page_title: Mariscal Sucre International Airport
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Mariscal Sucre International Airport / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Embraer 190 TAME seen from the boarding gate
context_page_description: Mariscal Sucre International Airport is the busiest airport in Ecuador and one of the busiest airports in South America. It is located in the Tababela parish, about 18 kilometres east of Quito and serves as the largest hub for the Ecuadorian flag-carrier Avianca Ecuador and LATAM Ecuador. It opened in February 2013 and replaced the old Mariscal Sucre International Airport. The airport is named after independence leader Antonio José de Sucre. It is rated as the only 5-star airport in the Western Hemisphere by Skytrax.
context_section_description: Construction began in 2006. A re-negotiation of the financing contract for the airport was signed on 9 August 2010.
  At about 6:19 a.m. on July 2, 2012, an American Airlines Boeing 757 landed at the new airport with about 100 passengers on board. The flight was used to obtain the operating certificate for track tests. It also allowed testing of the performance of the electronics mounted for handling and transporting luggage and check-in counters for passengers and baggage. The aircraft departed from the existing Mariscal Sucre International Airport with Quito's Mayor, Augusto Barrera, local authorities, aviation staff, and the media to pre-test boarding procedures at 5:30 a.m., later taking off at about 6:10 a.m. After a 9-minute flight, the flight landed at the new Airport. After landing and subsequent taxiing through taxiway 1 of the new airport, the airplane was greeted with a water cannon salute from two fire trucks.
  Subsequently, visitors toured the facilities of the passenger terminal building and the north and south ends of the runway. After the tour, Mayor Barrera and authorities gave a press conference. There, the Mayor also stated that the airport would be ready at its inauguration, as well as enhancements to the E-35, and Interoceanic highways. "This is a day of joy and optimism for the city. At this point all you get joining goodwill," the official said adding that the social energy that the city should serve to build and make things.
  Mayor Barrera also stated that this airport will be a remarkable leap in economic development of the city of Quito and that the strategic alliance with Quiport achieved with the resources generated by the new airport will be for all the people of Quito. "We are checking with the facts that transformation we're doing for the Quito we crave" he said. The mayor also reported that when the Mariscal Sucre Airport closes, construction of a new park will begin at the current site, and within days the bidding will begin for the 1st phase of the planned Quito Metro, as well as for the construction of a new bridge over the Chiche river.
  The official inauguration was postponed from October, 2012, citing the progress of improvements to various access routes, the holiday season, and other factors. The new airport commenced operations on 20 February 2013 following the closure of the old airport the night before. The first flights scheduled to arrive at the new airport were TAME flight 302 from Guayaquil (domestic), and LAN flight 2590 from Lima, Peru (international). Arrival times were scheduled for 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. respectively.
caption: TAME Embraer 190
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