| Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Aerocivil | ||||||||||
| Serves | Leticia, Colombia | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 277 ft / 84 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 4°11′40″S 69°56′35″W / 4.19444°S 69.94306°W / -4.19444; -69.94306 | ||||||||||
| Website | aerocivil.gov.co/... | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  LETShow map of Amazonas Department LETShow map of Colombia | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2019) | |||||||||||
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| Sources: GCM Google Maps | |||||||||||
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.
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. Construction was expected to conclude on November 30, 2018, however due to delays the new facilities are expected to be completed by June 2019.
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.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Avianca | Bogotá |
| LATAM Colombia | Bogotá |
| SATENA | La Chorrera, La Pedrera, San José del Guaviare, Tarapacá |
Statistics
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
| 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%
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| 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
References
- Oakley, T. (November 1993). "Instrument and Observing Methods – Report No. 56". World Meteorological Organization. p. 14. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021.
- Airport information for LET at Great Circle Mapper.
- Google Maps - Leticia
- "El nuevo aeropuerto de Leticia será construido en su totalidad | volavi". 14 February 2015.
- "Entrega del Aeropuerto de Leticia vuelve a ser postergada | EL ESPECTADOR".
- "Gobierno enviará vuelos humanitarios para turistas varados en Leticia, pero con costo". infobae (in European Spanish). February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- 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
| Airports in Colombia | |
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| Major international | |
| Minor international | |
| Domestic |
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| Unscheduled | |
| Statistics | |
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