Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
ServesBaltra, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Elevation AMSL207 ft / 63 m
Coordinates00°27′14″S 90°15′57″W / 0.45389°S 90.26583°W / -0.45389; -90.26583
Websitewww.ecogal.aero
Map
GPS is located in Galápagos Islands
GPS
GPS
Location of airport in the Galápagos Islands
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
14/32 2,401 7,877 Asphalt
Source: WAD[1] GCM[2]
Outside of new building of Seymour Airport, Baltra Is., Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Inside of new building of Seymour Airport, Baltra Is., Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Seymour Galapagos Ecological Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Ecológico Galápagos Seymour) (IATA: GPS, ICAO: SEGS) is an airport serving the island of Baltra, one of the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.

Name

The airport preserves part of Baltra's former name, South Seymour Island, bestowed in honor of the Royal Navy officer Hugh Seymour who served during the Napoleonic Wars.

Facilities

The terminal, which consists of recycled steel tubes taken from oil drilling operations in the Amazon, is spread over 6,000 square meters and required an investment of just over $24 million. The new complex will use clean, renewable technologies such as solar energy, wind farms, and seawater desalination, among other environmental innovations.

According to ECOGAL, the company that operates the terminal, and the construction of the new airport took into account the surrounding environment and sought to make a minimal impact on the ecosystem. The project was announced in 2008, with construction commencing in 2012. The purpose of the redevelopment from the outset was to create the world's first ecological airport. ECOGAL was awarded a 15-year concession to administer and operate the airport.

History

During World War II, the airport (then known as Seymour Island Airfield) was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force defending the South American coastline and the Panama Canal against Japanese submarines. The first American personnel arrived on 9 April 1942. Military flying units assigned to the airport were:

Detachments stationed at Salinas Afld, Ecuador, and Talara Afld, Peru, December 1942-March 1943

By 30 September 1945, most personnel were withdrawn and only a housekeeping staff remained. The military facility was deactivated on 30 April 1946, leaving a communications unit which deactivated on 29 February 1948. Today many of the former USAAF aircraft parking hardstands still exist, along with an unused NW/SE runway that was abandoned after the war but remains in reasonable condition.

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Avianca Ecuador Guayaquil, Manta,[3] Quito
LATAM Ecuador Guayaquil, Quito

Statistics

Busiest domestic routes from Seymour Airport (2018)[4]
Rank City Passengers Top carriers
1 Pichincha Province Quito, Pichincha 291,765 Avianca Ecuador, LATAM Ecuador, Aeroregional
2 Guayas Province Guayaquil, Guayas 229,034 Avianca Ecuador, LATAM Ecuador, Aeroregional

See also

References

  1. ↑ World Aero Data for SEGS[usurped]
  2. ↑ Airport information for Seymour Airport at Great Circle Mapper.
  3. ↑ "Avianca Ecuador volará entre Manta y Galápagos". Nicolás Larenas. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ "https://www.ecuadorencifras.gob.ec/transporte/"

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

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