuario Estadístico de Transporte de Nicaragua 2016 Archived October 11, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Ministerio de Transporte e Infraestructura (MTI)