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31-594: It was formerly known as Medellin International Airport prior to the opening of José María Córdova International Airport in August 1985, which is located in the nearby municipality of Rionegro , 19 kilometres (12 mi) east of Medellin. Between the two airports, there were more than 3.5 million passengers per year, which makes it the second busiest passenger city in Colombia after Bogotá . In 2016,

62-558: A VIP room, and there is also a VIP airport lounge called "The Lounge Medellin" which is operated by Global Lounge Network. Outside the main building is a parking lot and garage, which includes an area for motorcycles. Between 1930 and 1932, three wealthy families in the metropolitan area of Medellín began with the idea of providing the city with an airport, as they were part of the Colombian Air Navigation Company which sought to carry passengers and mail from

93-590: A new control tower on the west side, construction of a business aviation terminal that will serve domestic and international flights of this type (with the intention of encouraging the return of international flights to the airport), new shopping areas, among others. Aerolínea de Antioquia has its headquarters on the airport property and has six hangars to store and perform maintenance on their planes. West Caribbean Airways , when it existed, had its corporate headquarters, operational center, and call center in Hangar 73 on

124-570: Is the second largest airport in Colombia after El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá in terms of infrastructure and passenger service. The airport is named after José María Córdova (sometimes spelled "Córdoba"), a Colombian army general who was a native of Ríonegro. It serves the Medellin Metropolitan Area and is the most important airport in the Antioquia Department ; in terms of infrastructure, it

155-619: Is the most important in western Colombia. It was also the main hub for low-cost airline Viva Air Colombia until the airline ceased operating in February of 2023. It serves several international destinations, one of the busiest being the route to Miami International Airport . It also serves the most flown route within Colombia: Medellin-Bogota, which is mainly operated by Avianca and LATAM Colombia . In recent years , significant technology and infrastructure upgrades (like

186-621: The Copa Libertadores and journalists to the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. In 2006, ADA further consolidated its corporate social responsibility policy with the "Making the dream of flying come true" program. With it, hundreds of passengers from different municipalities of the country could travel by plane for the first time in their lives and enjoy a flight over their regions of origin. In 2012, ADA strengthened its services by adding

217-474: The Dornier 328 to their fleet. In March 2019, ADA suspended its operations, due to financial losses of more than 400 million pesos. Aerolínea de Antioquia served the following destinations (as of March 2019): The Aerolínea de Antioquia fleet included the following aircraft (as of March 2019): The airline previously operated the following aircraft: This article relating to a South American airline

248-689: The Aeronáutuica Public Establecimeinto Olaya Herrera. The modernization plan began in March 2009 and ends in 2014. Among the main objectives are to ensure aviation safety, passenger comfort, and meeting the requirements of ICAO , Aerocivil , and IATA . Olaya Herrera Airport operational spaces have Category B, according to IATA. There are restrictions on the types of aircraft operating from the airport due to its classification as regional airport. Commercial flights can operate aircraft of up to 50 passengers, with

279-990: The Americas and Europe. The airport serves all major international and some minor domestic routes for the Medellín metro area, in contrast to the in-town, yet much smaller Olaya Herrera Airport , which serves the Medellín area with domestic flights only. The airport is about a 30 minute drive from the proper city of Medellín. The runway is also used by the nearby military base of the Colombian Air Force located in Rionegro, named Air Combat Command No. 5 ( CACOM 5 ), where all types of military and national police aircraft arrive and depart. The airport has air navigation aids such as VOR , NDB , and ILS , which makes navigation and landings safer in bad weather. Antioquia's exports, mostly flowers and other products from

310-529: The addition of LCD screens and escalators ) have been made, making it one of the most recognized airports in Colombia. It now has service to destinations in Europe and has added new destinations in the Americas, along with the Caribbean as well. Freight transport is also one of the strengths of the terminal, providing air transportation to most of the flower exports (and other products) from Antioquia bound to

341-474: The airport grounds. A list of services before the inauguration of José María Córdova International Airport in 1985. [REDACTED] Media related to Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport at Wikimedia Commons Jos%C3%A9 Mar%C3%ADa C%C3%B3rdova International Airport José María Córdova International Airport ( IATA : MDE , ICAO : SKRG ) is an international airport located in the city of Rionegro , 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-east of Medellín , and

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372-559: The airport had significant movement of cargo and passengers, as the Olaya Herrera airport was closed from 1986 until 1991. When the Olaya Herrera Airport reopened, traffic reduced, but despite the reduction in domestic traffic, international traffic has seen exponential growth. Today, the Olaya Herrera Airport still has significant passenger movements, because it is a main hub for domestic flights within Colombia and

403-573: The airport handled 831,181 passengers, and 848,525 in 2017. Colombian businessman Gonzalo Mejía saw an opportunity for the development of an airport in Medellin, given that the mountainous topography surrounding the city made land transport to and from the area difficult, and that the nearest airport was in Puerto Berrio . He secured financing from wealthy businessmen, chose the land where the airport sits today and overcame obstacles imposed by

434-640: The airport. Aerol%C3%ADnea de Antioquia ADA S.A. , operating as Aerolínea de Antioquia (ADA), was a regional airline headquartered at the Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín , Colombia . It started operations in 1987. It ceased all operations on March 29, 2019. At its peak, the airline operated scheduled domestic services from Medellín to over 20 destinations. Its main base was in Olaya Herrera Airport. The beginning of operations of Aerolínea de Antioquia dates back to 1987, when it

465-663: The city in July. The visit also inspired the name for the park which remains on the western portion of the airport grounds: the Aeroparque Juan Pablo II . It was also one of the mainstays of carrier ACES from its beginnings to its demise in August 2003. Today it is an airport with heavy use and constant growth (second in number of operations in Colombia) and was declared a national monument on October 19, 1995, for its historical, cultural, and architectural value for

