Los Garzones Airport 3.73

Los Garzones Airport is an airport serving the city of Montería in the Córdoba Department of Colombia. It is the only airport in the department that can handle modern jets (up to Airbus A330 size).The runway is north of Montería. The Monteria VOR-DME (Ident: MTR) is located on the field. On normal days, the airport receives 25 to 30 takeoffs and landings. It is one of the busiest airports in Colombia in terms of passenger flow.HistoryPlanning and constructionIn the 1960s, the city's airport, San Jeronimo Airport reached its maximum capacity. The terminal was very small and tarmac was too small to fit many aircraft. The runway was worn down and very small. Also, the city wanted Jet aircraft to fly there. The only aircraft that could land there were propeller powered. The local government had decided that the city needed a new airport to replace it. A long runway was planned along with simple radar, since the old airport had no radar. The chosen construction site was next to the town of Los Garzones. So it was called Los Garzones Airport. After months of planning, construction started in late 1971.Los Garzones before 2008The airport opened in 1974, replacing the old airport and closed it down. All operations were moved to the airport on its opening day. The same day it opened, an Avianca Boeing 727 landed at the airport from El Dorado International Airport. This was the first ever jet-powered plane to land in the Córdoba Department. The runway was 6,285 feet when it first opened. The tarmac was small but large enough to fit 2 Boeing 727s. The terminal's architecture was very modern for the time.