It is the first of the National System of International Airports to be modernized by the company
With the presence of the President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, Aeropuertos Uruguay inaugurated the new Carmelo International Airport, after carrying out a modernization work that included a new air terminal and first-rate aeronautical infrastructure.
Present at the event were the Minister of National Defense, Javier García; the Mayor of Colonia, Carlos Moreira; and the president of Corporación América, Eduardo Eurnekian, among other national and departmental authorities, who performed the inaugural ribbon cutting and unveiled the commemorative plaque of the event of the first airport of the National System of International Airports to be renovated by the company.
The first phase of the works, which began in March, involved an investment of US$10.5 million, and generated hundreds of direct and indirect jobs. The modernization included the construction of a new 770-square-meter air terminal developed by Estudio Gómez Platero, equipped with all the comforts and technology to receive national and international flights, as well as a Duty Free Shop and a Narbonne gastronomic space.
In addition, the renovation of the airport infrastructure included the paving and extension of the main runway 17-35 of 1,190 meters, the construction of taxiways, a 6,000-square-meter platform, detachments for the National Air Police and the National Fire Department.
A state-of-the-art LED technology runway lighting system was installed for comprehensive beaconing, as well as state-of-the-art baggage scanner and communication equipment, and a new automatic weather station. In this way, the new Carmelo International Airport complies with the highest international standards of operational safety and service.
The company also announced that the second phase of works, scheduled for 2023, will include the construction of a parking lot, a new access road to the air terminal, as well as the development of hangar infrastructure for general aviation, with the aim of promoting the proposal and attract regional public to the area.
“We set the goal for Carmelo to have its airport working for the season and we achieved it. Today we have a first class airport, soon to open the doors of Carmelo to the region and the world. The opening has generated a lot of interest and we have received many inquiries both locally and regionally for the operation," said Diego Arrosa, CEO of Aeropuertos Uruguay.
“At Corporación América Airports we have been committed to Uruguay for almost 20 years and this milestone reaffirms that promise we made from day one to contribute to the development of our country. We are proud of our great team, which is the key for all this to happen,” he stated.
For his part, Martin Eurnekian, CEO of Corporación América Airports, stressed the positive impact that airports have for countries and communities, as they are engines of development and growth.
"It fills us with pride to know that all this was achieved within the framework of the toughest years in the history of our industry, in a very complex global context," he said.
In addition to Carmelo International Airport, Aeropuertos Uruguay, which is part of the Corporación América Airports group, manages the airports of Carrasco, Punta del Este, Rivera, Salto, Durazno, Melo and Paysandú.
The company announced that next year it plans to start modernization works at the Rivera and Salto airports.