496-407: The city of Medellin and Colombia. In 2008, the national government gave the airport and five others in Colombia under concession to operating company Airplan , which is conducting a series of renovations to the terminal (at the time of writing they are ongoing). With an investment of more than US$ 27 million, Airplan began the transformation under the parameters defined in its concession contract with

527-616: The city of Medellín to Puerto Berrio, along the Magdalena River and ultimately connect the cities of Medellín and Bogotá. One of the most important was Gonzalo Mejia, who in a very colloquial manner determined what would be the only place where an airport could be built; this location was later confirmed by the Curtis Wright firm based in New York City . After several obstacles, the city of Medellín finally approved

558-426: The city was growing rapidly and new aircraft of the time required better facilities. Therefore, Mejía signed a contract in 1945 for the expansion of the runway and the existing facilities, a work that was completed on May 1, 1947. In the 1970s, the airport was again over capacity and unable to meet demand, so the construction of new and larger José María Córdova International Airport in the nearby locality of Rionegro

589-412: The construction of an unpaved runway about 974 m long, which would later become Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport. Companies like Saco and Scadta from the cities of Barranquilla and Bogotá soon began service. Then, in the 70s, the need for a larger airport for the province of Antioquia arose due to the limitations of the Olaya Herrera Airport caused by insufficient space to expand. Two sites were proposed for

620-509: The exception of Satena , which operates Embraer 170 aircraft carrying up to 76 passengers. The passenger terminal has two waiting rooms off the main aircraft apron (which has a capacity of over 30 aircraft). It also has a shopping area with banking establishments, offices and shops, a food court, 11 double counters, airline check-in, a smoking room, and close connection with the Plaza Gardel. The airport has 111 hangars located south of

651-402: The hangar area as well. Along with five other airports, Olaya Herrera Airport was given in concession to private operator Airplan to manage. The proposed works include a total refurbishment of the terminal, the construction of a cargo terminal, repairing the track platform, implementing new security systems, the expansion and refurbishment of waiting rooms and baggage claim belts, construction of

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682-628: The international terminal. The expansion increased the passenger handling capacity to 11 million annually. Other improvements included more food and shopping options, more digital displays with flight information, more car rental options, and the addition of a duty-free shop. The total cost of the works was 350 billion pesos. The cargo terminal expansion was completed in February 2020 at a cost of around $ 110 million pesos. The terminal went from 14,000 square metres (150,000 sq ft) to 16,000 square metres (170,000 sq ft). The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at

713-469: The local government. He founded Uraba Medellin Central Airways and established it as a subsidiary of Pan American Airways , which at the time had the prospect of becoming the dominant player in global aviation. The airport opened on July 5, 1932, and was named after the then president of Colombia, Enrique Olaya Herrera , who had supported Mejía and his idea of an airport in Medellin. In the 1940s

744-443: The new airport: one in the vicinity of the municipality of Barbosa northeast of the city, and another in the valley of San Nicolas in Rionegro, east of the city. The latter was selected and construction began. The airport opened on August 29, 1985. During the same year, Avianca conducted test flights of its Boeing 747 , first on the original runway at Olaya Herrera Airport, and then at the new José María Córdova. During this time

775-480: The preferred option for domestic flights out of Medellin. In January 2006, an Airbus A380 landed at the airport to conduct technical tests of the engines. This was the first time a plane of that type had landed on Colombian soil, and also the first time it happened in South America. In 2016, the airport handled 7,376,160 passengers, and 6,892,104 in 2017. In August 2019, a new highway opened, which cut

806-491: The region, depart en route to international destinations from these terminals. The cargo operator Avianca Cargo has its main base at the airport, and operates flights to countries in South , Central and North America . The airport was built with a dome shaped roof. It has many restaurants and shops, including a duty-free shop after clearing security. There are also banks, money exchange , and car rental services. Avianca has

837-476: The terminal, where the executive offices of several commercial, charter, and cargo airlines, as well as flight schools can also be found. Aires Airlines built a hangar on the north end of the airport in order to service aircraft and reaffirm their commitment to Medellin and the new base of operations at the airport. Flight schools Aviation Antioqueña Academy and the Falcons School of Aviation, operate from

868-530: The training of its crews and maintenance of its aircraft; ACES in turn contracted with ADA for the operation of some of its regional routes such as Caucasia , Puerto Berrío and Armenia until it ceased operations in 2003. In 2003, ADA became a commercial air service company of the Regular Public Transport, in their Secondary Category. This new stage allowed the airline to access new routes. ADA transported players from Atlético Nacional to

899-455: The traveling time from the airport to Medellín from 45 minutes to just 20 minutes. The route includes a tunnel called " Tunel de Oriente ". The total cost of the project was 1.1 billion pesos. José María Córdova Airport underwent an expansion in 2017 that enlarged the domestic terminal from 41,350 square metres (445,100 sq ft) to 50,000 square metres (540,000 sq ft) and added five new gates to it, along with three new gates for

930-408: Was announced. This resulted in the closure of Olaya Herrera Airport in 1986, a year after the new airport opened, and the reallocation of its land to a park. However, many people asked for the airport to remain open, and in 1991, it reopened with only domestic flights after a ruling by Aerocivil . In the same year it closed, the airport saw some improvements as a result of Pope John Paul II 's visit to

961-480: Was established for the executive charter service. In 1998, it began its transformation process by connecting Medellín with regional destinations. At the start of its regular operation, ADA had 4 Twin Otter type aircraft that had been operated by ACES, and only covered short routes within the department of Antioquia. In March 2002, it acquired a Twin Otter fleet from ACES Colombia . It contracted with that company for

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