Punta del Este International Airport

Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport () , also known by its former official name of Laguna del Sauce International Airport, and as Punta del Este International Airport is an airport located on Laguna del Sauce, Maldonado department, Uruguay, about 20 km northwest of the Punta del Este peninsula. The main runway is 2,133 m long and 45 m wide, and is capable of receiving medium-sized aircraft, such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.

 History 

In 1946, the Navy began to study the possibility of establishing an air-naval base on Laguna del Sauce. The nation's military dominance was strongly tied to its ability to effectively develop and operate giant seaplanes. 

The technical reports determined that a base located on Laguna del Sauce would ensure Uruguay's control of the coast that extended from Montevideo to Arroyo Chuy. Naval Air Base No. 2 was named Lieutenant Commander Carlos Curbelo, head of the Navy Aeronautical Service, who had died in operation in 1942. 

The Uruguayan State did not have the necessary financial resources to ensure the maintenance of the Airport, nor to renovate the facilities that had been used since the 1950s. In 1991, the acting government called for an international public tender to award the operation and maintenance, under a public works concession regime, of the air terminal. 

The public works concession contract was signed on December 9, 1991. Consorcio Aeropuertos Internacionales S.A. It began operating the Punta del Este air terminal on December 24, 1993. From that moment on, it took charge of the provision of all services.

Airlines and destinations

 References 

Category:Airports in South America
Category:Maldonado Department