page_title: José María Córdova International Airport
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: José María Córdova International Airport / Description
caption_attribution_description: Exterior del Aeropuerto Internacional José María Córdova
context_page_description: José María Córdova International Airport is the second largest airport in Colombia after El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá in terms of infrastructure and passenger service. It is located in the city of Rionegro, 20 kilometres south-east of Medellín.
  It is the most important airport in the Antioquia Department, and in terms of infrastructure, it is the most important in western Colombia. It's also the main hub for low-cost airline Viva Colombia. 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: Rionegro-Bogota, which is mainly operated by Avianca, Viva Colombia and LATAM Colombia. In recent years, significant technology and infrastructure upgrades 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 South and Central America, and in the Caribbean.
  International destinations include the United States, Panama, El Salvador, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Spain.
context_section_description: The suburban, large airport serves all major international and domestic routes, in contrast to the in-town, yet much smaller Olaya Herrera Airport, which serves the Medellín area with domestic flights only. José María Córdova is set for a major expansion that will include new international terminals and an expansion of the cargo terminal. This is set to start next year according to the Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics. The airport is named after José María Córdova (sometimes spelled "Córdoba"), a Colombian army general who was a native of Ríonegro.
  José María Córdova International Airport is the second in Colombia in total passenger and cargo also in international and national after the El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá. The runway is also used by the nearby military base in the Air Force of Colombia 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 allow greater ease of operation for pilots making navigation and landings safer in bad weather.
  In January 2006, an Airbus A380 landed at the air terminal (first time on Colombian soil) to conduct technical tests of the engines.
  Antioquia's exports, mostly flowers and other products from 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. Avianca Cargo has a ramp that can accommodate up to ten aircraft. All types of aircraft, including Boeing 747, Douglas DC-10, Boeing 767 are among the most common arrivals at the terminal. In addition, the terminal is near the customs area and airline hangars.
  The airport has three restaurants and a shopping area, where there are banks, ATM's, money exchange, and car rentals. Avianca also has a VIP room inside the facility serving domestic and international flights. There is also a VIP airport lounge "The Lounge Medellin" operated by Global Lounge Network. Outside the main building is a parking lot with a capacity for 250 cars and an area for motorcycles. Long term parking is also provided.
  In 2016, the airport handled 7,376,160 passengers, and 6,892,104 in 2017.
caption: Terminal view
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